Learn more about the history, origin and some of the artistic representations of the Unicorn in the next article. This animal is mentioned in most myths and is considered one of the most important ancient creatures of all time.
Unicorn
Within most of the myths that are part of the history of different ancient cultures of the world we find a large number of figures, symbols and characteristic characters. One of these most famous creatures and with the greatest appearance is precisely the Unicorn, considered a mythological creature.
The Unicorn is usually represented in the same way. In many of these myths he is symbolized as a white horse with antelope legs. Another of the main characteristics of this unicorn has to do with its eyes and goatee, in addition to having a horn on its forehead.
It is also important to mention that over the years, the unicorn has been changing its physical appearance or representation within mythology. In somewhat more modern representations, it can be seen practically the same as a horse, with the only notable difference being the horn on its forehead.
The truth is that this mythological creature known as the Unicorn has had an important role in many myths and legends. In fact, he can be considered as the main protagonist of great narratives and stories that have marked history through the years.
In the Middle Ages it means strength and it was described as an extraordinary animal that had the ability or power to defeat many other animals of impressive physical strength, even on many occasions it managed to prevail against the giant elephant, which at that time was considered one of the the strongest.
It is worth noting that at least three different versions or hypotheses are known that try to explain how the legend of the unicorn appeared in European culture:
1. The first of these hypotheses has its origins in the Greek, Roman and Macedonian explorations to Thailand. At that time, the presumed existence of one-horned creatures, probably Indian rhinoceroses, was known. Let us remember that the hippopotamus came to be called "river horse" by Greek explorers.
From that point then it is quite logical to assume that these Greek explorers would also describe an Indian rhinoceros as a horse with a horn on its head.
2. The second hypothesis has its origins in the Viking peoples who had the habit of trading narwhal teeth within the European continent; the first known artistic representations of this cetacean in the interior of Europe were similar to a sea unicorn.
Most likely, and since the myth is documented from ancient Greece, the Nordic peoples only took advantage of the pre-existing legend to sell narwhal tusks as if they were unicorn horns, associated with all kinds of healing properties.
3. Lastly, we find a third hypothesis that has its origin in the discovery that occurred in 2008 in the natural part of Prato, located in Italy. According to the documentation of the find, the discovery of a roe deer with a single horn in the center is mentioned. Many say that this type of finding could have occurred on many occasions throughout history.
In the nature reserve of Prato they maintain the belief that a roe deer with a single horn, such as was found in that Italian area, could be the real origin of this myth widely known in our times. There are also cases of goats that were born with their horns fused into one.
Other cases can also be mentioned, for example that of the illusionist Obreron Zell's goat Lancelot, which was apparently surgically manipulated, based on the findings of the biologist Franklin Dove, so that it grew with its two horns fused as if they were one. This type of goat is often referred to in popular jargon as "unicorn goats":
Origin
In this part of our article we are going to talk a little about the origin of this mythological creature known as the unicorn. The truth is that until today many versions have been spread that speak about the birth of this particular creature, although some stories are more truthful than others.
According to studies, the first versions of the myth of the unicorn have their origins in Ctesias, considered one of the most prominent and influential Greek historians of the 400th century BC and date back to XNUMX BC This character alludes to the unicorn for the first time in his book about India.
In this work, the historian describes the mythological creature as a wild animal belonging to India and highlights its similarity to the horse, although he mentions some differences, for example its white body, purple head and intense blue eyes. . It could be said that it is one of the first descriptions that are known about this creature.
The Greek historian Ctesias also makes reference in his book about the horn of this animal. According to his description, this horn was black with a red tip and a white base. He also claimed that the horn on the animal's forehead had medicinal properties that were capable of healing those who had stomach problems, epilepsy or who had been poisoned.
Over the years, new versions of the myth of the unicorn came to light. Many of these versions pointed to somewhat different physical characteristics than those reported by the Greek Ctesias. Now the animal was described as white with the body of a horse, a goatee, the legs of a deer, and the tail of a boar or lion, with a spiral horn on its forehead that grew straight forward.
The story suggests that this creature known as the unicorn was an animal that maintained solitary habits, in addition to presenting a somewhat elusive behavior compared to that of other animals, however, despite being elusive, it is also shown as a wild animal and violent, so his hunt was quite complicated. Medieval nobles sent hunters to India to hunt down the unicorn.
The unicorn also had its positive impact during the Middle Ages. At that time this creature was admired mainly for its horn because it was believed that this part of the animal provided special protection against all poisons. In addition, the horn was seen as an amulet against various diseases, which made the person who administered it very long-lived.
Nobles and notable men sought these gifts by consuming the horn in powdered form in food and drink, preferably in a cup made of the same material. In order to obtain this remedy against death, the medieval nobles paid really impressive figures. In this way they believed that they could never be poisoned.
