The Unicorn: Creature of Love -

Teresa lioelle Roberts

Jhe fierce, solitary and beautiful unicorn has appealed

to man's imagination for centuries. The animal with a single

spiralled horn figures in legends from all over Europe and

the Near East; it even appears as far east as China, where

it is called the Lin. The Lin is regarded as a heavenly,

spiritual beast that appears at the birth of a sage.1 In

medieval Europe, the unicorn was thought to be an actual ani

mal which, like the elephant, lived in places so remote that

he was rarely seen.2 Although the unicorn was real to many

people in the Middle Ages, a complex system of legends built

up which gave the beast a mystic significance.

There were many conceptions of the unicorn's appearance.

Ctesias, a Greek naturalist of the fourth century BC, des

cribed him as similar to a wild ass, but having a single

horn, the lower third of which was white, the middle third

black, the upper third red. ^ By the medieval period, how

ever, artistic convention portrayed the unicorn as a silvery

white beast having the head and body of a horse, the beard

of a goat, the tail of a horse or a lion, and the legs of an

antelope, which terminated in cloven hooves.4

The unicorn was noted for his wild, proud nature; he

was impossible to capture without the help of a virgin girl.

In the presence of a maiden, the beast would become so humble

that he would kneel and rest his head in her lap. In this

position, he would fall asleep and could be captured.

Medieval scientists felt this attraction to virgins was the

unicorn's identifying characteristic, "like the ones...

attributed to every other creature. "5

The unicorn, however, was not like every other creature.

Its fabulous single horn was the center of many myths: it

represented the "upper pole" from the king to the sun's

zenith;^ it could neutralize poison, and cure epilepsy and

convulsions.7 The unicorn himself came to symbolize the

monastic life, because of his solitary nature.8 The uni

corn also represented the moon in its struggle against its

enemy, the sun-lion. (This myth may explain the British

Arms.} Robert Graves traces this noon-legend back to

legends about the ancient Great Goddess, who was both the

moon-goddess and the goddess of wisdom. In this context,

the virgin who captures the unicorn represents the Great

Goddess "capturing" the seeker of truth.®

Mr. Graves may have found the roots of what is known

as the Virgin-Capture legend, but by the Middle Ages, the

story's meaning had changed dramatically. No longer did it

involve a pagan goddess and her worshiper. It now carried

a wealth of both secular and religious symbolism.

If one wished to capture a unicorn, it was believed the

hunters must bring a young girl to the forest and leave her

there alone, preferably tied to a tree. Some sources sug

gested one's chances were better if the girl were naked, or

if she were beautiful, but all agreed on one thing—she must

be a virgin. If she were a virgin, and there were a unicorn

in the area, he would go to the girl and fall asleep in her

lap. If the girl were not a virgin, the unicorn would

either ignore her or, according to some medieval accounts,

run her through with his horn.1"

Medieval bestiaries suggest possible reasons why uni

corns are attracted to virgins. One explanation is strictly

sexual—the lovely nude woman aroused the unicorn. Authors

who favor this theory often tell of the unicorn sucking the

girl's breasts and attempting other sexual familiarities1^

before falling asleep with his horn in a very symbolic posi

tion. Another theory is advanced by the twelfth century

writer Alanus de Insulis. He based his explanation on the

then-popular medical theory of opposing humours.12 The

fiery dry "tamour," or nature, of the unicorn is drawn to

the cool, moist air which is caused by the virgin's cold,

pure humour. This change in temperature makes him so can

fortable that he decides to take a nap.

By far the most ccranon explanation of the Virgin-Capture

lies within the virgin herself. The unicorn, it is theorized,

is attracted to the "odor of virginity."13 For some reason—

accounts differ as to whether it is the unicorn's purity or

his lewdness—he is drawn to this aura of chastity. Trust

and love for the pure young girl overcomes the unicorn's

elusiveness, and he falls into sort of an enchanted sleep.

