The Bird Talks

Unicorns : myth or mystery

2008-03-01T18:01:00.001-08:00

Don’t you get amazed of what you’re looking at? A mysterious one-horned creature that has enchanted the many but believed to only be tamed by a Virgin. For some, it is believed to be legendary with a slender usually spiral horn growing on it’s forehead.

I remember having fun watching Ally McBeal. I’m assuming you guys know Ally McBeal – a young Boston lawyer notable for it’s dancing baby. But that was not what I will be talking about. I’m referring to one episode which spoke of Unicorn. A complainant who was terminated from his job as he was known to have psychological illness manifested by seeing a unicorn in his office. Ally shared the same sentiments only that she saw and touched the creature when she was 10 years old. The male complainant said it is a symbol of hope. Hope that wishes are still to come true.

I’ve heard a lot of Unicorns, got enchanted and stunned by the beauty that never fails to amaze anybody. For me, it’s a sacred creature that only the innocent can fathom it’s mystery.
In Ancient Greece, Ctesias of Cnidus‘s epitome of a Unicorn was that it was a native to India, the size of a donkey, with a burgundy head and white body; it had blue eyes, a single horn that was bright red at the top, black in the middle, and white at the bottom; the horn was also eighteen inches long."

Aristotle had mentioned two one-horned animals; the oryx coming from the antelope family and the Indian Ass. The latter believed to be a very ferocious beast, it’s body similar to that of a horse, with a head of a deer, feet of an elephant, a boar’s tail, with a deep bellowing voice and a single horn standing out of it’s forehead.

Julius Caesar on the other hand described it to have had a deer’s head, an elephant’s feet, a boar’s tail with a 3-feet long horn.

Prehistoric paintings depicts the existence of single-horned creatures from the caves of Lascaux, France and Lago Posadas in Argentina.

During the middle ages, Unicorn was believed to be the symbol of Christ. Also, existed the allegory in which the unicorn symbolizes incarnation and was trapped by a maiden representing the Mother of Christ.

In the eastern part of the world, a Chinese myth called the “quilin” is sometimes referred to as the Chinese Unicorn. The Japanese Kirin which is also based from the Chinese myth believed to have resembled closely to the Western Unicorn than the Chinese Quilin.

Marco Polo by then described the creature being tamable only by maidens however with several studies made, it was believed that Marco Polo was referring t a rhinoceros when he described what he believed was a unicorn as a creature a little smaller than elephants, buffalo haired with an elephant feet. It has a small large black horn in the middle of it’s forehead. The creature had a head of a wild boar and wallows in mud and slime. Hmmm, I can just imagine. He mistook a rhinoceros to be unicorn because of it’s single horn.

Leonardo Da Vinci wrote "The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it bears to fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it."

In New York, there hangs the unicorn tapestries in the cloisters division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Originally owned by the La Rochefoucauld family of France and was bought by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. for a million dollars and donated to the museum.

The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries have titles as follows:
The Start of the Hunt
The Unicorn at the Fountain
The Unicorn tries to Escape
The Unicorn defends himself
The Unicorn is captured by the Maiden
The Unicorn is wounded and brought to the Castle
The Unicorn in Captivity

Similar tapestries are also hung in Musee de Cluny, Paris called the Lady and the Unicorn series. The series are as follows :
Lady and the Unicorn
A mon seul désir * Love
l’Quïe* Hearing
la Vue * Sight
le Toucher * Touch
l’Odorat * Smell
le Goût * Taste

Did you know that the unicorn’s spiral horn is called Alicorn? Believed to give relief to diseases and neutralize poisons. Aside from it’s medicinal virtues, unicorns can determine whether or not a woman is a virgin as only a virgin could mount them.

If the alicorn can remedy illnesses, can it relieve one from heartfelt sorrows? In western legend the unicorn found a maiden named Elly and cried for her which cured the maidens’ wounded heart. Amazing what magic can a unicorn bring forth to someone who believes in his existence.

Does the unicorn indeed had magical powers? Where does it come from? Ever heard of a carbuncle? Believe it or not, I’ve heard may stories of carbuncle and reading from several articles about unicorns, they were believed to have a mystic ruby on it’s horn base which is referred to as it’s carbuncle. Moreso, in many stories I’ve heard there are other animals that have carbuncles and only destined individuals will have the chance to see them.
How can one know all about unicorns if no one has ever proven their existence? To see is to believe but do we really have to witness things to believe in them? Still, I continue to be mesmerized by the magical essence of these Unicorns. Aren’t you?
The Unicorn may not just be a myth. It has captured the many. It has become an insignia in so many ways, see below :

1. Arms of Lišnice, Czech Republic
2. Arms of Ramosch, Switzerland
3. Arms of Saint-Lô, France
4. Unicorn Supporter of the Arms of Scotland
5. The Royal Coat of Arms at Fingask Castle, Tayside, Scotland
6. The Royal Arms of the Hanoverian period, Governor’s Palace, Williamsburg, Virginia
In the late 15th Century, the unicorn was widely used in heraldry. A unicorn shown collared with broken chain may indicate that it has been tamed yet free from bondage and cannot be taken again.
http://www.allaboutunicorns.com/what.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicorns

Movie Shows, Mind Thinks, Heart Feels

2008-03-01T12:42:00.002-08:00

I don’t know where to start but oh well, here I am…writing.

