The Origin of the Unicorn Myth

The unicorn myth has existed in different cultures for thousands of years. Have you ever thought about what is the origin of the unicorn myth? We’ve discussed where unicorns live and what they eat, so where did unicorns come from in the first place?

We are going to trace the origin of unicorns across history. We will introduce the man who brought the unicorn myth to Europe. You will learn which real animals inspired the unicorn myth. We will visit ancient Greece, India, and China to find out the truth about the unicorns and where they came from.

Ctesias and the One-Horned Wild Ass

Ctesias, a Greek physician and historian who lived in the 5th century BCE, is the person mainly responsible for introducing the unicorn myth to Europe.

Ctesias was fascinated by India, but he never visited the country. Nevertheless, Ctesias heard many legends from India while he lived in Persia. He wrote them down and ended up writing a book called Indica. Indica was a weird mixture of geography, zoology, botany, medical knowledge, anthropology, and fantasy.

One of the many wonders Ctesias introduced in Indica was the one-horned wild ass. This is how he described the mysterious animal in his book:

There are in India certain wild asses which are as large as horses, and larger. Their bodies are white, their heads dark red, and their eyes dark blue. They have a horn on the forehead which is about a foot and a half in length. The base of this horn, for some two hands’-breadth above the brow, is pure white; the upper part is sharp and of a vivid crimson; and the remainder, or middle portion, is black.

Those who drink out of these horns, made into drinking vessels, are not subject, they say, to convulsions or to the holy disease [epilepsy]. Indeed, they are immune even to poisons if, either before or after swallowing such, they drink wine, water, or anything else from these beakers.

Ctesias

Sound familiar? A one-horned animal with a horn that can heal epilepsy and make you immune to poison; that’s a unicorn! While some parts of the description don’t fit the modern unicorn myth, such as the dark red head, for the most part, it is easy to recognize the “one-horned wild ass” as a unicorn.

There is no doubt this description written by Ctesias was the beginning of the unicorn myth in Europe. But Ctesias was not the one who made it up; the one-horned wild ass was based on the legends from India. So, did the unicorn myth actually come from India?

Is the Origin of the Unicorn in India?

Is India the actual place of origin of the unicorn? These days, it is believed the unicorn myth introduced by Ctesias is based on a mixture of real animals. This is what Odell Shepard, an American professor, Pulitzer prize winner, and the author of The Lore of the Unicorn, concluded. According to Shepard, one of the animals that inspired the unicorn myth was the Indian rhinoceros.

As the Indian rhinoceros also has a single horn, just like the unicorn, it is easy to understand the connection between these two animals. But apart from the horn, rhinos don’t resemble unicorns at all. And the Indian rhinoceros was certainly not the only animal that inspired the unicorn myth.

It is likely that there were three other animals behind the unicorn myth: the Tibetan antelope chiru, a large Tibetan wild ass kiang, and the Tibetan wild yak.

The Himalayan peoples could have mixed these four animals; the Indian rhinoceros, the chiru antelope, the wild ass kiang, and the Tibetan wild yak, into a mythical one-horned beast we know as the unicorn.

We certainly have proof now, that India is the home country of the unicorn. To be exact, the unicorn myth probably comes from the Himalayas. Unicorns do inhabit many remote mountain areas, and it is very much possible that unicorns originated from the sacred Himalayas.

Four Animals That Inspired the Unicorn Myth

 

 

 

 

 

Unicorn Myth and the Indus Valley Civilization

The unicorn myth is much older than it is thought. As we have learned by now, Ctesias introduced the unicorn myth to Europe in the 5th century BCE, but this is not when the unicorn myth was born. The history of unicorns began much earlier.

There is evidence, that the unicorn myth existed in the Indus valley civilization, which flourished from 2600 to 1900 BCE. The ancient people of Persia, Mesopotamia, and the Indus valley have left behind several wall carvings, seals, and statues of a mythical one-horned animal.

There have been arguments about if the ancient artwork represents a unicorn or a two-horned animal’s profile. Well, I’d like to believe they did represent unicorns. And if we look at the old unicorn statues, there is no doubt they represent unicorns; the 3-dimensional form of statues reveals these statues have only one horn. Wall carvings might be more unclear, but I think the ancient people would have carved two horns if they had wanted to represent a two-horned animal.

A one-horned cow-like animal was the most popular motif in the seals of Indus valley. It seems unicorn addiction existed even in the ancient Indus valley civilization! Based on the amount of unicorn artwork these people left behind, they were totally obsessed with unicorns.

The Chinese Unicorn Qilin – Is the Origin of the Unicorn Myth in China?

