Unicorn Day

Today is Unicorn Day!

For those not in the know, unicorns are mythical creatures often depicted as horses with a horn on their head. It's believed that unicorns were magical creatures, their horns allowing them to purify poisoned water and heal sickness. In Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, unicorns were believed to reside in woodlands, and they could only be captured by virgins, as unicorns were seen as a symbol of purity. 

Unicorns have a very long history. The first mentions of this mythical critter were during the Bronze Age, renditions of the unicorn being seen in soapstone stamp seals of the Indus Valley Civilization. These renditions of unicorns were more like cows than the modern horse-like unicorn. The unicorn strangely disappeared from South Asian art after the IVC, but it may have influenced renditions of other one-horned creatures in that region's myth.

The Bible also mentions an animal called the re'em, which is rendered as "unicorn" in some translations.

Unicorns were heavily mentioned in Ancient Greece, but not in their myths. That's because they believed unicorns were real animals native to India. As such, they're mentioned in Greek accounts of natural history. The Ancient Greek unicorn was described as similar to onagers. The earliest Ancient Greek descriptions were provided by physician/natural historian Ctesias, who lived in the Persian Empire for a time. However, his unicorns may have been based on reliefs of winged bulls in Perseopolis.

It would be in Medieval Europe that the modern unicorn would come to be. During that time, they would also be described as a kind of goat. During that time, an allegory would be made popular that told the tale of a unicorn captured by a maiden. The unicorn would represent Incarnation. The unicorn would appear in religious and secular art of the era, often depicted as a hunted creature representing the vulnerability of virgins. Marco Polo claimed that he saw unicorns in his travels, but he was actually describing rhinoceroses. 

The unicorn is also a national symbol of Scotland, as it was believed to be the natural enemy of the lion, which was (and still is) a symbol for England. In fact, in the 15th and 16th centuries, they used a currency called the "unicorn". In the Victorian Era, they would be associated with rainbows.

The unicorn would go on from there to be a regular part of pop culture, mainly used in the fantasy genre of fiction. In the 20th and 21st centuries, they would also become a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, thanks to its association with rainbows, its magical qualities, rarity, and due to its being mythical, it can be seen as something that doesn't fully fit in the world. Unicorns can also be depicted as male or female (although modern renditions of the unicorn more often than not portray them as female). 

There are other mythologies that have animals similar to unicorns. For example, Chinese mythology has the qilin, and Arabian myth has the Al-mi'raj.

So, yeah. Unicorns have a fascinating history. I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about these magical horned horses. Thanks for reading this blog entry! See you next time!