![]() ![]() One theory suggests unicorns were flushed off the face of the Earth because they were simply too slow to get onto Noah’s Ark before the flood. Considered real by the Ancient Greeks, the horse-like quadrupeds were first mentioned in the 4th Century BC by classical historian Ctesias in Indica, a book on India in which he describes the creature as a ‘wild ass’ with a horn sprouting from its temple.īelief spread when the unicorn popped up in the Old Testament and references to mythical horses occurred in the Quran (the appearances of which are still wildly debated today), while the existence of other peculiar-looking, flesh-and-blood creatures, such as the rhinoceros, the oryx and the narwhal, did little to dispel the myth. This enigmatic creature has an equally complex and convoluted history that spans some 3,000 years. Even I find it almost unexplainable at times.” The unicorn is a symbol built on an ideology, and learning about it opens doors and surprises you. Today, people read history through a 21st-Century lens – be it social media or whatever – and we miss the bigger picture as to how this all came together. “Everywhere you go in Scotland you can see them,” Hanley told me. But the company of one of Scotland’s leading tour guides was as good a place to start as any. These are characteristics embedded in the Scottish psyche.”Īs a unicorn newbie, I really had no idea where to begin. “And those values still stand up when thinking about Scotland today. “It’s long been a symbol of purity and power, but also of virginity and subtlety,” said Hanley, who works as a Blue Badge guide for the Scottish Tourist Guides Association. Not that any of that matters to Hanley, who saw his first unicorn more than 60 years ago, when growing up in the city’s Canongate district near the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Amid this, let’s not forget JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, inspired by many real places in Edinburgh and brimming with stories of magical unicorn blood and unicorn hair-infused wands. Hashtag #NationalUnicornDay on Instagram and you’ll find yourself entering a world of sparkly cupcakes and multi-coloured memes. To cap it all, there’s now a National Unicorn Day on 9 April. It’s a subject rarely cerebral enough to merit debate, but these days, wide-eyed unicorns are everywhere.įrom cartoons and movies to fashion and social media, they have a bigger role to play in the public consciousness than ever before. ![]() Until recently, all talk of unicorns belonged in the glitteriest corner of a children’s playroom. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |