Friday 19 December 2008

Unicorns

PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek


All little girls love unicorns, stories about unicorns and toys involving unicorns and my two granddaughters are no exceptions.
I remember when I was a small girl passionately wanting to see unicorns, fairies and mermaids. I was really very disappointed when I knew that there were no such things.

Back in the summer I was snapping away in the city of Bristol and found these two magnificent creatures on each end of the Council House. The first one was taken with the sun shining on it and that showed up the gold! The second one is identical except that it faces towards the other one, but it was in a slightly shadier position, so the gold does not show up quite as brightly.


I wonder why there are unicorns on top of the Council House? Well the Bristol coat of arms has two unicorns surrounding a ship and a castle, so that must be the reason. The two unicorns in the coat of arms, guarding the Council House.

According to the internet, unicorns have been a part of the culture of China, India and western countries for thousands of years. They are mentioned in the Bible and they have been used by Scotland's Royal household.

The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.

The lion was the symbol of England and since England beat the Scottish throne, the two creatures have been depicted in the British coat of arms. Unicorns feature in heraldry and many legends.
The horn was supposed to have magical powers and was much sought after. Unicorns could only be tamed by *pure* maidens, who would be able to lead them and let them eat out of their hands.

So I wonder why unicorns have lasted so long in the modern world? You'd think we would have dumped them by now, but they still seem to appeal don't they?



This post was prepared for Photostory  Friday, hosted by Cecily and Mama Geek.

23 comments:

Omykiss said...

Just a little bit of magic, maggie may. Lovely photographs.

Anonymous said...

They are also symbols of magic in Celtic history. They are amazingly beautiful.Always white and pure
I love em. Your pictures are excellent Maggie.

Indrani said...

Unicorns always fascinated me. Beautiful pictures of the unicorns you have today!
Happy Christmas!

Anonymous said...

I love all things magical, Unicorns, Angels, Fairies, that warm soft spot on a baby's neck.

Anonymous said...

Unicorns will always be magical to me and my girls. I love where they let our imagination go! Beautiful photos!

Unknown said...

I just LOVE unicorns. They are so beautiful. And one of my favorite movies, (which I can't remember!) is about a small horse that mother bought for her son and the horse had a baby that turned out to be a unicorn. The unicorn saved the boy from a mountain lion and then led the boy to a magical place in the mountains.

It was a GREAT movie.

Mean Mom said...

Unicorns! Whatever next! You manage to spot such interesting things. I think that I must walk about with my eyes closed.

I don't think that there's many pure maidens about at the moment, so I suppose that all of the unicorns are really wild these days!

Jeff B said...

What?! Unicorns aren't real?

Now I'm crushed.

Fun post Maggie

Suburbia said...

My favourite mythical creature Maggie! How could you think about 'dumping' them!!!

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Oh now there is something you don't see everyday!! Neat!

Jeni said...

I've never been "into" unicorns -or anything else along those lines either for that matter, but then too, I never had anyone explain a little of the history of them before either. I did enjoy reading this and as always, love your photos too!
Merry Christmas and the best of New Years to you and your family, my friend.

Anonymous said...

They certainly do endure. They fire the imagination.

Lovely pictures!

Anonymous said...

This is fascinating, Maggie! I have always loved Unicorns...there seems to be so much romance and mysticism surrounding them.
thanks for this post, I really enjoyed it!
Bella :)

Wendy said...

Of course they're real! And you found the proof - not only in your pics, but down through history as well. They're just magic!

Carrie and Troy Keiser said...

I think you're right every little girl dreams of unicorns!

Working Mum said...

No, we'll never let unicorns go. Lovely photos. My dad taught me to look up at buildings and it's amazing what you find up there.

Casdok said...

Next time i am in Bristol i will have to keep an eye out.
There is something about them isnt there.

RiverPoet said...

Maggie, I think we will always need unicorns and dragons, lest we forget to be children, believing in fantastic worlds. How boring life would be if we had to live in what we call reality all the time!

Peace - D

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

They are great photos Maggie - especially for the fans of the unicorn. I was born in Weymouth and, if I remember rightly, the statue of King George III there is flanked by a lion and a unicorn. Have always loved them.

A

Rose said...

Lovely photos, Maggie May. My granddaughter loves unicorns and fairies. We may be in the "modern" world, but we're all still searching for a little magic, I think.

Anonymous said...

I've always been fascinated with mermaids! Amy's loves anything mythical really.

CJ xx

Granny Smith said...

Unicorns are nice, but I prefer dragons of course. Lovely photos.

RiverPoet said...

Maggie, please drop by my place and pick up a new award! D