It seems we can trace the origin of the unicorn myth to India, but the Chinese unicorn myth qilin is as old as the unicorn myth associated with the Indus valley civilization. The first qilin is said to have appeared in 2697 BCE to the yellow emperor Huangdi.

The Chinese unicorn is a bit different from the European unicorn, of course. Qilin is more dragon-like and it has a tail of an ox. Its body is often covered with scales. But just like the European unicorn, the qilin is a very benevolent creature.

Could it be that the ancient Chinese unicorn myth is actually the source of the entire unicorn myth? I don’t think we can actually define a single source for the unicorn myth. We can’t know which unicorn myth came first. The Chinese unicorn myth might have influenced the Indian unicorn myth, but the unicorn myth of the Himalayas could also have influenced the Chinese unicorn myth.

But at least we know the unicorn myth originated in Asia, right? Not necessarily. In Chile, there is also a unicorn myth, camahueto. Then, there is the African unicorn, ababda, which the oryx antelope might have inspired.

So, it seems the unicorn myth has evolved in different parts of the World simultaneously. It’s like the unicorn has always been part of people’s collective imagination.

Then, there is narwal, the unicorn of the sea.

Did Narwhal Inspire the Unicorn Myth?

Narwhal is known as the unicorn of the sea. The narwhal tusk does look a lot like a unicorn horn; it has the same spiral shape we associate with the unicorn horn. The narwhal tusk is a tusk, though, not a horn.

Viking traders sold narwhal tusks as unicorn horns in medieval Europe. People genuinely believed the narwhal tusks to be unicorn horns, and they were used as drinking cups to neutralize poisons. Is narwhal actually the animal that inspired the unicorn myth?

The unicorn myth already existed in medieval Europe, so narwhal is not the origin of the unicorn myth. However, the narwhal tusk did change the image of the unicorn horn. The spiraled horn we associate with unicorns today is adopted from the narwhal tusk. So, narwhal did play a part in the development of the modern unicorn myth.

The Origin of the Unicorn – Which Unicorn Myth Came First?

Ctesias was the man who brought the unicorn myth to Europe in 398 BCE. But he didn’t invent the myth; it existed long before him. It is believed the Himalayan people mixed up four animals; the Indian rhinoceros, the Tibetan antelope chiru, the Tibetan wild ass kiang, and the Tibetan wild yak into a unicorn-like animal.

A unicorn-like animal was represented in the art of the ancient Indus valley civilization as early as 2600 BCE. The Chinese unicorn myth is as old as the Indian one; the Chinese unicorn is said to have appeared already in 2697 BCE.

It is difficult to say which one came first, the Indian or the Chinese unicorn myth. And the unicorn myth didn’t only exist in Asia; South America and Africa have their own unicorn myths as well.

Sometimes, it is said that narwhal inspired the unicorn myth. That is not the case, because the unicorn myth already existed when narwhal tusks were traded as unicorn horns in medieval Europe. But the origin of the unicorn horn as we imagine it today can be traced back to narwhal; the spiral shape of the unicorn horn was adopted from the narwhal tusk.

The unicorn myth seems to have appeared in different parts of the World simultaneously, and it’s impossible to tell which myth came first. It’s almost as if the unicorn had magically found its way to our collective imagination.

Unicorns in the Middle Ages

Hello, dear unicorn lovers. Today, I´m going to talk about unicorns in the Middle Ages.

Imagine a world with knights in their shiny armors, mighty castles, fierce dragons, and graceful maidens. The next thing you’ll probably think of is a noble unicorn lured by a young maiden. Unicorns are an essential part of medieval mythology.

What Was the Medieval Unicorn Like?

In the Middle Ages, the unicorn was described as a wild animal living in a forest. It didn’t have the horse-like appearance of the modern-day unicorn. The medieval unicorn looked more like a one-horned goat than a horse. It often had a goat’s beard as well.

To many of us, the medieval unicorn may not seem quite as cute as the graceful single-horned horse we are used to.

What Did the Medieval Unicorn Symbolize?

Above anything else, the medieval unicorn had a religious meaning. The unicorn myth of the Middle Ages was influenced by the unicorns mentioned in the Bible and writers of Ancient Greece.

Physiologus, a Christian text written in Greece, was the foundation of the famous medieval unicorn myth. The wild unicorn only allows itself to be captured by a virgin; this myth is adopted from Physiologus.

When the maiden has captured the unicorn, hunters take the unicorn to the King. This myth has been interpreted to symbolize the incarnation of Christ. The maiden is Virgin Mary, the unicorn is Christ. When the hunters take the unicorn, this is the crucifixion.

Then, the unicorn (Christ) is taken to the King, which symbolizes the resurrection; the King is the God and the unicorn (Christ) is now incarnated.