This lovely tale may have been derived from a mundane,

even slightly bawdy, hunting story. In the early seventeenth

century, Fray Luis de Urreta, in his book, Historia de los

Grandes Remotos Reynos de la Etiopia, Monarchia del

Bgperador Preste Jiian, told how hunters in northern Africa

claimed to capture rhinoceroses with the help of a trained

female monkey. Hie monkey mould distract the rhinoceros by

tickling it and rubbing its belly. Eventually the rhinoceros

would lie down and stretch out to more fully enjoy itself.

At that point, the hunters could creep up and stab it in the

belly. In The lore of the Onicorn, Odell Shepard suggests

that this story travelled from North Africa to the Middle

East, and frcm there to Europe. As it travelled, the rhino

ceros changed to a unicorn—an animal equally familiar to

Europeans of the day; the monkey turned into a human girl.14

The early Christians apparently found this legend a

perfect vehicle for allegory.15 To what had been a relatively

simple story, they added layers of meaning, and new symbolism

born of their creed. Indeed, it did not take long for the

Christians to adopt the unicorn as a symbol of Christ Himself.

Saint Basil, an early Church father, wrote, "Hie uncon

querable nature of God is likened to that of a unicorn."!®

Saint Ambrose said, "Who is this Unicorn but the only

begotten Son of God?"l' God was born on earth in the person

of Jesus Christ, through the Virgin Mary. In effect, He,

like the unicorn, was captured by a maiden. As the proudest

and mast aloof of beasts was tamed by a virgin, God Himself

became the little child of the Virgin.

As the comparison of the unicorn to Christ became more

widely accepted, theologians found other points of comparison.

Tertulllan, another Church father, likened the upright part

of the Cross, the section above the crossbeam, to the uni

corn's horn.18 The horn points up to Heaven, as the Cross

does both literally and figuratively. Another allegory, one

that apparently had its origins in actual folklore, is that

of the water-conning. In ancient times, and throughout the

Middle Ages, it was believed that snakes could poison water

sources during the night. In the morning, other animals would

see the venom floating on top of the water. Since they could

not drink, they would await the arrival of the unicorn. The

unicorn would kneel and dip his horn into the poisoned water;

this would rid the water of the snake's venom. Churchmen

explained that the snake was the Devil, and the water which

he poisoned was the world. The unicorn, because of his pur

ifying horn, represented Christ the Redeemer, saving the

world frcm the poison of the Evil One.®

In medieval accounts of the Virgin-Capture, the virgin

is often described as grasping the unicorn's horn as he is

captured by the hunters. One medieval writer explains that

Jesus has "raised a horn of salvation...by the interces

sion of the mother of God tl2° Medievalist Margaret

Freeman puts it, "The animal's submission to the virgin

maid is an allegory of the Annunciation and Incarnation."21

To the Catholics of the Middle Ages, who were extremely

devoted to the Virgin, this legend has a special appeal.

As the cult of the Virgin grew in popularity, the legend in

evitably grew with it.

Eventually, the Virgin-Capture legend took on many of

the trappings of an actual stag hunt. This more complex

MYTHLORE 30: Winter 1982 page 40

allegory is known as the Holy Hunt, and virtually every

aspect of the Hunt has religious meaning. The chief hunts

man is the Holy Spirit acting through the Angel Gabriel; he

drives the unicorn to the virgin, who tames it. Gabriel is

the angel of the Annunciation, and to this point, the legend

represents the Annunciation and Incarnation. When the

other hunters kill the unicorn, this represents the Cruci

fixion. In this legend, the unicorn itself is described as

a small animal about the size of a kid; its size represents

Christ's humility.22 its one horn, which may represent

the unity of the Father and the Son, is an antidote for

poison, and this is why the unicorn is killed. Christ's

death, like the unicorn's, is so humans may "live."

