The history of oriental unicorns
Unicorns rarely appear in legends, and now they rarely appear in novels. But there are many descriptions of unicorns in oral stories. The ancient literature bred by the legend of travelers conveyed some details of unicorns, and also influenced the present literature, making the imagination about unicorns spread to modern times.
Perhaps the first person to see a unicorn and record it was Fuxi, the emperor of China who lived in 2800 BC. He is famous for inventing various musical instruments, monogamy and three-character inscriptions to show the future.
One day, when Fuxi was meditating on the limitation of human life and his permanent contribution to society, he saw a strange deer standing by the Yellow River. This creature is as big as a calf, but its silver horn protrudes from the middle of the forehead and its fur is colorful. When it stands in the river, the muddy river becomes clear. When it left, Fuxi saw strange patterns on its back and sides. When it disappeared in the distance, Fuxi followed the traces left by it and suddenly realized that these traces could be used to describe thoughts and languages.
This unicorn, or Kirin, led to the emergence of Chinese characters in China. Of course, it also makes it possible to record the thoughts at that time and spread them to future generations. Unicorns disappeared with Fuxi's death until the Yellow Emperor appeared. Huangdi invented houses and created the first city. When he was old, he saw unicorns in his yard. The animals are calling him, which makes him extremely surprised. After his death, people believe that his soul rides on the back of Kirin and gets eternal life. Since then, unicorns have rarely appeared in the legends of China. The appearance of unicorns is also regarded as a symbol of good luck. The above is a symbol of good luck. Similarly, the appearance of unicorns sometimes symbolizes the justice of laws and regulations, or a harbinger of bad things, or the death of great men.
About 2500 years ago, Kirin appeared in front of a young woman, leaving a jade card in her hand. There are some words on the jade card, which indicates that she will become the mother of the uncrowned king. The prophecy came true, and Confucius became a great philosopher in China. Confucius did not have a crown, nor did he become a ruler. (Because the English translation is not clear, the relationship between Confucius and Kirin can be seen in the allusion of "Kirin sending a son"-"Before Confucius was born, Lin spit books at Queli's house, …" Later, people turned spitting Confucius into sending a son, which became "Kirin sending a son". Confucius' mother didn't know what the Chinese name was, so she had to write it in English. Some people think that it is so light because it doesn't want to trample the grass under its feet. Confucius only saw Kirin once in his life. From the moment he saw the creature, he knew that his death was approaching. After that, the Zhou Dynasty gradually declined.
After a lapse of 400 years, it was not until the Han Dynasty that Kirin reappeared. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, a room dedicated to Kirin was built in the palace. Since then, there are not many records about Kirin, and many people think that Kirin is extinct in China. Because it is rarely found, I know nothing about it. People believe that if there is a unicorn, it must exist in the vast mountains of China, unseen by people.
The history of western unicorns;
Although unicorns existed in early European history, they were frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. As an animal in Hebrew legend, most of its early descriptions seem to come from karkadann (the name of an animal) of the Arab king.
In Persia, Arabia, India and North Africa, the fierce Kakadan is not like a docile unicorn, but an animal that people and animals are afraid of. However, in order to get its horn, people occasionally try to catch karkadann. Its horns can be used to make flutes or detoxification drugs.
There was a pharmacist named Cassius in Cornidos, who made medicines for Darius II. Since then, he has also played for Persia. He left Knidos in 4 16 BC and returned to Knidos in 398 BC. He learned the way of keeping in good health and tried to preserve a lot of knowledge about life and history. One of his achievements, the Inca, was once preserved as a broken abstract fragment, and later copies were circulated for five centuries.
In chapter 25 of Induction, ketosis describes unicorns: in Indian forests, unicorns are as big as bigger horses, or bigger. Their bodies are white, their heads are crimson and their glasses are dark blue. Their horns protrude from the middle of their foreheads, about a foot and a half long.
The powder made from unicorn's horn mill can be used as an antidote to deadly anesthetics. At the root of the horn, the forehead on the eyebrow is pure white. The upper corner is very sharp, with bright red and black in the middle. People who drink in a container made of unicorn horns say it can cure epilepsy. In fact, people who drink unicorn horn cups avoid poisoning because they also drink wine, water or other liquids to dilute the poison and avoid death.
Whether domestic or wild unicorns, in fact, all hard hoofed animals have no ankles, and their livers do not secrete bile. Unicorns have ankles and bile. Like an ordinary bull, but all red.
This animal is so agile and powerful that no animal, even a horse, can catch up with it. In India, during the Rishi period, only one farmer's child got some first-hand information about unicorns for the first time. Farm boy Vibhandaka helps his family to take care of the fields. One day, at a religious ceremony, he met a visiting saint. This man gave him a chance to change his life. A year later, when the sage came to this village again, Vibhandaka's life changed. He told his parents his decision, and then left home forever with the sage. For many years, his life remained unchanged. As a follower of the sage, he went deep into the Dojo forest until the sage died. Vibhandaka buried him and left the Dojo. He wandered for a long distance and finally found an abandoned cave. Although this cave is abandoned, some wild animals often come to this cave to shelter from the rain. He became friends with a unicorn, and the unicorn stayed with him all the time.
Alexander's father Philip once caught an animal with a horn. But no one can ride it, no matter Philip or other nobles, unicorns always leave them quickly. Alexander raised it and named it Bucephalus. He tamed it and rode it to fight to prove his bravery. How to capture such a dangerous beast alive is an interesting question. Aelian (a Roman writer in the third century A.D.) thought that only the youngest Catalans (they didn't know the meaning of the word) could capture it, because it was difficult for the strongest adults to make it yield. The legend of Kakadan influenced the writer's description of unicorns.
So isidore of Seville wrote in 600 AD that unicorns are cruel beasts and often fight with elephants. He also noticed that using young girls can lure unicorns to be fooled and captured. Unicorns sleep with their heads on girls' skirts, so they are easily caught by hunters.
A horned beast haunts the snow-capped mountains in the Himalayas, thus forming some ancient traditions. So many people think that Tibet is the source of the legend of unicorns, although it was once called the Moon Mountain, the highest point in Abyssinia and the land of glory in history. This tradition has continued. Therefore, it is not surprising that four bronze unicorn sculptures still exist in the palace of the Red Abbey King.