Unicorn A unicorn is a mythological creature often used in fantasy stories, picture books, and novels. The most popular image of the unicorn is that of a horse with a horn on its forehead, the traditional unicorn has a Billy-goat beard, a lion"s tail, and cloven hooves - these distinguish it from a horse. The unicorn is often perceived as a fabulous and beautiful creature unaware of human fears, mysterious and gentle. The word unicorn is from the Latin unus "one" and cornu "horn") Medieval knowledge of the unicorn stemmed from biblical and ancient sources. The unicorn has often been represented in religious art. The two major interpretations of the unicorn symbol hinge on Pagan and Catholic symbolism. The pagan interpretation focuses on the medieval lore of beguiled lovers, whereas some Catholic writings interpret the unicorn and its death as the Passion of Christ. The unicorn has long been identified as a symbol of Christ by Catholic writers, allowing the traditionally pagan symbolism of the unicorn to become acceptable within religious doctrine. The original myths refer to a beast with one horn that can only be tamed by a virgin maiden; subsequently, some Catholic scholars translated this into an allegory for Christ"s relationship with the Virgin Mary. In one of his notebooks Leonardo Da Vinci wrote: "The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it bears to fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it." It is unclear whether because it was an emblem of the Incarnation or of the fearsome animal passions of raw nature, the unicorn was not widely used in early heraldry, but became popular from the 15th century. Though sometimes shown collared, which may perhaps be taken in some cases as an indication that it has been tamed or tempered, it is more usually shown collared with a broken chain attached, showing that it has broken free from its bondage and cannot be taken again. The unicorn also figured in courtly terms: for some 13th century French authors such as Thibaut of Champagne and Richard de Fournival, the lover is attracted to his lady as the unicorn is to the virgin. With the rise of humanism, the unicorn also acquired more orthodox secular meanings, emblematic of chaste love and faithful marriage. The ancient Norwegians were said to believe the narwhal to have affirmed the existence of the unicorn. The unicorn horn was believed to stem from the narwhal tooth, which grows outward and projects from its upper jaw. It is popular belief that unicorn horns could neutralize poisons. Therefore, people who feared poisoning sometimes drank from goblets made of "unicorn horn. |
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