Main Page

I am a lover of things allegorical. For those who may be unfamiliar with this concept, an allegory is a story or picture or other symbol which appears to be one thing but stands for something else, used to illustrate a point.

Lots of things can be used allegorically, but I happen to be especially fond of the things of folklore and mythology. I'm not overly fond of fairies, but I have nothing against them. I do rather like dragons, showy, arrogant creatures that they are, and valkyries and I seem to have a great deal in common. Pegasi are pleasant (really, according to proper Greek mythology, there was only one Pegasus, but let's not quibble), satyrs and nymphs are entertaining (and potentially a great deal of fun, if you take my meaning), and wyverns are a particular personal favorite of mine. Overall, I like to think about these things which are not literal, but might be able to exist in an allegorical way if we gave them a chance.

In light of this, I collect unicorns. Or, possibly they collect me. I have unicorns of all sorts, including jewelry, pictures, figurines (in glass, ceramic, pewter, plastic, and brass), salt and pepper shakers, and stuffed toy unicorns. As I write this there is a baby unicorn bean bag animal peering at me as it hangs over the edge of my computer monitor, and there's a unicorn calendar to my left, and a unicorn clock visible just over my left shoulder. My most unusual unicorn is probably the brass letter opener. The most wonderful is a beautifully made hand-crafted hand puppet, big enough to cover most of my arm, who was a birthday gift from a talented friend (Thank you, Eric). At this point in my collection, I limit additions to only the most unusual of items.

There are those who know me who seem to think that I am a unicorn, albeit an allegorical one. I'm certainly not a literal unicorn, although I do have a redheaded anthropmorphic alter-ego unicorn who lives on my personal homepage and bears some resemblence to me in an alter-egostistical sort of way. And I should note that my sweetheart owns an artist-made brass keyring with a sculptured unicorn on it; it reminds him of me.

It is my opinion that unicorns are quite intelligent and maybe even wise, if you're willing to put your own ideas aside and listen to them for a while. And if you ever have the pleasure of meeting a unicorn, you may find you have to strike a bargain, so here are some things to consider on meeting a unicorn. Just be careful; unicorns have very sharp horns, hooves, and teeth, and they can be quite fierce if they feel so inclined.

I've managed to learn quite a lot about unicorns over the years, and being a student of art history and of history in general has helped in that pursuit. I've read a few books on the subject, dabbled in books of folklore and mythology, and gleaned a fair amount of information in the decades that I've been at this.

Like any allegorical thing, unicorns are elusive, and there are a great many different stories about them, some contradictory, some enchanting, some just strange. In other words, there is no one "correct" version of the unicorn, although there are general guidelines which make up a sort of composite of what a unicorn is like. Of the many, many associations and legends regarding unicorns, here are some of my favorite, and some of the best documented in history and folklore (my sources are mostly Classical and Medieval European).

Sexuality has long been associated with these charming creatures. Some legends held that only a maiden of "pure heart" could lure one out; presumably, unicorns are a good judge of character. Further, the unicorn's horn has a very definite phallic quality, and powdered unicorn horns (like the horns of rhinos) were believed by some cultures to be a powerful aphrodesiac, and they were certainly using some sort of powedered ivory-like substance, but what it actually was I have no idea (probably some form of ivory such as a rhino or elephant tusk, but that's just a guess).

Unicorn horns were also reputed to be magical and to able to ward off poisons. Some Medieval nobles carried a "unicorn horn" with them, often capped with gold or silver at the tip and the base, with a loop around the end for ease of carrying. The theory is that by waving the horn over food or drink, poisons would be neutralized (in fact, these horns were probably carved ivory or the horns of the narwhal, a very real sea mammal with a spiral horn on its head just like a unicorn is reported to have).

Some cultures sought unicorn horns for medicinal purposes, just as some cultures still value the horn of the rhino, and in fact, many Medieval apothecary shops had a unicorn over the door as the symbol of their business.

In Medieval European allegorical artwork and lore, the unicorn was often used as a representation of Christ. One well-known Medieval tapestry portrays a unicorn who appears and purifies the waters with his horn (just to call on one of the more famous works), symbolising Christ's cleansing of humanity's sins. Regardless of how you, personally, feel about that sort of thing, it is an interesting association, and certainly a powerful one.