Despite the popularity of the Virgin-CSapture/Holy Hunt

legend as an allegory of Christ, the legend's original

sexual significance was not lost. The version of the Vir

gin-Capture story told in Provencal bestiaries was more

like an unholy hunt. Hie unicorn attempts to sexually

molest the virgin, and so is sacrificed by the hunters.

In this version, the story is an allegory of lust overcome

by spiritual love,23 or perhaps the Devil, in the form of

the unicorn, overcome by purity."

In later medieval times, as the ideal of courtly love

became widely accepted among the upper classes, the unicorn

became a symbol of the good side of physical love. Richard

de Fournival, in the mid-thirteenth century, wrote a long

romantic poem which described courtship using a series of

comparisons with the animal kingdom. One example which he

used was the story of the unicorn and the maiden. Hie uni

corn represents a young suitor who is mistreated and be

trayed by his lady, but it also represents a haughty man who

is finally conquered by love.25 By the fourteenth century,

the unicorn had become an accepted symbol of the courtly

lover, who undergoes many hardships and trials before win

ning—or being won by—his lady.26

The unicorn functions both as a Christ-symbol and as a

symbol of the lover in the famous tapestry series The Hunt

of the Unicorn. This set of seven tapestries was probably

woven in or near Tourainej France, in the late fifteenth or

early sixteenth century. All but the first and seventh

tapestries are believed to have been made in celebration of

the marriage of Anne of Brittany and Louis XII of France,

which took place in 1497; the first and seventh are appar

ently not part of the original set, and may have been made

for the wedding of Anne's daughter, seventeen years later.28

There is no definite docimentation as to the date or

original ownership of the tapestries, but several clues

support the Anne of Brittany hypothesis. In the sixth tap

estry, the lord and lady of the castle strongly resemble

existing portraits of Louis and Anne. The lady wears a

Breton headdress and a dress similar to contenporary des

criptions of Anne. In several accounts, she is said to favor

gowns of "yellow-brown, red and gold brocade."29

The tapestries, which are now considered to be master

pieces of medieval art, were virtually lost for centuries.

IXiring the French Revolution, when all artwork that featured

royal enfclems was ordered destroyed, large sections were cut

out of the fifth, tapestry,30 which, unfortunately, is the one

which actually depicts the Virgin-Capture. After the Revo

lution, the tapestries were used by peasants to protect

vegetables in storage bins, until the mid-1850's, when they

were discovered by Count Hippolyte de la Rochefoucauld.31

"they remained in the de la Rochefoucauld family until 1923,

when they were sold to John D. Rockefeller, Jr.32 He donated

in 193533 to the Cloisters, where they are now on display.

Tlie tapestries depict the entire Holy Hunt in great

detail. Tbe first tapestry shows the start of the hunt; the

second shows the water-conning; 'the third shows the unicorn

attempting to escape his pursuers by plunging into a stream.

In the fourth tapestry, he fights off the hunters, but in the

fifth, the virgin wins him. In the sixth tapestry, the uni

corn is killed and presented to the lord and lady of the

castle; in the final tapestry, he is resurrected, and depic

ted in captivity.

Hie fifth tapestry is so damaged that all that remains

of the virgin is her hand, and a bit of brocade\sleeve, rest

ing oh the unicorn's neck. The bfpcade is the sfeme yellow

brown, red and gold that the lady o.f the castle, vArme of

Brittany," is wearing in the sixth ^sapestry. WhiT^ it is

dangerous to speculate on the basis c>f such scanty evidence,

it is generally believed that the virgin is Anne.34 vAs she

was a widow when she married Louis, this seems faintly odd!

Some art historians theorize that the tapestries may have

been made partly to legitimize the royal marriage. In order

to wed Anne, Louis had had an issueless marriage of twenty

years annulled; Anne herself had been widowed only nine

months.35 By association with the virgin of the legend, and,

therefore, with the Blessed Virgin, Anne is proclaimed pure.

The marriage is sanctified.

