The Unicorn is the only fabulous beast conceived
not out of human fear but as the sole single creation of mankind’s
fertile, positive and ever hopeful imagination, a legendary creature
whose power is exceeded only by its mystery. Fierce yet good, a
symbol of strength, endurance, agility, perseverance, wisdom and
playfulness, Unicorns are selfless yet solitary, a wild and
untamable animal symbol of purity, hope, love and majesty, grace,
finesse, and unconquerable nature.1
To find the Unicorn again we must unlearn
old lessons, seek new paths to familiar destinations, stop and
listen to guidance we have ceased to hear and look deep within
ourselves for right answers.
Men of the Middle Ages found the Unicorn in a
natural truth, purity and love that has been lost in technology of
today.
The Chinese Unicorn is K'i-lin, a symbol of
wisdom and moderation whose birth foreshadows the arrival of a great
leader and whose appearance inspired Fu Hsi to create the Chinese
written language, circa 2900 BC.
In Japan, Unicorns are the Sin-you, known for its
ability to know right from wrong and often called upon to determine
the guilt or innocence of accused persons.
Middle Eastern Unicorns, the Karkadann, were
fierce animals with magical abilities. They could be mild and tender
hearted; when they put their head in water, the water would become pure
and fruitful, opposites would unite, and any evil within the water
would die and be cast out. 2
The ancient Greeks were convinced of Unicorns
existence, found in the fantastic distant realm of India, as
mentioned by Ctesias and Aristotle. Pliny the Great describes the
one horned beast as a very fierce animal with a single black horn,
which projects from the middle of its forehead, two cubits in
length.3
To the ancient Hebrew, the Unicorn is the Re'em,
a symbol of a wild, untamable animal with great strength and
agility.4
An Assyria Unicorn, Rimu, is depicted as a
powerful, fierce, wild mountain beast with one large horn and is
found often in ancient Mesopotamian art.5
Biblically, the book of Job asks us: “Will the
Unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Wilt thou
trust him, because his strength is great? Wilt thou leave thy labour
to him?"6
The royal throne of Denmark was made of "Unicorn
horns", to capture the magical properties said to be within them,
including the ability to neutralize poison.7
In heraldry, the Unicorn is invariably shown
collared with a broken chain attached, showing that it has broken
free from bondage and cannot be taken again, forever remaining free
of artificial limits set by man.8
When James I ascended to the English throne in
1603, the heraldic Unicorn and Lion represented the
union of two formerly warring nations and showed a new order of
things supported by the balanced forces of nature, sun and moon in
harmony.
Found also on the royal arms of Scotland and the
United Kingdom, two Unicorns support the Scottish arms; a lion and a
unicorn support the UK arms.9
References: Sources of Unicorn
History
-
Mayer, Marianna. The Unicorn and
the Lake (1961) and Odell Shepard, The Lore of the
Unicorn. (1930)
-
Beer, Rüdiger Robert. Unicorn: Myth
and Reality (1977).
-
Ctesias (390 BC) “45” and Indica –
Pliny (before 79 AD) "8.31", Natural History translated
by John Bostock (1922)
-
Jewish Encyclopedia
-
Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Unicorn"
-
King James Bible
-
Gotfredsen, Lise. The Unicorn
(1999)
-
Friar, Stephen. A New Dictionary of
Heraldry (1987)
-
Brown, Robert. The Unicorn: A
Mythological Investigation (1881)
