Dedication: To my Grandad Don – who served upon an aircraft carrier named the HMS Unicorn during WW2. Unicorns; if any one thing has become the ultimate symbol of 2017, then it is the Unicorn, which has bled its way in to every facet of life over this past year. But where did the story of the Unicorn begin? This elusive creature which embodies grace and beauty has been found in art and writing since antiquity, however you may be interested to learn that it’s source lies predominantly in natural history – NOT mythology. Ctesias was a Greek physician and historian who lived in the 5th century BC and was author of one of the earliest descriptions of a Unicorn, which he placed as an inhabitant of India and described as “wild asses, fleet of foot, having a horn a cubit and a half (approx.28 inches) in length, coloured red, white and black.” This is a far cry from our modern day interpretation of silver sleek ponies galloping through enchanted glades, their spiralling horn projecting majestically from their foreheads, however throughout early civilisation, similar accounts are common place with the creatures being described as “ferocious” and “unable to be taken alive.” The one horned animal can also be found on seals from the Indus Valley Civilisation which existed during the Bronze Age (3300-1900 BC) and extended from what today is northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. To outline the genesis of the Unicorn myth during the Middle Ages and Renaissance period we need to look towards the Bible – most notably The King James Bible (completed in 1611) which mentions Unicorns (now predominantly represented as a horse) no less than 9 times, in 5 different books, by at least 5 different authors: by Balaam, Moses, David, Isaiah, and even God himself in the book of Job. Also, during this age, texts knows as “Bestiaries”; compendiums of animals and rocks found in natural history, usually accompanied by a moral lesson, were popular in art and literature. However, these writings did not distinguish between animals of fact and those of legend; texts would often refer to dragons, basilisk, griffin and unicorns as commonly as they would describe accounts of boars, bears, lions and deer. It was works such as these that popularized the allegory of “the Unicorn and the Maiden” as a representation of the incarnation of Christ. In this narrative, as soon as the unicorn sees the maiden it rests its head in her lap and falls asleep – thus sealing the creature’s emblematic status within the Church. Some religious writers even went as far as to interpret the unicorn and its subsequent death as the Passion of the Christ – a beast that can only be tamed by a virgin, again allegorical for Christ’s relationship with the Virgin Mary. Outside the Church, Unicorns had started their progress in to folklore – indicative of beguiled lovers, virtue and chastity. These characteristics led to the belief that the unicorn’s horn could neutralize poison, act as an aphrodisiac and held magical and medicinal properties – the alicorn (the name of the horn itself) was often falsified by substituting powder from the tusks of narwhals (appropriately known as the unicorns of the sea). The Throne Chair of Denmark located in the Castle of Rosenborg in Copenhagen is said to be made of Unicorn horns! By the 15th century the Unicorn (now primarily depicted as a horse) became popular in Heraldry, most often shown collared with a broken chain attached, showing that it has broken free from its bondage. As a heraldic device, the Unicorn became most popular in Scotland – seen as a proud and glorious beast who would rather die than be captured (in keeping with the Scottish ideal of retaining independence). Our fascination with Unicorns continued steadily throughout the years – both in and outside of fictional spheres. “This obsession with unicorns is nothing new — with social media, we’ve just found a different way to show it,” says Vaughn Scribner, an assistant history professor at the University of Central Arkansas who studies mythical creatures. “In the 18th century, the smartest men in the world were running around trying to find unicorns and mermaids and monstrosities.” This quote underlines what I believe to be society’s main attraction to this mythical creature; hope. A shared desire to believe in a being which embodies magic, honour and decency in an age in which mankind is leaning forcibly towards to the opposite. Throughout history and fiction, the magical powers of the unicorn have become legendary - their horns said to be harder than diamonds and their tears capable of healing both physical and emotional wounds (as well as being the source ingredient for Unicorn Tears Gin, of course!) The person with such faith of heart which allows them to see a Unicorn may have a wish granted as a reward, and many will be aware of that within the Harry Potter series, powerful wands are made with a core of unicorn hair, with their blood able to sustain the almost dead. The Unicorn had their first revival in the late 80s/early 90s with the introduction of the My Little Pony franchise – one that I found myself wholeheartedly enchanted by as a child. There were the Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasus, Sea Ponies, Flutter Ponies – each represented by their bright mane and tails, alongside their individual “cutie marks”. As well as the pony figurines themselves the concept was adapted in to animated features including Rescue at Midnight Castle, Escape from Catrina – and my favourite, My Little Pony: The Movie. All endorsed courage and kindness, often containing a sub plot where someone would need to accept they were wrong, or needed to apologise / atone for a mistake, all sandwiched between catchy songs (some of which I still remember word for word). And the Unicorns themselves? Well their horns allowed them to magically teleport from place to place (or “wink out”, as it was termed). rThis wouldn’t be a history on Unicorns without mentioning the book and subsequent animated film, “The Last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle. Quite the antithesis of My Little Pony in many ways, The Last Unicorn explores more bittersweet themes including love, loss and regret. In a story in which our Unicorn heroine (Amalthea) needs to be transformed in to human form for her own safety, the tale culminates with a final battle in which the Prince she has fallen in love with, is killed. Returned to her Unicorn form she is able to revive her Prince, but chooses to return to her forest, contemplating on the new truth that she is the only unicorn to have felt regret – but also the only to know love. The full on cultural phenomenon – our Unicorn Renaissance if you will – came crashing in to the main stream in 2016. The shimmer and sparkle element were first to infiltrate social media, perfect Insta-fodder in terms of hair and makeup posts. The colours and palettes becoming popular on our bodies then transferred to our foods – unicorn toasts, lattes, bagels, Frappuccino’s… it only made sense that clothing and products came next and hence the brand strategists symbolic dream was conceived. All of a sudden, every imaginable product was telling us to keep calm and be a unicorn, to always be ourselves – unless we can be unicorns, to be a unicorn in a field of horses... and a conundrum emerged. Can we (specifically women) embody the sparkles, the rainbows, the positivity and individuality this emblem evokes, and not get trapped in a field of apologetic feminal qualities where the cynics in the audience may go so far as to interpret the alicorn itself as a psychosexual token of phallic symbolism? Just a theory. Not one I subscribe to; but certainly one that could be opened up to the floor for an interesting debate. And mirroring the elusive nature of the Unicorn itself, the definition of the word in modern context continues to shimmer and shift. The term “Unicorn” can refer to that perfect partner, a rare find, someone special who is hard to catch; to quote Urban Dictionary, “The term is often describing someone who is remarkably attractive (above a 7.9), but not at all batshit crazy…” Well… Yet, at the same time, a “Unicorn” is described as a person who is willing to join a previously existing couple in a sexual encounter whilst rejecting and resisting the development of any emotional attachment to either member of said couple. To conclude, the Unicorn has returned to us at a time when we needed it most, bringing with it a proposal of tolerance, acceptance and an openness to make that leap of faith towards the idea of magic. And no, not witches and wizards and wands magic, but simply the good things that we as people can create when we concentrate our power (like a beam from an alicorn maybe?) in the right direction. Do not let the beauty of the Unicorn distract you – the heart is where the power lies. I think Lewis Carroll put it best in “Through The Looking-Glass”;
“Well, now that we have seen each other," said the unicorn, "if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you.”
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Author - Helena ChristieLittle Welsh Sprite. A Manager of people. A wearer of heels. A drinker of gin. A disciple of musical theatre and medieval history. You can find me on Twitter under @HistoryWithHelz and @HelenaChristie4 Archives
July 2018
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