Let’s just say “THIS IS IT!”. Finally convinced myself to write just about anything.

Hey listen, have you been to a point where you just wanna sit down, sip your cup of coffee and just think about anything. Well, I did. Count a few hours back before I found myself writing.

I was listening to the tune – Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield around 7:30am (you think it’s early…wake up!). No dancing, ah-ah, but since I’m not yet back to the salt mine, I figured out something. As the line goes, no one else can speak the words on your lips, drench yourself in word unspoken hence, I opened my laptop. A lot of things are left really unspoken. Well, let the chips fall where they may, thats for real.

So starting with few lines, found myself reminiscing. When was the last time I put on my playlist? What do I listen the most? There are those country songs, alternative, R&B, rock, et al. But what do I really like the most these days? I ended up with one question in my head….what is music to me? Listed some like Bubbly, Unwritten, On the Side of Angels, The Way I Are, Ayo Technology, Beautiful Girls, The Rainbow Connection, Disco Inferno, All About You, Cool With You, Umbrella, Unfaithful, Love Will Show You Everything, Bartender, Me and You, Do You Know, Better That We Break, Please Don’t Stop the Music, Hate That I Love You, Baby Am A Want You and my all time fave is Tattooed on my mind and Simply Jessie. (Toooooo many to mention – just check my playlist every now and then) But usually, what lulls me to sleep are country songs, check out these : Butterfly Kisses, Thunder Rolls, The Dance, If Tomorrow Never Comes and so on.

I can listen to just about any song that really becomes music to my ears, that shows how flexy I am. Some of those songs come from fave movies I’ve seen so far.

Oh oh, that gave me an idead. How about I say, let’s start sharings songs and the movies that popularized them. Starting with “Love will show you everything” from the movie “If only”. Sung and starred by Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Just so you know, I really enjoy listening to the British accent and this movie has definitely stolen my heart.

Here it is, hussssh now. Paul Nicholls played Ian Wyndham, a British businessman and a live in partner of Samantha Andrews played by Jennifer Love Hewitt. A dream appeared before him losing his beloved Sam. It was a disaster that he ended the day unable to tell her how much he loved her. He cam across a cab driver before the incident and told him to appreciate his girl. He just couldn't understand coz simple things that might delight her is out of his depth. Home he went and saw Sam’s diary, there was a song she hoped to sing for him the day she’s supposed to leave for Ohio. He was devastated. He fell asleep with great sorrow in his heart.

Morning came. Ian woke up shocked or should I say terrified hearing Sam’s voice, sitting right next to him in bed. Sam made him realize everything is all but a dream. Yet things are happening as he dreamt. Sam got her hands burned, splashed her dress with soda while on their way to the office. So Ian decided to play with fate, only to realize that he can’t change any.

Off he took her out of London to show many great things he never shared. From the rock house in the valley to the little town where his dad spent during his sober days. He asked what Sam would want had she have one day left and what would she do, “The answer is simple, a no-brainer. I’d spend it with you. Like now, doing nothing.” Ian was deeply touched. All he wanted too was to spend that day with his beloved before he ever loses her. He shared his past to the girl he can’t live without. He didn’t want to end the day and let things happen. Yet, he only can delay fate. They had to rush back to London for Sam’s graduation day. While Sam was busy preparing, he ran off and prepared her a surprise. He set up the orchestra to play the song Sam wanted to sing for him. As the finale of the night, he introduced Sam to the English crowd and had her composition played. It was the "One day, Some day" in Sam's life. Ian has given his heart to Sam and all that he is.

Before the taxi arrives these are the last lines of Ian to Sam, “I love you. I wanna tell you why I love you. I have to tell you this and you need to hear it. I loved you since I met you but I wouldn’t allow my self to truly feel it until today. I was always thinking ahead. Making decisions it’s all of fear. But today, because of you, what I learned from you. Every choice I made was different and my life has completely changed. And I’ve learned that if you do that then you’re living your life fully. It doesn’t matter if you have 5 minutes or 50 years . Samantha, if not for today, if not for you I would never have known love at all. So thank you for being the person you taught me to love and to be loved. You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted to tell you.” Then their ride arrived, before the clock struck 11:00, everything flashed before Ian’s eyes as what his dream has shown him, then the car accident happened. Sad but it’s true, it was Ian who left Sam's world. A tragedy left for Sam to forever remember. “Loving him was so easy for me” said Sam.

Sniff, sniff…..ahhhh a tragic drama. I’ll always remember that movie. True that all of us know love but how to show it and let the person feel it is hard to manifest. Little gestures of thoughtfulness are some things we forget to do. But actually, it is important to wear your heart on your sleeve. Maybe little but touching.

Well, I guess that’s enough sharing right now. Watch for yourself and be touched. I’ll tell you more of those popularized songs. Ciao!