Uniqueness of unicorns
Death of a Unicorn, directed by Alex Scharfman and starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, features something you don't hear about every day: Killer unicorns.
As per DW, the film, which released in the United States on March 28, is a story about human greed, poking fun at the ultra wealthy in the context of humans hunting down unicorns they discover on a remote ranch in Canada. The creatures are said to have magical healing properties. As the chase begins, gory chaos ensues.
From medieval tapestries to sculptures by Salvador Dali, the film is the latest cultural product to harness the centuries-old symbolism of the mythical one-horned creature.
Sage-like origins
Ancient depictions of the mythical creature date back to the Bronze Age. A bovine animal with one long horn was commonly featured on seals used by the Indus Valley civilisation starting around 2600 BC.
Some historians have suggested that the seal might have been influenced by Rishyasringa, a sage in Hindu and Buddhist mythology who is described as having deer horns and is associated with fertility.
The Greek historian Ctesias, who lived during the 5th century BC, described a single-horned "Monokeros" - an animal he said was found in India, and was similar in size to a horse with a white body, purple head and blue eyes.
It was said that anyone who drank from its horn would be cured from epilepsy or poison. Scholars have since decided Ctesias was probably referring to a rhinoceros.
A magical creature
Legends from around the world tell of the unicorn's magical powers, including purifying water with its horn. This has led to the beast being associated with immortality.
Rumours of the unicorn's healing properties proved to be so compelling that during the Renaissance, its mythical horn was highly sought after by rulers around the world who were willing to pay a hefty sum for one.
But these were likely tusks from a narwhal, or toothed whale, passing as a unicorn horn. Even the English Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled from 1533 to 1603, was gifted an elaborately decorated tusk from an explorer in her court.
Similar to the myth that eating ground pearls could cure illness, "unicorn horns" could supposedly bring water to boil or detoxify a drink if dipped into a cup, which was useful in preventing any attempts at poisoning. Kings and queens thereby drank from goblets lined with "unicorn horn."
It wasn't until the 16th century that Ambroise Pare, a leading medical authority at the time, questioned the properties attributed to the unicorn horn in his Discourse on the Mummy and the Unicorn (1582). Notably didn't refute the idea that unicorns exist in the first place. By the 17th century, the cat was out of the bag that these precious unicorn horns were in fact narwhal tusks.
Immortalised in art
Among the most iconic unicorn-bearing artworks are the seven Unicorn Tapestries (1495-1505) currently on view at The Met Cloisters in New York City.
The luxuriously woven works depict scenes associated with a hunt for an elusive unicorn. On them, we see a group of hunters chasing the animal, appearing to kill it before it then reappears unharmed and chained to a tree.
Art historians have posited that the red marks on the chained unicorn do not represent blood, but rather pomegranate juice dripping from the tree above; pomegranate being a symbol of marriage and fertility.
The unicorn was also associated with themes of Christianity in artwork throughout the ages.
Around 1500, another seminal work of the western art cannon was woven: The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. The six tapestries feature a royally dressed woman surrounded by various animals, with one creature prominently displayed among all: a regal unicorn.
Each of the five depicts a sense - touch, taste, hearing, smell and sight - while the sixth is the most mysterious. It is accompanied by the words "À mon seul désir" (To my only desire), and has inspired a number of theories. Is the woman renouncing earthly pleasures?
These works are currently on display in the Cluny Museum in Paris and will travel to the Barberini Museum in Potsdam for a unicorn-themed exhibition in October 2025.
Symbol of love
Later in art history, Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali used the symbolism of the unicorn to represent love. In the 1977 sculpture The Unicorn, he features the creature boring a heart-shaped hole in a wall with a figure of a woman on the ground. He said it symbolised his love for this wife Gala and wrote in his autobiography that he envisioned her riding the creature.
Contemporary artists such as England's Damien Hirst and Rebecca Horn, who was a German visual artist, also prominently featured unicorns in their works.
American 1990s kids will remember the colourful rainbow unicorn found on Lisa Frank brand school supplies. The hit animated TV series, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (2010-2019), a makeover of the 1980s My Little Pony franchise, also contributed to the revival of unicorns.
Whether hunted in richly woven tapestries of the Middle Ages or starring in films like Death of a Unicorn, the allure of this mythical beast is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Express Tribune
Why did Adolf Hitler love Richard Wagner's music?
