In the Morning Light The Mystical Unicorn ~Legend of the Unicorn~    A Truly Beautiful Creature Of all the Legendary creatures, none captives the imagination as does the unicorn. Perhaps this is because we feel that a beautiful horse-like animal     with a single horn really could have existed long ago,         in a faraway place. To people of an earlier age, these animals were not ordinary,        they were quite real. Reports of unicorn sightings go back as far as the fourth century B.C., but it was apparently in medieval times that belief in the folklore about unicorns reached their peak. These exotic creatures figured prominently in the art of the time       and were replete with symbolism. Most often, unicorns represented purity, chastity, or innocence. This portrayal is reminiscent of the second panel in the famous "Unicorn Tapestries", produced around 1500 and now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr. Here the unicorns are shown in a forest clearing where fountain plays and spring flowers bloom, even though the rest of the world is clothed in autumn. The scene also highlights another legend concerning the unicorn that of his horn's magic powers. In the tapestry, various wild animals wait by a stream while the unicorn dips his horn into the water to purify it of poison. Because the horn was also thought to prevent plague, epilepsy and other diseases, powders said to be made of unicorn horn were in great demand. According to legend, the unicorn was a fearless animal, swift and strong. So great was his courage and daring that hunters could not capture him in the chase. Only a pure maiden had the power to ensnare a unicorn. Symbolic in the purity of himself, he was attracted by her innocence, and meekly came to kneel before her and place his head in her lap. Captured by such a ruse and killed by hunters, the purity of the unicorn triumphed, for the indestructible creature returned to life again, living contentedly in captivity." Author - Unknown The Unicorn If I could fly, I would be a unicorn. I would be living in the clouds, Butterflies surrounding me. Flying in the breeze is the thing for me. I could visit the sparkling sun And on the blue moon. Oh I want to be a unicorn, Because it is the perfect thing for me. Some Quotes "To this day, it is said, malicious animals poison this water after sundown, so that none can thereupon drink it. But early in the morning, as soon as the sun rises, a unicorn comes out of the ocean, dips his horn into the water to expel the venom from it so that the other animals may drink thereof during the day. This is as I describe it. I saw it with my own eyes." Johannes van Hesse of Utrecht; 1389 "Now I will believe that there are unicorns..." William Shakespeare; The Tempest "'Do you know, I always thought unicorns were monsters, too? I never saw one alive before!' 'Well, now that we have seen each other,' said the unicorn, 'if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you.' Lewis Carroll; Through the Looking Glass I would love you to sign my Guest Book    Guest book   Today I received a lovely surprise This Beautiful Award   Thank you so much Sharon Rose 8th February 2002 This is *Royal* my Adoptee ~ ~ You too, can adopt a Unicorn More Pages ... magic ... pictures ... song Unicorn Family - Children's Page   Return to - Collection Index Return to - Enchanted forest Glade Email ~~ Created by L. Seymour ~~ February 2001