I have always thought that if you put your trust in the Gods they come through for you and this was proved somewhat last night when I was racking my brains for something to write about in this, my first blog...I was having a random conversation with a friend about fancy dress when her daughter said she thought Unicorns were native to Scotland and I was asked about them.
Certainly 2 unicorns were used on the Scottish Coat of Arms, however I wasn't so sure they were actually from Scotland originally, so set out to find out more of this elusive creature of myth and legend.
Records of unicorns date back to ancient Greece and Rome, Cesar wrote about them and they even get a mention in the old testament. It seems they have always been associated with royalty and power, one allegedly being given as a gift to Alexander the Great by Queen Candace of Ethiopia.
So how did the unicorn end up in Scotland? I wonder if it is the symbolism of the unicorn as being practically untamable that ties it in so closely? After all Scotland does have a proud history of not being invaded!
Of course there is another link, it is said that only a virgin can tame a unicorn and that brings us back to the Coats of Arms... Left without issue, Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the Virgin Queen, named the son of Mary Queen of Scots, James VI of Scotland, her heir. Though not quite tamed, this changed Scotland dramtically.
This union of the two countries required a new royal coat of arms combining those of England which featured two lions, and Scotland's two Unicorns. It came to symbolise a reconciliation between the Scottish unicorn and the English lion that the two should share the rule. How well this worked is a matter of debate though.
Lion and one Unicorn
The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
