Unicorns
A unicorn is a mythical animal resembling a horse but bigger in size and having a single horn growing from the middle of its head.
In Biblical etiology, the unicorn is considered to be extinct in our times, having been thrown out of the ark and drowned. Euhemerists
trace the stories of unicorns to a first encounter with the rhinoceros.
The last reported sighting of the fabled unicorn was in 1673, when a Dr. Olfert Dapper reported seeing a wild unicorn in the woods of
Maine in 1673. Another instance alluding to the unicorn's existence was reported in 1936. Dr. Franklin Dove, a biologist at the
University of Maine, described at some detail an operation he performed in 1933 on a one-day old Ayrshire calf that bore horn buds on
its head. The single spike was attached at the skull of the calf and was used to pry up barriers. It was estimated that the force
created by this single horn exceeded that created by a two-horned animal. Dr. Dove theorized that the animal might have been a product
of transplantation, a process not unknown during the times of Pliny, when the unicorn was first described. The hunt for unicorns has
been depicted in various medieval artwork from Europe, the Islamic world, and China.
The unicorn was also reported to exist during the Middle Ages, from France to China. In China, the unicorn, or an animal resembling
one, was called the 'four-not-like', that is, the body of a horse but not like a horse, the feet of an antelope but not like an
antelope, etc. The unicorn was at one time also though to exist in India and Africa.
A description of the unicorn was made by the Greek writer Ctesias. Although classical reports of this animal, such as the one made by
Ctesias, gave the horn a white base, black middle and red tip, Dr. Dove noted that only the females have red tips. The horn itself
was described as being a cubit in length (27 to 36 inches). The stories reported by Ctesias, as well as other Greek writers of the
period, were often ascribed to the Indian rhinoceros, which was a newly discovered animal at that time.
The medieval church considered the unicorn to be symbolic of many virtues. Chastity and fierceness were naturally alluded to this
animal. Because the church believed the unicorn would inherit the earth, meekness was also ascribed to it. Even though it was known to
be a powerful animal, it was believed to be gentle during mating time, symbolizing virginity and demonstrating the power of love.
Christian belief likened the unicorn to Christ himself, "who raised up a horn of salvation for mankind and dwelt in the womb of the
Virgin Mary" (Encyclopedia Britannica). In ecclesiastical art, the unicorn is depicted along with the lamb and the dove. In
heraldry, it is associated with the British crown, having been a symbol of James I.
An anecdote during medieval times described how a unicorn was tricked into thrusting its horn into a tree trunk, after which the animal
was easily subdued and captured. However, the animal is normally difficult to approach, and can only be tamed by the touch of a virgin.
The unicorn's horn is believed to contain many magical powers. It is believed that dipping the horn into water purifies it. Food or
drinks containing poison can easily be detected by the horn as well. This is perhaps one reason why many Chinese still use ivory to
detect poisons. The gates of Prester John's palace is also believed to use horns from horned serpents to prevent the smuggling in of
poisons. Some also carry elixirs containing the essence of the unicorn horn as an antidote to poisons. Drinking from the horn was
also supposed to cure stomach trouble and epilepsy.
Medieval kings, pontiffs and popes carry unicorn horn as part of their possessions, used as an amulet to detect the presence of
poisons during dinners. The 16th and 17th centuries use the horn as an expensive ingredient in medicines. As late as 1789 it was
still used to detect poisons in royal foods. Johannis Baptista Silvaticus reported in 1605 in his De Unicornis Bezoar how Paul III
paid 12,000 gold pieces for one such horn to be used against pestilential forces. Another horn was also mentioned in the book to
have been sold in Dresden in roughly the same period for about $75,000.
Learned men had different accounts of the significance of the unicorn and its horn. Copernicus believed in the power of the horn.
Andrea Bacci believed that the horn can even detect the approach of venom by sweating. Erastus, however, believed the horn to be
valueless against poisons. De Boot considered the question of the animal's existence to be more significant than the alleged powers
of the horn. After all, no one has ever captured one since the Middle Ages.
The modern symbolic significance of the unicorn is reported by Robert Graves to be the single exalted horn reaching to the zenith,
the highest point attained by the sun. This zenith is represented in Egyptian architecture by the obelisk. Like the obelisk, the
unicorn's horn symbolizes the dominion over the four corners or quarters of the world and the sun's zenith.
Copyright 2007 Todd Frye
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