Shadowrun

See also: Unicorn (homonymy)

The unicorn is a mythical Animal, its name comes from the Latin unicornus (“only one horn”).

It is called monokeros in Greek. One also translated the Hebrew word Re' EM , present in the Bible, by unicorn .

The unicorn is often depicted in the medieval bestiaries (collections of fables), as being a white horse and raising a spiral horn on the face, and which can live up to thousand years. Nevertheless, its aspect and its personality differ sometimes according to the area from the world where it was supposed being seen. Thus in Occident, it is often described as being wild and untameable; while in the East, one told that it was a peaceful and soft animal, which brought good fortune.

One speaks about it for the first time in Occident, in the texts written under the feather of the Greek historian Ctesias, towards 389 before J-C, on the basis of account of travellers. According to the author, the unicorns would have lived India; they are described as being wild asses as large as horses - and sometimes more still - their peeling was white, their red head dark and their eyes of a major blue. On their head drew up a long horn of approximately 50 cm length: generally white at the black base in the medium and red on the end. Altogether it is about a fabulous animal, mixes Indian rhinoceros, of antelope of the Himalayas and wild ass. The Narval is also called sea unicorn .

Source and elements of the legend

What characterizes primarily the unicorn, it is its single horn.

the horns of the mammals can take various forms. Whereas on the face they are normally a pair, it also happens that only one of the two horns develops, and (more impressive, because the result is then perfectly central) " they can fusionner" , which gives a single horn. It is in particular the case of the horns of certain goats. Thus, in accordance with the legend, some animals with horn single and resembling the traditional description of the Western unicorn are attested (of which a goat in 1982, in an American zoo). Of course, such animals, natural but extremely rare, do not constitute a species but only of the specimens monstrous, and one can understand that they caused magic interpretations.

defenses of Narval (in fact a tooth) were identified as being those of the unicorns, adding credibility to the myth, maintained by this mysterious gift between princes.

the African Antelope S of type Oryx, and the Indian Rhinocéros (smaller than African and with a single horn) were also presented like a possible explanation, because their description starting from these remote countries leaves place to many deformations.

Western unicorn

The Greek historian Ctésias (towards 400 av- jc) reports the existence of an wild animal whose horn had medicinal properties.

The Western unicorn was a quadruped magic, white, with a horn twisted on the face. It approaches the horse, by the general form and the size, but also of the goat, of which it has the shoes fourchus and the goatee, or of the deer tribe.

The sexual symbolism of the unicorn is rather explicit. The unicorn is female and virgin, but its horn gives him a male attribute. Symbol of Wisdom and Purity, it could be approximate and tamed only by one virgin young girl , but certain tales bring back the history of a man who manages to overcome an unicorn, while escaping a blow from its horn which is inserted in a tree, which leaves the animal to the thank you of the man, which can then seize its horn.

The legends tell that the single horn acted as antidote. In the form of powder, it facilitates the cure of the wounds. It makes it possible to purify water and to neutralize the poisons (the King of France had a horn of unicorn with this use, which for as much did not make him neglect precautions plus ground-with-ground…)

Heraldic

The unicorn is also a imaginary heraldic Figure which, according to the tradition, has shoes fourchus of deer tribe and a goatee under the mouth. One especially finds it in the Ornements external of the ecu.

In the weapons of Great Britain, the lion represents the England and the unicorn, the Scotland. The combined presence of these two creatures symbolizes the union (imperial) of the two crowns.

On the same model, Lion and unicorn also appear in the armorial bearings of the Canada. Here, however, the unicorn carries the banner of the weapons of France (three flowers of gold lily on bottom azure), similar to the royal blazon of France which decorated the cross planted by Jacques Cartier with Gaspé, symbol of the French Chose (de Gaulle) in America. In France, one finds the unicorn in the armorial bearings of the Norman city of Saint-Lo and of the Alsatian city of Saverne.

The Chinese unicorn (Ki-rin or Ch' I-flax)

It resembles little that described in Europe. It is often compared with a reptile with tail of Bœuf, near to the stag and bearing on the face a horn covered with fur (from where the name of unicorn used). It represents softness, kindness and prosperity (especially at the children and the teenagers).

The unicorn is also a symbol of perspicacity, and was traditionally represented in the Chinese courts of the imperial system on hanging separating the courtroom and the cabinet from the magistrate (perhaps its single horn in the middle of the face symbolizes it the facility to be sliced by separating truth from the forgery).

With the system of the five elements, the unicorn is associated with the Four beneficial animals, namely the dragon azure, the bird vermilion, the white tiger and the black Tortue. It is supposed food thousand years and appears during the birth of the emperors and large wise. It symbolizes happiness to have children.

Random links:

Pont- with-Vendin | Sim | Custodie franciscaine of Holy Land | The Community of agglomeration of Saint-Raphaël Frejus | Driven Pegasi