Productions of Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg divide audiences. Should emphasis be placed on the opera's comical elements, or is it to be seen as more of a serious play about German virtues with antisemitic undertones? As per DW, in this year's new production at the Bayreuth Festival, director Matthias Davids aims to highlight the opera's comical side. Nevertheless, the fact that the Nazis included the piece in their Reich Party Congresses continues to cast a shadow over the production. Richard Wagner was Adolf Hitler's favourite composer, long before coming to power in 1933. The dictator saw Wagner as a kindred spirit who had inspired the masses in the 19th century with the powerful sounds of his operas. Hitler later exploited this for his propaganda. Craving art and music Hitler, who wanted to study art, placed as much importance on large-scale musical productions as he did on state-sponsored architectural projects. "Hitler did indeed attach great importance to art," says art historian Wolfgang Brauneis, who has studied artists of the Nazi era. "You can see this even well into the ravages of war, when he was still personally selecting the color of mosaic tiles for large construction sites." It was no different in Nuremberg, where Hitler's National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) held its party rallies. He personally selected the singers and conductors for the production of Richard Wagner's opera "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg," which was performed on the eve of the Reich Party Rallies. When Hitler came to power in 1933, Wagner had already been dead for 50 years. With his concept of a Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art, the composer had revolutionised the world of opera. He envisioned a symbiosis of text, music, directing, stage design and architecture, all according to the vision of a single person. Richard Wagner designed an opera house on the green hill in Bayreuth specifically for his operas. He was the first to have the orchestra play from a pit in front of the stage while the audience sat in complete darkness, with only the stage illuminated. This inspired Hitler. From 1935 onwards, the dictator staged his Nuremberg rallies like a big stage spectacle with a special lighting design and huge mass gatherings. The entire city became a backdrop, with flags raised along the streets for the Nazis to march along. In the final scene of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which is about the preservation of German art, set designer Benno von Arent used the long rows of flags in front of the city's medieval half-timbered houses as a backdrop for the stage. Quintessential German opera The opera is about a singing contest for the love of a woman. Bakers, tailors, goldsmiths and other master craftsmen go head-to-head. The town scribe Beckmesser carefully makes sure everyone follows the rules. Master craftsman Hans Sachs, a respected singer and shoemaker, urges everyone to honor the old masters and preserve German art. This is one reason Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is often described as Wagner's most German opera. Jewish Australian director Barrie Kosky agrees. He feels, however, that antisemitism also plays a role. In 2017, he staged Die Meistersinger in Bayreuth as a "witch hunt against a Jewish singer," whom he associates with the character of Beckmesser. "I am not dealing with Jewish culture. I'm dealing with the parody of antisemitism," Kosky explains in the DW film Why Hitler adored Wagner. Whether Jewish characters are portrayed and caricatured in what way in Wagner's operas remains a matter of debate among Wagner scholars to this day. Wagner himself reportedly never commented on the issue. However, the composer was an avowed antisemite. He wrote a pamphlet entitled Judaism in Music, in which he vilified music by Jewish composers and claimed that they were only capable of copying others.
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- Express Tribune
Papa Jake' dies at 102
The American war veteran Jake Larson has died at the age of 102, as reported by DW. Known to his 1.2 million followers on TikTok as "Papa Jake," he captivated both young and old with his stories. In a statement on his social media accounts, his granddaughter McKaela Larson wrote that he died peacefully on July 17, and was "even cracking jokes 'til the very end." Larson was known for his quick smile and how he combined humorous anecdotes with somber reminders about the horrors of war. He had been living in Lafayette, California. A self-described Minnesota farm boy, he gained a huge following online in later life by sharing stories of WWII. He was born on December 20, 1922 in Owatonna, Minnesota. In 1938, while lying about his age, Larson enlisted in the National Guard at 15 years old. In 1942, he was stationed in Lurgan, Northern Ireland. He became operations sergeant and assembled the planning books for the invasion of Normandy. Larson was among the nearly 160,000 Allied Troops who stormed Normandy's beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He survived machine gunfire when he landed on Omaha Beach. "We are the lucky ones," Larson told the Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June, "They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honour these guys who gave us a chance to be alive." He had been awarded the Bronze Star, and French Legion of Honour for his service. Larson often called himself "the luckiest man in the world," and expressed awe at the attention he received. "I'm just a country boy. Now I'm a star on TikTok," he told AP in 2023. "I'm a legend! I didn't plan this, it came about."
Express Tribune
17-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Can Rihanna save the Smurfs?
