| Unicorn's History and Beliefs |
| The word Unicorn, literally means "one-horned", and comes from two Latin words, unus, "one", and cornu, "horn". The mystery of the Unicorn's existence, and if in fact did exist, it's origins are a topic that will long be of interest to man, like the mystery surrounding the Egyptian Pyramids. While some unicorns are pure white, a symbol of virginity, others may be as dark as the night. In iconography, they are assciated with the Virgin Mary. The legend if this mystical creature dates back as fas as the ancient Greeks. Later in history, references in the Bible connect unicorns to virgin saints and they became a symbol of purity. Despite the fact that that Unicorns were said to be wild and at times vicious, one could easily be tamed by a virgin's touch. In the West, Unicorns were usually considered wild & untamable, while in the orient they were considered peaceful, meek, possessors of good luck. Hunting the Unicorn was a tapestry subject in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. If captured or cornered, a Unicorn will fight fiercely but can be tamed by a virgin't touch. The first Unicorns, as such, seem to have apppeared in written accounts rather than in pictorial representations. Many stories, songs, and poems have been written about these mystical creatures. One such story being the reason that no known survivors exist today, is that they never made it aboard the Ark, as they were off gallivanting when it was time to go. The Christian symbolism of the Unicorn came mainly from the mention of the Unicorn in the Bible, one such writing was in Psalm 22, line 21, "Save me from the lions' mouth: though hast heard me, also from the horns of Unicorns." This quote suggests unlike modern day belief that the Unicorn is docile, that the Unicorn is a creature to be feared. Another religious belief was that the invincible nature if God was shown in the Unicorn. Some religions even believe that the Unicorn was present in the Garden of Eden watching the destruction of the innocence of Adam and Eve. Some see the Unicorn as a myth, while others believe that not only did this magnificent animal roam the Earth in times past, but it still does today. Although Unicorns lived mostly in the legends of Roman and Greek Mythology, they are still an interest today. The life long question on the exsistence of the Unicorn will not be answered here today but in the presentation of the historic facts surrounding the Unicorn which may give you a new insight into the stories, myths, and legends that have evolved through the decades. What has always amazed me is that for a creature that supposebly never existed, the Unicorn has been represented in art & stories, not only here in the United States, but in European civilazations, China and is even mentioned in the Bible. From the beginning of time one fact has remained true, history and cultures say Unicorns did exist. What does differ are the descriptions of what a Unicorn was, what it looked like, and what it's purpose on earth was. |
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