unicorns truth or fantasy (Earth, translation, myth, bible, Biblical)

[Feathers in Hair]

Hmm... *mulling over which thread to post it in* To the Pagan forums! (Everyone else is welcome to, of course!)

Editted to say to General Discussion!

[kreeden]

I have read somewhere that the Crown Jewels of Britian had an unicorn horn among them ... although most claim that it is actually a norwhale's horn .

[No*s]

Originally Posted by FeathersinHair

Very true and interesting. The Arabic karkadan, thought to be a 'type' of unicorn, enjoys challenging elephants and rhinos to fight. (Whatever it was, I found it interesting that the natives knew what the creature was appeared like enough to differentiate it from the rhino, at least in that area.) Strangely, it has the same love for the dove that its more gentle cousins do. I agree that it's probably just the translation!

My favorite other verses, that imply a creature that cannot be tamed are Job, chapter 39.


and



That was beautiful, C1! I'd love to discuss unicorns with you... I feel badly about this being in the Biblical Debate section... Maybe we can go elsewhere?

Yeah, those verses make it clear to me that whatever the one-horned animal was that they were referring to, it wasn't a horse with a horn. I was unaware of the Arabic variety. Thanks

[Dinogrrl]

It might have been some form of one-horned antelope...there were some bizarre mammals living way back when :}.

[The Black Whirlwind]

i bet horses will adapt into unicorns eventually

[EnhancedSpirit]

As for the existance of the Unicorn, it is much like the existance of God, Some things must be believed to be seen. Which is the title of a poem I wrote about Unicorns when I was in High School. Maybe I'll post it in the poem forum at a latter time. But for now, I looked up the story of the Unicorn Tapestries. I believe they were made during a time when you were pursecuted for talking about Jesus, so the tapestries were made to pass on the story of Christ, when writings were not allowed.

The first tapestry, The Start of the Hunt, introduces us to the hunters but not the unicorn. The hunters are not dressed for hunting, but rather in clothing in rich colors and textures.

The second tapestry, The Unicorn at the Fountain", is where the unicorn uses his magical horn to remove the snake's venom from the water. It is here that the theory begins that the unicorn is a symbol of Jesus Christ. Here the unicorn, Christ, saves all from the snake's poison, Satan. Even the humans who were hunting the unicorn are awed by this act.

The third tapestry is The Unicorn Leaps the Stream. Here the serenity of the second tapestry is abandoned as one looks at a highly charged action scene. The hunters now have ugly and cruel faces--symbolizing the persecutors of Jesus Christ.

For the fourth tapestry, The Unicorn Defends Himself, the unicorn becomes savage, kicking and butting people and animals. Like Jesus in the temple. A new comer to the scene, a man with a horn, is thought to symbolize the archangel Gabriel.

Unfortunately, the fifth tapestry, The Unicorn is Captured by the Maiden". According to tradition, the unicorn can only be trapped by a virginal maiden. This represents Christ who was born from the Virgin Mary. The enclosed garden that the two are in, was a medieval symbol of chastity. Also, the apple tree in the center of the tapestry has many religious meanings. The most obvious is a reminder of the Fall of Adam and Eve, hence suggesting that the unicorn, Christ, and is the Redemption after the Fall.

The sixth tapestry,The Unicorn is Killed and Brought to the Castle. The overall scene is centered the slain unicorn, who is bleeding in the upper left hand corner. All in the scene seem to be awed and shocked by the sight of the slain beast being brought towards them.

The seventh tapestry, The Unicorn in Captivity is the most famous of all the Unicorn Tapestries. The unicorn here is miraculously alive again. In this tapestry he rests chained to a circular wooden gate. The risen unicorn is symbolic of the risen Christ. However, since the unicorn is chained there is some confusion to this symbolism. One theory is that the unicorn, like Jesus Christ, is linked to life or humanity forever. The other theory is that the unicorn symbolizes a bridegroom secured by his lover.