Papa Smurf has been mysteriously captured by evil wizards Gargamel and his brother, Razamel. As the only female in her village of male Smurfs, Smurfette is taking the lead in the new adventure of the little blue humanoids. Smurfs, an animated musical film released on July 18, stars Rihanna as Smurfette. The megastar also co-produced the film and released an original song for the film's soundtrack in May, reports DW. Since it was Rihanna's first new track in three years — following rumours that the pop star was retiring from music — it was big news for her fans. But reactions were mixed: Even though many of them celebrate Friend Of Mine as "a club banger," others were disappointed to see her return with a song for a kids movie. The Grammy-winning artist-turned-entrepreneur, who's also pregnant with her third child, is generally seen as a symbol of Black female empowerment. Yet even though the new Smurfs film gives Smurfette an empowering role, the character's name is nevertheless synonymous with an entire sexist pop culture trope: the Smurfette principle. The concept, which was coined in 1991 by feminist critic Katha Pollitt in a New York Times article, refers to a pattern that can still be widely observed in films, TV series or video games: a single female character is surrounded by an otherwise all-male ensemble of heroes. Beyond the Smurfs, the trope can be observed in many other popular universes, from Princess Leia in Star Wars to Miss Piggy in The Muppets, from Kanga in Winnie the Pooh to Peach in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Reversing the Smurfette principle Reflecting Hollywood's endless cycle of reboots, spin-offs and sequels, the 2025 Smurfs film follows three other US-produced features in the franchise, all based on the series first developed in 1958 by Belgian comic artist Peyo. The live-action animated film from 2011, The Smurfs, reflects on the problematic gender imbalance of the Smurf universe when Gargamel plays with puppets representing the creatures he's obsessed with: "I'm Papa Smurf," he sneers, using a ventriloquist voice as he waves around a blue puppet with a red cap. "I have 99 sons and one daughter — nothing weird about that!" Smurfette's original sexist backstory is also revisited in The Smurfs 2 (2013): She was not initially part of the village, but rather created out of clay by Gargamel, who devised her as an evil spy to infiltrate the Smurf community. But once Smurfette gets to know the Smurfs and discovers how open and friendly they are, she disowns her master, and Papa Smurf transforms her into a real Smurf. The spell also metamorphoses her into a more stereotypically feminine character: Her unkept black hair is turned into lush blonde locks; her generic Smurf slippers and simple elongated tank top are also magically restyled as high heels and a frilly dress. The Smurfette principle is most directly tackled in Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). Smurfette searches for her purpose, seeing that the other Smurfs around her all have a name describing their identity: Brainy, Clumsy or Sleepy. In her self-discovery journey, she lands in a village of all-female Smurfs. But that attempt to reverse gender roles also drew criticism: "I'm all for empowering girls, but not at the detriment of boys. I did not like the way the boy Smurfs were portrayed as bumbling idiots," wrote one parent reviewing Smurfs: The Lost Village on Common Sense Media. Film critic Maryann Johanson saw things similarly. The film "seems to believe it is feminist, but only doubles down on Smurfily regressive notions of gender," she wrote, by "embracing the gentler form of misogyny that puts women on a pedestal." Others pointed out that introducing the new female characters feels more driven by profit than by feminist values by merely expanding options for Smurf merchandising: "It's extremely obvious that Smurfs: The Lost Village exists to create a base for a new Smurfs universe that's more or less the same as the old one, except with more girls — and, presumably, more little girls in the audience too," correctly predicted a Vox critic reviewing the film at the time. An animated TV series with the female characters followed the film and is still running. Co-opted by far-right? Meanwhile, the Smurf brand is also facing other challenges beyond gender issues. In Germany, the creatures have been co-opted by content creators promoting far-right populist views. AI-generated videos set in the Smurf universe started circulating on social media platforms last year that computer-manipulated the original narrator's voice to criticise, for instance, a supposed "woke dictatorship." Collectible Smurf figurines were also spotted at election campaign events for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose party colour is also light blue. "We take this brand misuse very seriously," stated IMPS, the rights holder of the Smurfs, in a press release reacting to the videos created without permission. "In particular, we clearly distance ourselves from the content of these postings and their right-wing populist context;" he added. "The Smurfs are a symbol of childhood and innocence. They stand for values such as tolerance, respect and friendship and must not be misused in any way for purposes that are contrary to their values and history." French political commentator Antoine Bueno also sparked controversy with his 2011 book analysing the symbolism of the Smurf universe. The author argued that the Smurf society contains overtones of Stalinism and Nazism, and that the evil figures could be read as antisemitic caricatures. However, Bueno clarified that he didn't believe that the creator of the Smurfs had deliberately added the racist overtones to his stories, he told The Guardian at the time: "Peyo was not at all politicised; all this was unconscious."