This allegory repeats itself over and over again in Medieval art, which is what we’re going to talk about next.

The Unicorn Tapestries

The Unicorn Tapestries, also known as the Hunt of the Unicorn, is a series of seven tapestries from the late Middle Ages. As the name suggests, these tapestries represent the hunt of a unicorn. The tapestries were made in France, and are now held in the Cloisters museum in New York.

In the tapestries, the unicorn is attacked by hunters. Then, a virgin captures the unicorn, and it is killed and taken to the King in the castle. In the last tapestry, the Unicorn in Captivity, the unicorn is in captivity and no longer dead. You can see this tapestry in the featured image of this post.

Isn’t it cruel to kill a unicorn, though? You may certainly say it is. Tricking a poor unicorn with a virgin, and then capturing and killing it may not seem exactly ethical, but this is ancient lore of the unicorn. And as I mentioned before, in this myth the unicorn was interpreted as the symbol of Christ, so it was actually not about killing a unicorn after all.

The myth also had a pagan meaning; according to the pagan interpretation, the unicorn and the virgin actually represent lovers. The virgin tames the unicorn (a man) and captures him by love.

Unicorns in the Middle Ages – Mythical Symbols

The medieval unicorn was usually portrayed as a goat-like, bearded one-horned creature. It was different from the single-horned horse-like animal we are used to thinking of like the unicorn today.

The unicorn in the Middle Ages is defined by the myth of the single-horned, forest-dwelling animal that can only be tamed by a virgin.

Tamed by the virgin and killed by the hunters, the unicorn was often seen as an allegory of Christ.

There is also a pagan interpretation of the medieval unicorn myth; the virgin and the unicorn symbolize lovers.

In the Middle Ages, unicorns were mythical symbols that inspired people’s imagination. This is what unicorns have been for thousands of years. Even today, we still find new meanings to the ancient unicorn myth.

What do you think of the medieval unicorn myth? What do you think it represents? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Unicorn Art Through the Ages

Unicorns have been a popular subject of art for centuries, appearing in cultures all over the world. They are often depicted as white horses with long, flowing manes and tails, and a single, spiraling horn on their forehead. Unicorns are often associated with purity, innocence and magic.

Unicorn Art History

Some of the earliest examples of unicorn art can be found in ancient Mesopotamian art, dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. Unicorns also appear in Indian and Chinese mythology, and in the art of ancient Greece and Rome. In the Middle Ages, unicorns became increasingly popular in European art. They were often depicted in tapestries, paintings and sculptures. The Lady and the Unicorn, a series of six tapestries created in the 15th century, is one of the most famous examples of unicorn art. In the Renaissance, unicorns were depicted in a more naturalistic style. They were often shown in landscapes, surrounded by flowers and other animals. Unicorns also became popular subjects for scientific illustrations. In the 19th century, unicorns were again popular in art, this time in the context of the Romantic movement. Unicorns were often depicted as symbols of purity and innocence, and they were also associated with the natural world. Today, unicorn art is still popular. It can be found in a variety of styles, from traditional to contemporary. Unicorn art is often used in books, toys and other merchandise.

Symbolic Meaning of Unicorns in Art

• Purity: Unicorns are often seen as symbols of purity and innocence. Their white coats and single horn represent these qualities.
• Magic: Unicorns are also associated with magic and mystery. Their horns are said to have magical powers, and they are often depicted in scenes of enchantment.
• Chastity: In some cultures, unicorns are seen as symbols of chastity. Their purity and innocence make them a fitting symbol for this virtue.
• Love: Unicorns are also associated with love. Their gentle nature and single horn make them a symbol of true love.

Famous Unicorn Art

The Lady and the Unicorn: This series of six tapestries, created in the late 15th century, is one of the most famous examples of unicorn art. The tapestries depict a lady interacting with a unicorn in a variety of ways and are thought to symbolize different aspects of love and relationships.

Unicorn in Captivity: This painting, created by Albrecht Dürer in 1503, is a famous example of a unicorn in Renaissance art. The painting depicts a unicorn being captured by a hunter and is thought to symbolize the taming of the human soul. The Unicorn in Captivity appears briefly in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movies. Learn about all of the unicorns in Harry Potter.

Unicorns in Pop Culture

Unicorns have also become popular in pop culture in recent years. They can be found in everything from movies and TV shows to children’s books and toys. Unicorns are fascinating and mysterious creatures that have captured the imagination of artists for centuries. Unicorn art is a diverse and ever-evolving field, and it continues to inspire new artists today. I hope this gives you a better understanding of unicorn art! Please leave a comment if you have anything to add.