History Main / Unicorn

* [[http://mountaincomics.com/2010/05/31/mountain-time-174/ Mountain Time's unicorn]] runs a hidden bar that specializes in Windex-based drinks.

The Unicorn's origins come not as a mythical creature but as a beast of [[OurMonstersAreDifferent natural history]] recorded by ancient Greek historians. Pliny the Elder was one of the earliest writers to study unicorns and certainly one of the most influential:
->"The unicorn (monocerotem) is the fiercest animal, and it is said that it is impossible to capture one alive. It has the body of a horse, the head of a stag, the feet of an elephant, the tail of a boar, and a single black horn three feet long in the middle of its forehead. Its cry is a deep bellow."
We recognize this today as a fair description of a rhinoceros.

Over time the "unicorn"-story evolved: the further back one goes, the less horse-like, and more goat- or antelope-like the depiction, and today's conception of a unicorn is nearer to the [[TheLateMiddleAges Late Medieval]] one: a narwhal's horn, a horse's head, a white deer's body, a goat's beard and feet and a lion's tail. The version depicting the animal as a horse with a horn and occasionally even wings is 18th century at the earliest. As a [[MythicalMotifs Mythical Motif]] it has come to represent chastity, purity, rarity, and wild beauty and has appeared in heraldry and fairy tales for centuries. Even in stories where AllMythsAreTrue and obvious and are coming round for tea later, the Unicorn will still keep a mythical status, staying rare and secretive.

A part of unicorn lore is that only a virgin-maiden would be able to attract the Unicorn to her. There are at least two possible interpretations of this:

According to TerryJones, in his researching of medieval folklore he found that the pairing was originally just an old StealthPun [[spoiler: you send a mythical creature to find a mythical creature.]] [[hottip:*: Few scholars accept his conclusions.]]

It is also said that is that the unicorn was so fierce and wild [[GoodHurtsEvil only an innocent girl's purity could conquer it]]. Indeed, the connections with maidens is probably why the unicorn has become gentle in popular culture and myth for several centuries.

Portraying unicorns as aggressive is one of the more common fantasy subversions - or perhaps the writers of today still haven't forgotten Pliny's vicious unicorn. It's a resurgance not unlike the reappearance of TheFairFolk.

* This troper recalls a book collection of Unicorn stories, one of which had the unicorn living in the girl's wall paper. Don't remember the name, though.

* Bruce Coville's ''[[TheUnicornChronicles Unicorn Chronicles]]'' series, of course. The VirginPower part is never explicitly mentioned, but unicorns are still instinctively drawn to "maidens".

* The Invisible Pink Unicorn is the goddess of a parody religion, the parody being that it is impossible to disprove her as she is invisible, and that her followers have faith that she exists and is pink. She's a parody on all religions who believe in anything that can't be tested, and also a parody of deities with contradictory traits (such as simultaneous invisibility and pinkness.)

* The Invisible Pink Unicorn is the goddess of a parody religion, the parody being that it is impossible to disprove her as she is invisible, and that her followers have faith that she exists and is pink. She's a parody on all religions who believe in anything that can't be tested, and also a parody of deities with contradictory traits (such as invisibility and pinkness.)

* The Invisible Pink Unicorn is the goddess of a parody religion, the parody being that it is impossible to disprove her as she is invisible, and that her followers have faith in that she exists and is pink. She's a parody on all religions who believe in anything that cant be physically seen.
** Parody of all things that can't be proven or disproven; it's possible to prove plenty of things that can't be seen.
*** That would make much more sense but it's explicitly the parody of religion, and is often associated with atheists.

* In CSLewis' ''TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', unicorns are otherwise normal white horses with horns. They also speak, and it's mentioned at one point that they have slightly sloping backs, whereas horses' backs are flat, which makes them harder to sit on. They only allow people to ride them as a sign of great respect or in emergencies. King Tirian's best friend in ''The Last Battle'' is a unicorn named Jewel.

* ''Summer Knight'', the fourth in JimButcher's ''TheDresdenFiles'', features a creepy, almost H.R. Giger-esque entity Harry believes is a unseleigh unicorn that's so aggressive, it could give Pliny's unicorn a run for its money.

