The Myth of the Unicorn
The Unicorn is perhaps one of the most popular and captivating mythical creatures of all time. Although it is often presented in a more feminine way, th belief of a one-horned horse that contains magical properties has been a widespread belief that dates back centuries. Typically the Unicorn has been described to have the head of a horse on the body of a stag with the tail of a lion. So rare were these creatures that it was said that only one Unicorn could exist at any given time. In some stories the Unicorn is as large as an elephant while in others it is as small as a gazelle or anything in between the two creatures. Its horn is known as the Alicorn and it was this that held potent medicinal and magical properties. The Unicorn of the West, the one we are most familiar with is usually white or silver and is thus linked to the moon. However there have been many Unicorns across many different cultures.
A 19th century French priest called Abbe Huc claimed that the Unicorn derived from Tibet and Mongolia where it was known as Serou (Tibet) and Kere (Mongolia). Tibet was a secretive country where few could go but when many westerners gained access in the early 20th century they failed to find any Unicorns and thus stopped believing in Abbe Huc’s myth. The oldest Unicorn is the Ki-Lin of China, which was reported to be 3,000 years old. There are other species of Unicorn from China said to have the bodies of cheetahs, deer and oxen. Other Unicorns appear in Indian, African and Middle Eastern belief.
Another probable origin of the Unicorn comes from the mythical animal called Re’em. Re’em is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a large-horned beast. Scholars stumbled upon this word during their translation of the Bible from Hebrew into Greek around 300 – 100 B.C.E. The description of the beast detailed drew strong parallels to the Unicorn that they knew in their beliefs; it was impossible to tame, had one horn and was highly noble. Thus the word Re’em was translated to Monokeros which directly translates into English as ‘one horn’. Since then the Unicorn remained a part of the Bible for centuries.
In one section of the Bible, the Unicorn is presented as an animal that attempts to defeat the Devil. There is also another reference of the Unicorn in the Bible where it appears in one description about a prophecy of a conqueror and his steed. Some scholars believe that the conqueror was Alexander the Great and his steed was a Unicorn. The Unicorn also appears in the Book of Genesis as the first animal the Adam named. Also in the story of Noah and his Ark, the Unicorn would not board the ark but instead it swam beside it for 40 days and 40 nights.
A third explanation of the origin of the Unicorn comes from Mesopotamian art. In the relief artwork of the Assyrian culture a one-horned bull appears many times. This animal was called the Rimu. Carl Wieland believes that this animal was depicted in this way to show the perfect symmetry of the two horns. Furthermore, Carl states that the Rimu was in fact the prehistoric large ox called auroch.
The Unicorn became very popular during Medieval Europe and was depicted in much of the artwork, sometimes by itself and sometimes with a virgin riding upon its back. Since then the Unicorn became a heraldic animal and features on the coats of arms of families. It is also shown with a lion to represent the solar and lunar energies such as the image on the British passport. The Unicorn is still in our world and artwork although it now takes upon a more juvenile look in a pretty in innocent way to appeal to children.
Enter into a whole world of Unicorns from mythology.
