The Little Book of Unicorns

This elusive creature was originally thought to inhabit the edge of the known world. Biblical and classical material, travellers` tales, clerical writings and theological speculation influenced the perceived appearance of this noble beast, but the graceful white horse with a single long horn remains is most recognizable embodiment. The medieval unicorn became a potent symbol of religious and secular love which has continued to inspire poets, writers and artists. As belief in the unicorn`s reality waned, a renewed interest in the medieval past provided a context for it to flourish once again as a subject for art, literature and mystical meditation. Nineteenth- and twentieth-century medievalism infused pictorial and poetic unicorn imagery with an aura of romantic nostalgia that paved the way for its dramatic revival: it gained wings and took flight within the genre of fantasy literature. More recently unicorns have inspired a variety of contemporary trends, from merchandising to financial rhetoric, and the ‘animal that never was` shows no sign of disappearing.