Читать книгу Unicornucopia: The Little Book of Unicorns - Caitlin Doyle - Страница 9

ONE OF THE EARLIEST DESCRIPTIONS

of a unicorn

COMES FROM A BOOK WRITTEN CIRCA 400 BCE CALLED

Indica.

THE BOOK’S AUTHOR, THE ANCIENT

Greek historian and doctor

CTESIAS, WORKED AT THE PERSIAN COURT, WHERE HE HEARD

travellers’ tales of the fabulous beast.

CTESIAS IS ALSO CREDITED AS THE FIRST PERSON TO ATTRIBUTE

magic

to a unicorn’s horn

(GROUND INTO A POWDER, THE HORN WAS THOUGHT TO BE MAGIC).

CTESIAS’ UNICORN WAS DESCRIBED AS A

white horse

with a purple head and blue eyes.

THE CREATURE’S HORN WAS WHITE AT THE BASE, BLACK IN THE MIDDLE, AND RED AT THE TIP.

‘No creature, neither horse or any other, could overtake it.’

IT IS NOW BELIEVED THAT CTESIAS

was actually describing

A MISHMASH OF ANIMALS, INCLUDING

an Indian rhinoceros!

IN THE ANCIENT GREEK BESTIARY KNOWN AS THE PHYSIOLOGUS,

the unicorn

WAS INCLUDED ALONGSIDE OTHER REAL AND MYTHICAL ANIMALS AND DESCRIBED AS

strong and fierce.

MANY MEDIEVAL PAINTINGS EXIST OF THE

mythical hunt of the unicorn,

FROM CULTURES AS WIDE-RANGING

as Europe, China, and the Middle East.

DURING THE MIDDLE AGES,

chivalry

– A CODE OF RULES FOR GOOD MANNERS, POLITE BEHAVIOUR, AND BRAVERY – WAS VERY IMPORTANT IN EUROPEAN SOCIETY. UNICORNS BECAME THE

ultimate symbol

of chivalry for their power, purity, and grace.

‘Unicorn horns’

WERE OFTEN EXTRAVAGANT GIFTS

for kings, queens, and churches,

COSTING THE EQUIVALENT OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OR POUNDS.

CUPS SUPPOSEDLY MADE OF

unicorn horn were highly prized

DURING THE MIDDLE AGES. THESE DRINKING VESSELS WERE BELIEVED TO CURE ILLNESSES AND TO PROTECT THE OWNERS FROM POISONED DRINKS. IN REALITY, THEY WERE PROBABLY MADE OF

rhinoceros or narwhal tusk.

A recipe for

how best to cook unicorn

HAS EVEN BEEN DISCOVERED IN A

medieval cookbook!

THE 14TH-CENTURY COOKBOOK WAS DISCOVERED AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY AND EVEN INCLUDES ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE POOR CREATURE BEING

roasted on a grill!

Scotland’s national animal is the

unicorn.

IT WAS FIRST ADOPTED AS THE NATIONAL ANIMAL BY KING ROBERT WAY BACK IN THE 1300S. THE UNICORN WAS BELIEVED TO BE THE

natural enemy of the lion –

ENGLAND’S NATIONAL SYMBOL. THIS MADE IT THE NATURAL CHOICE OF SYMBOL FOR SCOTLAND, DEFIANT OF ITS NEIGHBOUR.

The Lion and the Unicorn nursery rhyme

‘THE LION AND THE UNICORN WERE FIGHTING FOR THE CROWN,

THE LION BEAT THE UNICORN ALL AROUND THE TOWN.

SOME GAVE THEM WHITE BREAD, AND SOME GAVE THEM BROWN,

SOME GAVE THEM PLUM CAKE AND DRUMMED THEM OUT OF TOWN.’

IN 15TH-CENTURY SCOTLAND,

golden coins

WITH UNICORNS ON THE FLIPSIDE WERE USED. FIRST ISSUED IN 1486 BY KING JAMES III, THEY WERE SIMPLY CALLED

‘unicorns’ and ‘half-unicorns’.

IT IS BELIEVED THAT

Queen Elizabeth I of England

OWNED A UNICORN TUSK, SAID TO BE

worth the price of a castle.

The 16th-century book

HISTORIAE ANIMALIUM, WRITTEN BY SWISS NATURALIST CONRAD GESNER AND

describing all of Earth’s animals,

INCLUDES AN ENTRY FOR THE

unicorn.

Around 2000 BCE,

THE INDUS RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATION CREATED THE UNICORN SEAL.

The seals were small stone squares

ONTO WHICH AN IMAGE (USUALLY AN ANIMAL) WOULD BE DRAWN. IT IS BELIEVED THEY WERE USED AS A WAY OF

identifying local traders.

THE UNICORN WAS THE MOST COMMON ANIMAL ON THESE SEALS, WHICH CAN NOW BE SEEN IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON.

IN RENAISSANCE VENICE,

unicorn horns

WERE SUPPOSEDLY TOSSED INTO THE CANAL AT THE PALAZZO DUCALE, OR DOGE’S PALACE, TO ENSURE

the water could never be poisoned.

The Throne Chair of Denmark,

BUILT BETWEEN 1662 AND 1671, WAS MADE FROM IVORY, PUREST GOLD, AND, ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

unicorn horn,

AND GUARDED BY THREE LIFE-SIZE SILVER LIONS. TODAY, THE HORN

is known to be narwhal tusk.

THE ELABORATE THRONE CAN STILL BE SEEN IN THE CASTLE OF ROSENBORG, IN COPENHAGEN.