In fact, unicorns have a very definite presence in lore of all kinds, and in poetry and literature. They appear in the Authorised (King James) Version of the Bible (in the books of Numbers, Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, and Isaiah -- it's a mistranslation which is particular to the KJV, as every other English Bible I've ever seen gives that word as "ox" or "wild ox," but still...), in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, C.S.Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, and countless other stories, legends, verses, and books.

It's also interesting to note that according to at least a few Medieval bestiaries (encyclopedias of beasts and creatures of the "known world"), the unicorn is the natural enemy of the lion. Both the unicorn and the lion are supporters in the official coat of arms of the United Kingdom (for reasons which I've yet to discover, other than the lion and unicorn being traditional heraldic beasts of the various royal houses of England and Scotland; more on that below).

There's a children's rhyme about the lion and the unicorn (cited in Through the Looking Glass), which goes:

The Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the crown,
The Lion beat the Unicorn all round the town.
Some gave them white bread, some gave them brown,
Some gave them plum-cake and drummed them out of town.

I have not found a definitive answer as to what, precisely that rhyme is about, but since most English nursery rhymes were political or satirical in nature, this one probably is too. Best guess based on much research and little evidence is that it refers to the union of England and Scotland at the beginning of the 17th century. The unicorn was the symbol of Scotland, the lion of England. The two nations were traditional rivals and enemies for centuries until James Stuart, the king of Scotland, inherited the English throne and thus united these feuding countries. Why people would give them bread or plum-cake I haven't any idea. Probably it refers to some long-forgotton custom, political reference, or cultural concept of days gone by.

Being the collector that I am, and thanks to my own research and many contributions from helpful folks out there on the net, I've acquired a list of how to say/write "unicorn" in several other languages, as well as a collection of links and unicorn quotes.

I'd also like to address a particular misconception I come across frequently, and that's the use of the term "alicorn" to describe a particular sort of winged, one-horned horse. Alicorno is Italian for unicorn. That's what an "alicorn" really is and that's what the word means. I have also seen the word "alicorn" used to describe, specifically, the horn of a unicorn. Odell Shepherd used it in this way in his classic 1930 reference The Lore of the Unicorn and it has since appeared in a number of other written works, as well.

The currently popular hybrid unicorn-pegasus creature which some call an "alicorn" is a product purely of the very late twentieth century. It does not appear in myth or legend at any time prior to the twentieth century, and appears to be a creation of fantasy genre illustrators (although, of course, this is in part how legends and myths are born, so this creature has as much right to exist in the imagination as any other). In any event, "alicorn" means "unicorn" or "one horn", and nothing more or less, and has meant that for a very long time. (The creatures with wings and a horn don't appear to have a proper name; I call them "pegacorns" because they're a cross between pegasus and unicorn.)

Finally, I'd like to answer a question I get rather regularly via email, and that is, "Do you believe there were real unicorns?" and by that they generally mean "literal" unicorns in the material world. No, I don't. There's not one bit of archeological or historical evidence to suggest that there ever were or are now any actual living animal which truly resembles the legendary unicorn, though there are some real animals that might have given some rise to the legends.

There was a kind of rhinoceros which had only one horn on its nose, and there is also the narwhal with its spiral horn which was certainly passed off as the horn of a unicorn in times past. There have been many creatures which might have contributed to the legends of unicorns, absolutely, but I don't believe there were ever literal classical unicorn beasts as we think of them or as portrayed in literature and art.

I do, however, believe that unicorns exist in exactly the same way I believe that any allegorical or metaphorical thing exists: in our minds and hearts and imaginations, and sometimes that's a lot more "real" than mere material existence. That's part of why I like unicorns so much! The unicorn is a creature which is necessarily elusive and which exists, but in ways that are intangible. Unicorns are symbols of the pure, the lovely, the rare, the mystical, the alluring and delightful, and it's precisely because they are not literally real. As I stated at the top of this page, I am a lover of things symbolic, of things allegorical. I have found that a thing does not have to be literal or material to be real.

And the truth does not have to be literal to be true.