Unicorns: Past, Present and in the Imagination

In the last few thousand years, unicorn folklore has extensively evolved. In fact, the evolution of the mentioned above mythical creature has been so drastic, that the original unicorn lore of the Greek, Roman and early Christian people, would be unrecognizable to a modern day person. Consequently, to the historical figures (such as Julius Caesar and Ctesias) that contributed to the creation of the mythical creature, they would not recognize the unicorn as it is found in My Little Pony or any other pop culture sensation. To discover the cause of disconnect between the folkloric and pop culture unicorns, an in depth look at the unicorn’s journey from historic to modern times, will be evaluated. Specifically the original creation of the creature, Christian influence, the cultural diffusion that has led to hybrid creatures such as the pegacorn, unipeg, and alicorns,will all be examined. Then finally, the changes that the unicorn has underwent, will be used to lead up to an explanation on how these folkloric animals became the gentle /horrifying unicorns of modern children’s entertainment.