The Joys of Chasing Unicorns

Recently, writing articles on my experiences in New York City (index) I included the first article below, on hunting unicorns in New York. It was the first time I had ever written about unicorns, and I enjoyed the writing and the response so much that I now have a series on unicorns as well.

Although I am not yet finished with that series - in fact, I wonder if I ever can be - here is an index to all my articles on unicorns, to which I will add future articles.

When I lived in New York City, there was nearby a store that specialized in unicorns. When a friend from my undergraduate days visited me, I pointed the store out to her. A few days later, when she bid me farewell, she presented me with the little pink and white unicorn in the accompanying picture.

Since I had one unicorn, I must like unicorns, and so, over the years, I received many unicorn figures and mugs. Of course, I show my interest in something by learning about it, as I recount again in the first article below. It was the gift of a unicorn, one of the most cherished gifts I have ever received, that led to my pursuit of the unicorn for over half of my life.

My Unforgettable New York City Unicorn Hunt

Read it! Quote: I presented each of the tapestries, placing it in the context of the whole series, and pointing out various symbols. In the presence of the unicorn, I must now confess: I was showing off.

How to Hunt Unicorns in Great Literature

Read it! Quote: As an old English major, I am delighted being able to access literary texts on sites like Project Gutenberg (here) and then to search them in a way that we never could with a paper copy.

What is a Unicorn? Using Modern Technology to Hunt the Unicorn

Read it! Quote: The unicorn has been made up of various parts of a horse but also of a goat, an antelope, even a lion, and the distinctive horn is like the horn of a narwhale.

Are Chinese Dinosaurs Dragons or Fakes?

Read it! Quote: Tsintaosaurus is one of the strangest dinosaurs discovered in China in recent decades. This hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur) has been nicknamed the "Chinese unicorn," because of the odd horn on its head, projecting forward rather than backward.

How to Increase Your Vocabulary with Numerical Prefixes

Read it! Quote: A device (such as a microscope) for one eye is monocular, thanks to Greek, but a unicorn has only one horn... thanks to Latin.

Unicorns, Virgins, Witches: The Sad Truth of the Unicorn Hunt

Read it! Quote: That the unicorn could be caught with the help of a maiden is a very strange tale, one that had two conflicting interpretations during the Middle Ages, when such legends were given "moral" lessons. One is based on the most important woman in the Old Testament, Eve, and the other is based on the most important woman in the New Testament, Mary.

First Images from Steven Spielberg's Secret of the Unicorn Are Released

Read it! Quote: There are no unicorns, because - although this might sound like a meeting of two of my obsessions, Tintin and unicorns - the Unicorn of the title is just the name of a ship.

The Unicorn and Pegasus: Science and Religion

Read it! Quote: Pegasus comes from the mythology of ancient Greek religion, while the unicorn, strange as it may seem, comes from ancient science.

Fabulous Monsters: The Lion, the Unicorn, and Wonderland's Alice

Read it! Quote: Maybe, as we look at each other, we all are fabulous monsters of a sort. Some are those fabulous monsters called unicorns, while others are fabulous monsters crazed by the task of searching for unicorns.

Get Your Free Unicorn License at the Department of Natural Unicorns

Read it! Quote: Note especially that it is prohibited to use artificial light in the taking of unicorns. Also, note that you must wear the license over your heart, pinned with a sprig of rosemary. (Strictly enforced.)

The Unicorn in the Pharmacy: The Medicinal Uses of Unicorn Horn

Read it! Quote: One [horn], valued at 20,000 pounds sterling (and in those days, a pound was worth something) was presented to the King of France, and another, presented to Charles I of England, "was seven feet long, weighed thirteen pounds, and was in the shape of a wax candle."