Unicorn, mythological animal resembling a horse or a goat with a single horn on its forehead. The unicorn appeared in early Mesopotamian artworks, and it also was referred to in the ancient myths of India and China. The earliest description in Greek literature of a single-horned (Greek monokerōs, Latin unicornis) animal was by the historian Ctesias (c. 400 BCE), who related that the Indian wild ass was the size of a horse, with a white body, purple head, and blue eyes, and on its forehead was a cubit-longhorn coloured red at the pointed tip, black in the middle, and white at the base. 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. The actual animal behind Ctesias’s description was probably the Indian rhinoceros1.
Certain poetical passages of the Bible refer to a strong and splendid horned animal called reʾem. This word was translated “unicorn” or “rhinoceros” in many versions of the Bible, but many modern translations prefer “wild ox” (aurochs), which is the correct meaning of the Hebrew reʾem. As a biblical animal, the unicorn was interpreted allegorically in the early Christian church. One of the earliest such interpretations appears in the ancient Greek bestiary known as the Physiologus, which states that the unicorn is a strong, fierce animal that can be caught only if a virgin maiden is placed before it. The unicorn leaps into the virgin’s lap, and she suckles it and leads it to the king’s palace. Medieval writers thus likened the unicorn to Christ, who raised up a horn of salvation for mankind and dwelt in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Other legends tell of the unicorn’s combat with the elephant, whom it finally spears to death with its horn, and of the unicorn’s purifying of poisoned waters with its horn so that other animals may drink1.
You may have heard that the one-horned unicorn is so magical that its horn can counteract poisons, and it is so elusive that no person can catch it. But did you know these unicorn stories began in ancient Greece? More than 2,000 years ago, Greek travelers told tales of unicorns living in far-off lands. As the fabulous accounts spread around the Western world, few people questioned that unicorns actually existed. Indeed, in about 300 BC, scholars translating the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek concluded that the Hebrew term re'em referred to a unicorn. Even early naturalists considered the unicorn to be a living animal: Several ancient catalogs of animals of the world include unicorns and describe them as solitary beasts that often battle lions and elephants2.
Unicorn-like imagery dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization (about 3300 B.C. to 1300 B.C.) in South Asia, which included parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. A side profile of what looks like a horse with a single horn appears on seals from that period. However, these images were likely depictions of aurochs (Bos primigenius), a now-extinct wild ox, according to the St Neots Museum in England3.
Written Chinese descriptions of an Asian unicorn date as far back as around 2700 B.C., according to the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This "unicorn" seemed to be a combination of different animals and had the body of a deer, the tail of an ox, a multicolored or scaly dragon-like coat and a flesh-covered horn (or horns). Despite physical differences, Asian unicorns were described as evasive and solitary creatures, just as they were in later European records3.
The first recorded mention of unicorns in Western literature came in the fourth century B.C. Ctesias, a doctor and historian, wrote down tales from Indian travelers and described horse-size "wild asses" with white bodies, blue eyes, redheads and a multicolored horn about 1.5 feet (0.5 meter) long, Time reported in 2008. Ctesias' unicorn was likely based on descriptions of multiple animals such as wild asses and Indian rhinos (Rhinoceros unicornis)3.
Embrace the magic of unicorns and find your sparkle with this extraordinary book on rediscovering wonder and happiness. From their historical and modern significance to the two types of unicorn encounters you can experience, Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns is packed with ways to find inspiration, heightened creativity, and the playful source of your joy. In this book, you'll find: The historical significance of these fabled creatures and their appeal in modern times:
- The two forms of unicorn encounters: Seeing vs Living
- The appearance and characteristics of unicorns and what they mean for you personally
- A new understanding of the imagination
- Tools that unicorn energy uses to get your attention: self-reflection, synchronicity, magnified moments, imagination, beauty, dreams, passions, personal quirks, and your unicorn people
- Additional unicorn tools of vibrance: color, rainbows, and crystals
- How to be awake to the magic through the practice of mindfulness
- What it means to believe
- Guidance on the practice of decluttering and why it's important
- How to find where your sparkle is stuck and reclaim it
- Practice in learning to be playful again
- Attention to shadow and how to attend to those darker aspects of self
- Chakra and energy work through the lens of the unicorn
- What it means to "Call in the Unicorn"4
Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns features a variety of methods to connect with unicorn energy, including your imagination, crystals, dreams, chakras, your passions and personal quirks, and the unicorn-like people in your life. Discover what makes you shine from the inside-out, even in the face of difficult life challenges. Through engaging exercises and spiritual techniques, this fun, practical book helps you live your most amazing life4.
From their historical and modern significance to the two types of unicorn encounters you can experience, Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns is packed with ways to find inspiration, heightened creativity, and the playful source of your joy4.
Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns features a variety of methods to connect with unicorn energy, including your imagination, crystals, dreams, chakras, your passions and personal quirks, and the unicorn-like people in your life. Discover what makes you shine from the inside-out, even in the face of difficult life challenges. Through engaging exercises and spiritual techniques, this fun, practical book helps you live your most amazing life4.
Angela A. Wix (Western Wisconsin) has acquired body-mind-spirit titles for Llewellyn Worldwide. She is a Certified Medical Reiki Master (CMRM), Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), ordained interfaith minister of spiritual healing, and intuitive medium-in-training. She is the author of Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns and has contributed her writing to The Edge, Elephant Journal, and Llewellyn's Complete Book of Mindful Living. For more, visit her on Facebook and Instagram@AngelaAWix4.
Embrace the magic of unicorns and find your sparkle with this extraordinary book on rediscovering wonder and happiness. From their historical and modern significance to the two types of unicorn encounters you can experience, Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns is packed with ways to find inspiration, heightened creativity, and the playful source of your joy.
https://www.worldtrendz.com/collections/tarot-divination/products/llewellyns-little-book-of-unicorns
References
- Unicorn. Encyclopædia Britannica. December 18, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/unicorn
- Unicorns, West and East: AMNH. American Museum of Natural History. December 18, 2022. https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/land/unicorns-west-and-east
- Where did the unicorn myth come from? LiveScience. June 01, 2022. https://www.livescience.com/origins-of-unicorns
- Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns (Llewellyn's Little Books, 9). December 18, 2022. https://www.amazon.com/Llewellyns-Little-Book-Unicorns-Books/dp/0738761818