Over time the "unicorn"-story evolved and today's conception of a unicorn is nearer to the Medieval one: a narwhal's horn, a horse's head, a white deer's body, a goat's beard and feet and a lion's tail. There also is the version of a horse with a horn and occasionally even wings. As a [[MythicalMotifs Mythical Motif]] it has come to represent purity, rarity and wild beauty and has appeared in heraldry and fairy tales for centuries. Even in stories where AllMythsAreTrue and obvious and are coming round for tea later, the Unicorn will still keep a mythical status, staying rare and secretive.

According to TerryJones, in his researching of medieval folklore he found that the pairing was originally just an old StealthPun [[spoiler: you send a mythical creature to find a mythical creature.]]

Over time the "unicorn"-story evolved and today's conception of a unicorn is nearer to the Medieval one: a narwhal's horn, a horse's head, a deer's body, a goat's beard and feet and a lion's tail. There also is the version of a horse with a horn and occasionally even wings. As a [[MythicalMotifs Mythical Motif]] it has come to represent purity, rarity and wild beauty and has appeared in heraldry and fairy tales for centuries. Even in stories where AllMythsAreTrue and obvious and are coming round for tea later, the Unicorn will still keep a mythical status, staying rare and secretive.

A [[MythicalMotifs Mythical Motif]] representing purity, rarity and wild beauty, the {{Unicorn}} has appeared in heraldry and fairy tales for centuries. Its origins come not as a mythical creature but as a beast of [[OurMonstersAreDifferent natural history]] recorded by ancient Greek historians or as they are commonly known: [[BlatantLies liars]].

Pliny the Elder was one of the earliest writers to study unicorns and certainly one of the most influential:
"The unicorn (monocerotem) is the fiercest animal, and it is said that it is impossible to capture one alive. It has the body of a horse, the head of a stag, the feet of an elephant, the tail of a boar, and a single black horn three feet long in the middle of its forehead. Its cry is a deep bellow." We recognize this today as a fair description of a rhinoceros.

Today's conception of a unicorn is nearer to the Medieval one: a narwhal's horn, a horse's head, a deer's body, a goat's beard and feet and a lion's tail. There also is the version of a horse with a horn and occasionally even wings.

As the common fare of little girls' fantasies, the origin in histories becomes quite ironic. Even in stories where AllMythsAreTrue and obvious and are coming round for tea later, the Unicorn will still keep a mythical status, staying rare and secretive. Further irony is added by the fact that it started off as an incredibly wild and violent beast that was completely untameable before evolving into one of the softest and potentially girliest motifs.

The switch is linked to one of the most common paired motifs- the Virgin and the Unicorn. Only a virgin-maiden would be able to attract the Unicorn to her. According to TerryJones, in his researching of medieval folklore he found that the pairing was originally just an old StealthPun [[spoiler: you send a mythical creature to find a mythical creature.]] Broadly, the story always goes on the lines of the maiden was duped into attracting and soothing her unicorn friend until the hunters who convinced her to do so could attack and kill the unicorn for its horn. Sometimes the maiden is just followed, [[InnocenceVirginOnStupidity sometimes knowingly involved and tricked.]] The implication is that the unicorn was so fierce and wild [[GoodHurtsEvil only an innocent girl's purity could conquer it]].

Either way, when they're good, the most important unicorn-association is [[PurityPersonified purity]]. Indeed, the connections with maidens is probably why the unicorn has become gentle in popular culture and myth for several centuries. In modern days, unicorns are often part of a SugarBowl theme. Portraying unicorns as aggressive is one of the more common fantasy subversions - or perhaps the writers of today still haven't forgotten Pliny's vicious unicorn. The Virgin and the Unicorn pairing is also open to the same harking back to the original joke. It's a resurgance not unlike the reappearance of TheFairFolk.

See also VirginPower and AllGirlsLikePonies.

"No, but I wonder if any man before us ever thought his time a good time for unicorns.''

-->'''PeterSBeagle''', ''TheLastUnicorn''