The fifth tapestry strengthened the association of the

virgin with the Virgin Mary by the use of several of her

symbols. The capture apparently takes place within a fenced

garden, or tortus coriclusus. The hortus conclusus was a

symbol of Mary, and the Incarnation,36 as well as represent

ing chastity in general. The apple tree in the garden sym

bolizes the Holy Ghost caning to Mary at the Annunciation.

The apple's sweet flesh is a symbol of sexual pleasure^—

a reminder of the two meanings of the unicorn.

Throughout the tapestries, the unicorn is clearly an

allegorical representation of Christ. In the water-conning

tapestry, he is Christ the Redeemer, saving the world frcm

its sins. In the third and fourth tapestries, he repre

sents Christ persecuted by His enemies. The hunters in these

tapestries are notable ugly and vicious-looking; their faces

show that they are Pharisees and enemies of God.38 Both in

the fourth tapestry, in which they attack the unicorn, and

in the sixth, in which they kill him, several of the hunters

obviously delight in his suffering.

Not so the hun tanan sounding his horn in the fourth

tapestry, and later sounding the prise, or death-knell, in

the sixth. His face is understanding and conpassionate, and

well it should be, for he represents the Archangel Gabriel,

the angel of the Annunciation. His scabbard bears the in

scription Ave Regina Coelorum, "Hail, Queen of the Heavens I"

WUile these are not the actual wards of the Annunciation,

they are the title of a well-known hymn to the Virgin.39

People would have understood the intended point.

When the unicorn is killed and brought to the castle,

he is decorated with a wreath of holly and oak leaves. The

holly's prickly leaves are an illusion to the crown of

thorns, while the leaves of the oak, the strongest of trees,

represent the endurance of the Christian faith.40 The uni

corn is thus the crucified Jesus. In the last tapestry, the

unicorn, like Christ, is resurrected. In the words of

Margaret Freeman, the tapestries depict the "whole divine

plan for man's Redanption."41

The proud man tamed by the love of a pure wcinan is a

fitting theme for a set of tapestries intended as a wedding

gift, and so the theme of courtly love is not ignored in

the tapestires. The wild fierce unicorn defies the hunters,

as a young man defies society. The unicorn is tamed by the

maiden like a young man is tamed—bound into society—by

love and marriage. The unicorn tamed symbolizes marriage as

well as maidenly purity;42 therefore, the widow-bride Anne

taking the part of the virgin is not as unlikely as it may

seem. She is a sort of symbolic virgin.

When the lover-unicorn is killed, the general interpre

tation is that the lover has been betrayed by his lady. In

the tapestries, however, the unicorn is butchered far from

the virgin; she seans less an accomplice than a pawn. The

sad expression of the lady of the castle, who probably was

the maiden, hints that the unicorn was not the only one

betrayed. Perhaps, in this context, the murdered unicorn

represents a man crossed in love by the world in general.

This idea seems especially convincing in light of the

seventh tapestry. Here the unicorn is miraculously raised

from the dead. Although his wounds are not fully healed,

they are not disfiguring; they almost heighten the beauty of

his milk-white coat. He is the lover captured and capti

vated by his lady, and restored to life—society—by her pure

MyTHLORE 30: Winter 1981 page 41

love. The golden collar ahd chain which' he wears represent

marital bonds; he is chained to a pomegranate tree, which

symbolizes fertility and the consummation of marriage.43

Despite his bonds, the unicorn wears a blissful expression.

The blissful expression is suited to a newlywed, but,

if one interprets it another way, it is also suited to the

resurrected Christ. The tortus conclusus in which he rests

here may be Paradise. The pomegranate, as well as being a

fertility symbol, is also a symbol of life after death;44

while this may seem like an odd combination. What are

children but a kind of irarortality?

The seventh tapestry culminates the development of two

seemingly opposite legends. The unicorn's meanings, how

ever, are not as contradictory as they may appear. The uni

corn in the Virgin-Capture/Holy Hunt cycle represents Christ,

the personification of divine love. In the lover-unicorn

legend, the unicorn represents the courtly lover, and ulti

mately a loving husband, a personification of human love.

