Trickster

Textile. 1695. National Historical Museums of Sweden – Swedish History Museum

Are you looking for unicorns? Say no more; you will see plenty of them in Tallinn's Old Town up to the beginning of April. Etched in metal, hiding between other beasts in the oil paintings, chilling on the deadly weapons, and adding a fantastical flair to textiles, beautiful creatures are enchanting to both dreamers who wish to tame them and hunters who are after their magical horns. They have become such a cultural staple that there’s probably no toy store without unicorns, and even those who pretend to be grown-ups are out to get them, building businesses based on unproved hypotheses and chasing millions because there are no other dreams left in the state of late capitalism than those measured in various currencies. 

So, what makes unicorns so appealing? Why are griffons and mandragoras and sphynxes and all the other cryptozoology subjects - except maybe mermaids and dragons - living elusive lives in the libraries, while unicorns go to the fabulous queer parties, adorn sports teams uniforms and overall live successful social lives? Is it about their dashing looks and having this “almost believable” quality? I mean, why not a horse with a horn roaming the woods if we have deer and elks around? After all, it is a much less stretched approach to building an animal than a horned dolphin (narwhal, totally real) or a horse with a 7-meter-long neck (giraffe, and have you seen their dark-blue tongues?!). Well, as always, it’s a combination of multiple facts. Come to the magical forest with me, and let’s look for clues together.

Head decoration of a horse. 1672. National Historical Museums of Sweden – the Royal Armoury.

Unicorns have been around for ages and had time to forge their position in culture. The first guy to mention a unicorn was a Greek named Ctesia (c. 400 BCE), who said that there is an animal living in India of the size of a horse, with a white body, purple head, and blue eyes, and a horn on his forehead, black in the middle, and white at the base. Those who drank from its horn were thought to be protected from stomach trouble, epilepsy, and poison. Sounds about as legit as Atlantis and Hyperborea and fire-breathing lizards the size of a house. But a lot of money was made by selling anti-poison cups made from rhinoceros and narwhal horns to the willing customers. 

As the ruling class in the Middle Ages always had to worry about being poisoned (the best way to get rid of those half-brothers and sisters dreaming of your daddy’s throne), finding a unicorn horn became an obsession. Also, somehow, along the way, it was decided that the unicorn was the first animal God created. And people in the Middle Ages loved all things Bible. Unicorns were becoming a staple in art and literature and became associated with Jesus Christ.

One of the central myths about unicorns is the reason why they are now inseparable from little girls. Per Encyclopedia Britannica, the Ancient Greek bestiary known as the Physiologus states that the unicorn is a strong, fierce animal that can be caught only if a virgin maiden is placed before it. The unicorn leaps into the virgin’s lap, and the virgin grabs its horn. Then, the “brave” knight jumps out of the bushes and murders the unicorn to get its horn. Freud would probably have much to say about this bloody sexually charged myth diluting into making unicorns into little girls' best friends by libido-suppressing Victorians.

Unicorns, which were intrinsically linked to rainbows since the Victorian era, have become a symbol of the queer community in recent years. There is no consensus on how the unicorn became a gay icon, except for “new-school” pastel-colored unicorns being always happy and gay, which is kind of a dated typecasting, as mythological prototypes were mighty beasts able to take down elephants. Another way to see a unicorn as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community is for it to represent pride in one's identity. 

In our overly digitalized and overly practical lives, where everything is supposed to be about gain, winning in life, success, and social media reach, unicorn allows us to take a rest from the constant hustle. Beautiful beast takes us to the magical realm, where love and wonder prevail, romance is not dead, and there’s always time to play and fool around with fairies.

Lambert de Hondt I (before 1622 – before 1665). Journey to Noah’s Ark. Ca 1650. Oil. Art Museum of Estonia