Actually, the raw material for these miraculous cups must have come from the horns of some rhinoceros or the tusk of the narwhal, which was a small whale whose males develop such tusks from one of the only two teeth they have. There has been a lot of talk about the identity that could have started the legend of the unicorn.
Vikings in Medieval Europe are said to have traded narwhal horns as unicorn horns. It also symbolized virginity, which is why it was believed that the dangerous hunt for the unicorn was greatly simplified when the hunters used a young virgin with which to attract the creature and tame it, so that killing it was much easier.
Word Unicorn in some translations of the Bible
In many translations of the Bible the word Unicorn can be found. One of the cases is the translation of Reina Valera (1904). There Scío de San Miguel translates the Hebrew word reʼém (רֶאֵם) as "unicorn". We can appreciate it in the book of Numbers, specifically in chapter 23, verse 22, where he expresses the following:
“God has brought them out of Egypt; he has strength like a unicorn »
In other versions of the Bible that same word has also been translated as "rhinoceros", "wild ox", "wild bull", "uro" or "wild buffalo", since the translators of that time were not clear of what was the exact meaning of the word reʼém.
Many modern lexicographers such as Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner have come to say that the word reʼém refers to "wild oxen", however other translations such as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures specify that the meaning of said word is “wild bull”, since in Spanish the term ox refers rather to a castrated bull.
There has also been much speculation about the actual meaning of the word unicorn mentioned in many of the Bible translations. It is said that its meaning would be Elasmotherium sibiricum, but this explanation seems less likely since its habitat was the steppes of Russia and Central Asia and not the territory of biblical Palestine, so the most widely accepted explanation is that it is of the "ox or wild bull".
Beyond all this speculation, it is important to clarify that the animal mentioned in the Bible, whether it is one or the other, is not an imaginary or mythological being. It is a real being, wild, impossible to tame, of great strength. Another reference to the unicorn found in the Bible is in the Book of Job 39:9-10 in its translation Reina Valera Antigua.
Unicorns in America
It is no secret to anyone that equidae, a family of mammals, have their origin in the Asian and African continents. History tells us that this type of animal came to American soil for the first time thanks to the Spanish. This reality leads us to ask ourselves some questions about why the figure of the unicorn has been found in American aboriginal art.
Fernández de Oviedo, basing himself on the testimony of the previous New Spain accountant, Rodrigo de Albornoz, assured that the unicorns were observed in the lands of Cíbola. According to the description given, they were small animals, however, a huge and heavy horn protruded from them. Although they were not very agile as they were represented in tapestries and prints, they were unicorns after all.
There was much speculation about this animal observed by Rodrigo de Albornoz, it was even said that those unicorns seen by him were possibly albino tapirs.
Artistic representation
Over the years, there have been various artistic representations of the unicorn made by important personalities of the world and that have set the standard in many cultures. Among these artistic representations of the unicorn, it is worth mentioning two series of tapestries: The Lady and the Unicorn (Musée de Cluny) and The Hunt for the Unicorn (The Cloisters).
Another of the artistic representations related to the unicorn is the case of the most famous album by the interpreter and composer born in Cuba, Silvio Rodríguez, entitled Unicorn. It is also important to mention the book of poetry written by Carlos Alva and called Unicorn.
In the 1965 decade, the famous writer Manuel Mujica Lainez made the official presentation of his novel entitled "The Unicorn", where he recreates a magical medieval world from the time of the Crusades. Its protagonist is the fairy Melusina who, as a result of a curse, is turned every Saturday into a snake with bat wings.
Findings
In 2012, specifically on November 20, a historical event related to the representation of the unicorn was revealed. On that occasion, the North Korean news agency Korean Central News Agency announced that archaeologists belonging to the Academy of Social Sciences of Korea at the University of Pyongyang had made an important find.
The finding consisted of some remains and the guard of alleged unicorns in North Korea. This finding would end up verifying the existence of this type of animal. The cave is located about 200 meters from the Yongmyong temple, in the capital Pyongyang, and the same statement states that "a rock excavated at the entrance of the cave reads:" Lair of the unicorn ":
According to the history told in Korea, there was a mythical king called King Tongmyong, who had been responsible for founding a great dynasty from which today's Korea derives. That king was famous because he rode a unicorn. Mounted on the animal was that he entered the battle and that nothing could hurt.
However, it was all a matter of confusion on the part of the news agency, which did not know how to interpret the finding. What was actually found was a unicorn painted on a rock on the walls of said cave, which were considered artistic representations of the mythological animal of good omen in the time of the first king of Korea.
golden unicorn
Surely you have heard about the golden unicorn, but do you know what it means? It is a special type of unicorn whose horn is made of gold. The story goes that the golden unicorn was widely hunted by nomads in northern Galicia. You only hear about them during the settlement of the Celts in this part of Spain.
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