The story of how humans came to believe in unicorns and the mystery of what may have been lost.
The existence of unicorns is a myth that spans many cultures. The name unicorn comes from the Greek “monokeros” and Latin “unicornis” which means one horn. Therefore, any animal with one horn would be described as a unicorn. However different cultures disagree on what kind of animal this is based on other attributes besides having one horn. But where did these ideas start? I will explain some of the history I was able to find on why people not only believed in unicorns but also believed their horns to have supernatural powers.
There were Chinese and Indian myths about unicorns passed down through spoken stories long before anything was written down. A Greek historian named Ctesias wrote in 400 BC about the Indian “wild ass” with one horn coming out of its forehead which was a cubit-long (about 18 inches). The ass or donkey is in the same family as the horse(equine). He wrote “Those who drank from its horn were thought to be protected from stomach trouble, epilepsy, and poison. It was very fleet of foot and difficult to capture.”
Unicorns are also mentioned in some versions of the Bible, especially the King James Version. Due to widespread belief in the Christian Bible as the word of God and historical fact, even more, people came to believe that the unicorn was a real animal in the past. Some say that the animal referred to is a Rhinoceros or a wild ox and not the horse that we think of today. However, it could still have been a one-horned animal and was described to be of such strength that it would never obey humans.
The following are some of the verses from the Bible that seem to fit in well with the established myths from other cultures about unicorns.
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn (Numbers 23:22, KJV).
Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns (Psalm 22:21, KJV).
But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil (Psalm 92:10).
Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? (Job 39:9 – 10, KJV).
Due to the ever-increasing popularity of unicorns and their connection with the Christian Bible, they worked their way into a lot of Christian Theology. One of the more interesting aspects of unicorns is that they often appear only to virgins or those pure of heart. In Christian Theology the unicorn is sometimes used to represent Jesus Christ and his mother is called the Virgin Mary. Christians seem to believe Mary being a virgin was somehow required for her to be the mother of Jesus.
Perhaps the comparison of God having the strength of a unicorn is not as far off as it may seem. One thing that I find difficult about my research on unicorns is that I don’t find a single story that is adopted by different cultures but I do find that each culture has different stories which are close enough in their descriptions of unicorns that it leads me to the idea that these stories were created somewhat independent of each other but there may have been some borrowing.
Even more descriptions of unicorns are present in modern times. For example, in the movie “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone “, it is said that “Drinking the blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure and defenseless to save yourself, you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.”
The legend of unicorn blood being used to keep someone alive also fits in with the immortal nature of unicorns. They can be killed but they would otherwise live forever. In the 1982 animated movie, “The Last Unicorn”, the main character is a unicorn who leaves her forest in search of the other unicorns. In a wild adventure, she is turned into a human by Schmendrick the Magician. It is during her time as a human that she fears the morality of the human body and even begins to experience human emotions of fear, love, and regret that no unicorn has ever experienced. In this modern adaptation of the legend of unicorns, the main difference a unicorn has compared to a human or even an ordinary horse is that of being immortal.
Starting in the 1980s and beyond, unicorns found their place in the animated series My Little Pony. In this cartoon, unicorns (along with Pegasi and earth ponies) are still very much immortal but are much more flawed and relatable. These shows are used for teaching moral lessons to children by watching these horses with friendship problems learn to resolve them.
In the 2010 reboot series of My Little Pony titled “Friendship is Magic”, the central focus is on the elements of harmony known as honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, and loyalty. Having these traits is the key to a healthy friendship as well as the source of all the magical powers the ponies have.
The unicorn stands alone as a legendary beast that is interpreted in far more different ways than other legends such as dragons, phoenixes, harpies, and mermaids. This versatility is what makes all stories about them fresh and exciting because no two tales are alike.
The unicorn is also seen as generally safe and non-threatening. Unlike dragons, which are feared, the unicorn usually comes in peace and will not hurt you unless you are hurting the innocent and the unicorn is fighting for justice. Horses are also herbivores who never kill to eat any animal for food. It is assumed the same applies to the unicorn if it is a type of horse.
But were the legends really about a horse with a horn? We cannot know for sure because most of these stories and history were spoken by the ancient Chinese, Indians, Mesopotamians, Babylonians, Greeks, etc. We may never know what the first story was. These things are a mystery for which we have evidence in ancient artwork and the writings that survive. Most of them do suggest that it was a horse, but some think it was unlike any animal we have seen today.
But over time a unicorn is a word that people described to identify anything extremely rare or special. For example, the unicorn has had several different meanings in the LGBTQIA community. Asexuals and intersex people are so rare that many humans don’t believe they exist, just like they don’t believe an animal known as the unicorn exists. In response, some gay, bisexual, asexual, or transgender people use the unicorn as a symbol. For example, the famous gender unicorn is used to explain the difference between biological sex and gender identity. This has led to an explosion of unicorns in the 21st century in clothing, video games, movies, etc.
In any case, the belief in unicorns has existed for all human history. We will most likely always see them as horses with a single horn because ancient and modern art reinforces this idea. As for me, I am fine with this idea because horses are strong and beautiful. But what do you think about unicorns? Do you think they existed in the past and were hunted to extinction, or are they perhaps still with us but appearing only to the pure of heart?
Sources
(n.d.). Unicorn: Legend, History, and Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/unicorn
(n.d.). 10 Fantastical Facts About Unicorns. Mental Floss. https://www.mentalfloss.com/…/10-magical-facts-about…
(n.d.). Unicorns in the Bible. BibleStudy.org.https://www.biblestudy.org/…/mythical…/unicorn.html
(n.d.). Unicorn, the horned horse. Occultopedia. http://occultopedia.com/u/unicorn.htm
(n.d.). What Does A Unicorn Symbolize? Miller’s Guild. https://www.millersguild.com/unicorn-symbolism/
(n.d.). Beyond Myth and Legend: Tracing the Footsteps of Unicorns in Ancient Cultures. Ancient Origins. https://www.ancient-origins.net/…/ancient-culture…
[Mythos The Historian]. (2022, February 20). Unicorn – Myths and Beliefs Around the World [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu-ABsUPZ-8
(n.d.). Unicorn. Harry Potter Wiki. https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Unicorn
(n.d.). My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Internet Movie Database. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1751105/
(n.d.). Gender Unicorn. Trans Student Educational Resources. https://transstudent.org/gender/
(n.d.). The Last Unicorn Wiki. The Unicorn. https://thelastunicorn.fandom.com/wiki/The_Unicorn
Sources from Fullsail Course Library
SMITH, S. E. (2021). Mane Character. Bitch Magazine: Feminist Response to Pop Culture, 92, 30–35. https://login.oclc.fullsail.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=152641988&site=ehost-live
UNICORNS. (2019). History Today, 69(1), 4–5. https://login.oclc.fullsail.edu/login?url=https://search-ebscohost-com.oclc.fullsail.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=133451363&site=ehost-live
Chastity White Rose 