Ubiquitous today, the unicorn trend intensifies year after year and never wanes. For centuries, this mysterious and fascinating animal has raised many questions. Let's discover together the origin and myths surrounding the unicorn, to better understand its history and symbolism.
From which animals was the unicorn imagined?
To begin with, the unicorn is a legendary creature said to have a long twisted horn on its forehead and a spotless white coat. While we now instinctively associate the unicorn with a horse, this has not always been the case. Indeed, the unicorn has sometimes been described as closer to a goat or even a rhinoceros, sharing certain physical characteristics with these two beings: bell-shaped hooves and a bushy coat for the goat, as well as the indispensable rhinoceros horn. Finally, in some ancient explorers' accounts, the unicorn was also described as a type of antelope.
A common confusion between the rhinoceros and the unicorn
In Antiquity and the Middle Ages, unicorns and rhinoceroses were very often confused. This was mainly due to a translation error from Latin, where the word rhinoceros was translated as unicorn, thus distorting most of the writings. It was quite easy to identify this error following the description of the animal: a size similar to that of an elephant, a certain ugliness, slow movement, and a graceless head - characteristics that today easily identify a rhinoceros rather than a unicorn. Moreover, Marco Polo recounted in his work The Description of the World that he once witnessed the sighting of a unicorn: it was actually a Javan rhinoceros, a smaller species with only one horn, hence the confusion between the two animals. Finally, rhinoceros horn was also known to have medicinal virtues, just like that of the unicorn, which created another source of confusion in ancient times.
The origins of the unicorn: multiple countries and cultures
The earliest origins of the unicorn date back to the Indus Valley Civilization, an Indian civilization from the Bronze Age that lived near what is now Pakistan. Several drawings and engravings of unicorns have been found in the region, even though no rhinoceroses or buffaloes lived there, which raised suspicions about the existence of unicorns. However, some archaeologists believe that passing merchants in the city may have orally recounted legends about the unicorn, thus leading the people in question to believe in its existence.
Moreover, the unicorn is also a very important animal in Chinese mythology, where it is known as Qilin. The same applies to Buddhism: the unicorn is present in many historical accounts and often plays the role of a spiritual guide accompanying important figures of this belief, such as Buddha.
In the West, historians agree that the belief in this animal comes from other countries, such as India, China, or Japan, due to their older origin as previously explained. During the discovery of paintings in the famous Lascaux Caves, an animal was interpreted as a unicorn: after a thorough study, it was actually just a lynx, whose features had been distorted by time. Finally, the unicorn is also mentioned several times in the Bible, making it a mystical and symbolic animal.
However, throughout the world, there is a universal characteristic concerning the unicorn: it could only be captured by a young, pure virgin girl, bringing misfortune for life to those who would try to capture it without meeting this requirement.
The Tale of the Horned Hermit or « Ekasringa »
There is an Indian tale belonging to Sanskrit literature, from the Jātaka, writings that recount the previous lives of Buddha. This tale features a solitary hermit named Ekashringa, which means "single horn". Legend has it that this character meditated and lived in the forest, among the animals that inhabit it. One day, while drinking water from the same spring as a divine antelope, he gave birth to a child with a unique ivory horn on his head. This child was also said to have supernatural powers.
Thus, this tale is often cited for its influence on the Western unicorn, as certain elements are believed to belong to Persian beliefs, which themselves are the origin of the Greco-Roman narratives still present in Europe today and forming most of today's Western beliefs.
The unicorn's horn, an object of covetousness
Just as it is still the case today with the tusks of certain animals like elephants or rhinoceroses, unicorn horns were once valued for their healing and clairvoyant powers. Thus, in the West, it was not uncommon to be able to acquire a unicorn horn, which had the power to cure certain diseases and even detect poison in water or food: this belief therefore led to a trade in horns throughout Europe and was long a reason for belief in this animal for Westerners, providing material proof. Thanks to modern technological advancements, we now know very clearly that this was a great deception and that the so-called unicorn horns were in fact only narwhal horns, a marine animal with a large horn, similar to the unicorn.
The symbolism of the unicorn
The unicorn has many symbolisms. First, the unicorn is always female: it is thanks to this idea that a link can be made between the unicorn and "the virgin maiden" who would be the only one capable of capturing it. Yet, it possesses a male attribute, its horn: thus, the unicorn would represent the tension but also the sexual union between the two types.
Moreover, the unicorn also symbolizes purity and wisdom. It is said to live alone in the forest and be devoid of all evil. It would thus have acquired a certain spirituality, particularly through its rare nature which almost elevates it to the rank of divinity. Thus, in the Middle Ages, the unicorn was associated with Christ.
Passion is another attribute of the unicorn. Untamable, it shows ardor and rage. Finally, the unicorn also symbolizes love and respect.
Today: has the myth of the unicorn finally been elucidated?
In 2016, Russian paleontologists claimed to have found evidence of the existence of the "Siberian unicorn", a species of giant rhinoceros with a single horn that could well be at the origin of this belief. Indeed, this animal would have lived more than 26,000 years ago in what is now Kazakhstan, alongside humans who would then have recounted today's myths and legends.
Indeed, the research team is said to have discovered skull fragments of the Siberian unicorn, thus allowing precise dating of their extinction, less than 30,000 years ago, due to global warming. This animal could measure up to 4.5 meters long and 2 meters high, weighing no less than 5 tons! Its horn measured several meters long and its circumference was estimated at nearly a meter. Finally, its legs would have been quite long, allowing it to run at the same speed as a horse. This is currently the preferred theory by experts regarding the origin of the unicorn.
This is already the end of this article on the origins and myths surrounding the fascinating animal that is the unicorn! We hope you enjoyed discovering more about this universe. We also recommend reading our article on another animal with strong symbolism: the wolf.
