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All Creatures Great & Small April 25, 2009 |  |
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Greetings! I designed a logo with a unicorn and a lion for my second book, Cecile and The Treasures of Belamor, (available this fall.) It started me thinking about unicorns. I know that just hearing the word, "unicorn" can make most adults feel like they've eaten a little too much sugar! It's true that the profusion of unicorn cartoons and plastic toys have made this legendary creature seem very trite. However, knowing that each new generation is destined to examine our collective symbols with fresh eyes, I was inspired to do some research.
I discovered that references to unicorns are found in most cultures of the world, beginning as early as 2500 B.C. They are even mentioned in the King James Bible. There is a constellation named after unicorns called, Monoceros, on the celestial equator between Orion and Hydra. Unicorns are the national symbol of Scotland and they can be found in numerous classical works of art, most famously in a series of seven Gothic tapestries called, The Hunt of the Unicorn. The horn of a unicorn, also known as an Alicorn, was prized by popes and kings in medieval and Renaissance times. Since their horn was said to neutralize poison, it is no wonder that many kings of old chose to drink from goblets made from alicorn. The scepters of the Russian czars and the Austrian Hapsburg emperors were both made of "unicorn horn." Mary Queen of Scotts had one, and there are two among the treasures of the Japanese Imperial palace. It is now suspected that some of these alicorns were actually taken from the Narwhal; a rare horned whale that lives exclusively in arctic waters. The Vikings were pleased to trade these horns for a very good price. Historically, unicorns are a symbol of purity, gentle strength and mystical healing. I hope that you, and the children you know, will enjoy reading my own unicorn story.
This is the sixth issue of The Mystic Heroine Guide to Life, Love, and Everything, an ezine designed for you to share with your daughters and grand-daughters. Free, and delivered to your email box every two weeks, it's filled with stories and tips on how to be bright and beautiful, have high self-esteem and good values - with a cast of characters taken from the pages of Mystic Heroine Adventures. Click here to find out how to buy the first book in this series, Cecile and The Spider Queen. Click here to find out how to buy Mystic Heroine T-shirts for women and girls. Have a great day! -Marilyn Churchill
"Do
you think such creatures exist?" I asked
Jerome.
Just then, Gwynn walked into the dining room with a bowl of fruit and let out a scream. She had spotted a rat under the table nibbling on crumbs. Suddenly, the room was filled with chaos. A half-dozen cooks chased the rat up one side of the room and down the other until he was cornered, and Pierre slipped a glass bowl over him. "Never you mind, Princess," he said. "I will get rid of the pest!" Gwynn shuddered. "I hate rats!" she said. I could see the rat's little pink ears quiver. I could see in his shiny black eyes how frightened he was. I didn't care if he was only a rat; I knew how he felt. "Please don't hurt him," I said. "Let me take him outside." With great reservation, Pierre transferred the rat to a box and handed it to me. "He will just find his way back in, Princess," he said skeptically. Jerome and I walked far from the castle before we set the box down. When I opened it, the rat appeared to be stunned. Then, he stood on his hind legs and looked up at me with such gratitude that I couldn't help but smile. I bent down and gave him a piece of bread. He took it and ran away, disappearing into the long grass.
Later that night I was awakened from a sound sleep. I heard a noise and sat up in bed. Silver moonlight streamed through the window. Suddenly, a rat jumped from my dresser onto the floor and ran for the door. My gold necklace was in his mouth! "Oh no, you don't!" I cried. That gold heart necklace was a birthday gift, and I wasn't about to lose it! I sprang from my bed and ran down the hall after that rat, wondering if he was the rat I had freed. I chased him down the stairs. He slipped under the door. I dashed out into the moonlight in my bare feet and nightgown, and across the wet lawn after him. He darted into the enchanted forest and I was right behind him. I lost sight of him and stopped running. But he stood up on his hind legs and looked back at me, then darted on ahead. I pursued him deeper into the moonlit forest, my bare feet sinking into the soft pine needles. The rat was nowhere in sight. I stopped, looking around at a place in the forest where I had never been. Through the trees, I saw a shimmering pool of water. As I walked nearer, I saw that the moon was mirrored in its surface. And then I saw him! On the far side of the pond stood the magical creature I had longed to see. And he was solemnly looking back at me! He was quite small and slender; and as pale and ghostly as I in my nightgown must have appeared to him. I took a step nearer. He didn't run.
"Princess!" a voice called. I turned to look. It was Eleanor, still a good distance off. I looked back, but the unicorn had disappeared. Slowly, I turned and walked back to meet Eleanor. "Princess, what's wrong? I heard you leave the castle. Is everything all right?" Eleanor said, taking off her shawl and putting it around my shoulders. "You'll catch your death," she said with concern. Suddenly I realized how cold I was. "Yes, thank you, Eleanor. Let's go home," I said dreamily. As we trudged back through the woods I was too overwhelmed to explain what I had seen. The next morning, when I finally opened my eyes, the sun was shining through my window in streams of gold. I noticed something glimmering on my dresser. To my amazement, I saw my necklace with the gold heart.
I've discovered
that writing stories is a lot
of fun. Here is a good and simple idea for
creating one of your own. Hint: You can make
this a real story or a make-believe one. For
example: the
answer to number two could be: I want a new
bike, OR, a trip to the moon! Have fun
with
it.
1. Describe yourself, (the main character!)
Winner of the iUniverse Editors Choice Award.
5.0 out of 5 stars In this tale about beauty and deception, Princess Cecile of Belamor is bewitched and must remember who she is in order to save her kingdom. Click here to find out how to buy this book, purchase T-shirts, and to sign up for free gifts!
Click here to find out how to purchase this T-shirt. Be the heroine of your own adventure wearing Mystic Heroine Tees!
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