Human love and divine love are vastly different concepts, out

the fact remains: the unicorn is an embodiment, of love.

NOTES

Henry Turner Bailey and Ethel Pool, Symbolism for

Artists: Creative and Interpretive (Kbrchester, Massachu

setts: The Davis Press, 1925), p. 138.

Odell Shepard, The Lore of the Unicorn (New York:

Harper and How, 1979), p. 53.

3Ibid., p. 27.

^Turner Bailey and Pool, p. 203.

5Shepard, p. 50.

^Robert Graves, The White Goddess, amended and enlarged

ed. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1966), p. 411.

Peter Fingers ten, The Eclipse of Symbolism (Columbia:

University of South Carolina Press, 1970), p. 142.

^Turner Bailey and Pool, p. 149.

Graves, p. 50.

"^Shepard, p. 50. "^Ibid.

12Ibid. 13lbid, p. 56.

14lbid., p. 67. 15Ibid., p. 69.

16Xbid., p. 81. 17Ibid.

^Ibid., p. 282, footnote 36.

19

Margaret Freonan, The Unicorn Tapestries, ed. Linda

Sipress (New York: ifetropolitan Museum of Art, 1974), p. 8.

p. 146. ^Freeman, p: 27.

99 . OQShepard, p. 48. ^Graves, p. 256.

Shepard, p. 49. Ibid., pp. 54-i>5.

^Freeman, p. 9.

27 Barbaralee Diamonstein, ed., The Art World: a Seventy

five Year Treasury of ARTnews (New York: AKTnews Books, 1977),

p. 133.

^James J. Rorimer, The Cloisters (New Kork: Metropuxi

tan Museun of Art, 1963), p. 162.

^Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Unicorn Tapestries at

the Cloisters: A Picture Book (New York: Metropolitan Museum

of Art, 1962), p. 32.

30Itoriiiier, p. 174. 3'Freeman, p. 48.

3^Diamonstein, p. 69. 33Ibid., p. 99.

^Rorimer, p. 25 . 35Metropolitan, p. 25.

"^Freeman, p. 26 '^Ibid.

^Ibid., p. 14. 39Ibid., p. 30.

40Ibid., p. 35. 41Ibid., p. 8.

42Metropolitan, p. 25. 43Ibid., p. 38.

44

Freeman, p. 37

Selected Bibliography

Diamonstein, Barbaralee, ed. The Art World: a Seventy-five

Year Treasury of ARTnews. New York: ARTnews Books, 1977.

Fingersten, Peter. The Eclipse of Symbolism. Golumbia:

University of South Carolina Press, 1970.

Freeman, Margaret. The Unicorn Tapestries. Adapted by

Linda Sipress. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art,

1974.

Graves, Robert. The White Goddess, amended and enlarged

edition. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1966.

Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Unicorn Tapestries at the

Cloisters: A Picture Book. New York: Metropolitan

Museum of Art, 1962.

Rorimer, James J. The Cloisters. New York: Metropolitan

Museum of Art, 1963.

Shepard, Odell. The Lore of the Unicorn. New York: Harper

& Row, 1979.

Turner Bailey, Henry, and Pool, Ethel. Symbolian for Art

ists: Creative and Interpretive. Wbrchester, Massachu

setts: The Davis Press, 1925.

Unicorns

Perhaps the greatest proof of our decadence

Is that unicorns have become trite.

Somehow

They've managed to commercialize

Unicorns!

Cocktail napkins, children's toys

Unicorns are hot sellerso

•o.And the real tragedy is,

They've become comic

Shetland ponies with a horn.

Once only a virgin could

Achieve a unicorn;

Today any little whore who can plunk down the money

Can have one

Plastered across her overworked chest

In metallic colors.

What can be used for a culture

Which sells Christ symbols

At Fays

For seven-fifty?

Teresa Noelle Roberts