I had this amazing idea to do a research essay-esque thing on unicorns and to talk about how Pete and Ariel has this weird relationship that was hampered by the fact they were different species. I also wanted to discuss how Pete couldn't have a normal relationship with a woman without losing Ariel. Then I started to read up on unicorns and I wanted to talk about the religious parallels and how sex caused the downfall of the unicorns. And maybe even talk about the irony of how unicorns are anti-sex and must reproduce asexually since sexual reproduction would be hypocritical.
And then I realized that this was my blog and I could write as much or as little as I wanted! And I decided that I wanted to do a short blurb on how the technique to capture a unicorn in the legends was reflected in this story!
But first, for those not familiar with my own personal obsession, a little background on unicorns:
Unicorns are mythical, horse-like creatures with a single horn (alicorn) in the middle of their forehead. Accounts of unicorn sightings have been found throughout the world and are even mentioned in the bible. While size, shape, colour and even hoof shape (cloven or solid?) have varied, the magical properties of the alicorn have remained constant. The alicorn is said to purify stagnant waters and to act as an antidote against poison, thus making it a staple for paranoid royalty. They have long been associated with the moon; they are silver in colour, have an affinity for water and are even paired with the Greek and Roman moon goddesses (Artemis and Diana, respectively), who are virgin goddesses. Unicorns are also known for their speed and ferocity (they hate elephants) but have a weakness for virgins (Allan, 2008; Matthews & Matthews, 2005).
Popular legend states that to capture a unicorn, one must have a virgin maid waiting in the unicorn's path. The beast will then lay his head on her lap and fall asleep, enabling hunters to capture and kill him (Allan, 2008; Matthews & Matthews, 2005).
In Ariel, the hunter was the necromancer who summoned her from the faery realm hoping to harvest her alicorn. Despite her initial escape and her year long jaunt with Pete, when the necromancer heard she was still alive, he sent the griffen rider to bring her back. When that didn't work, he tried to play the two against each other, offering first the life of Pete if her horn was offered willingly; and secondly, offering to find a way for Ariel to survive the loss of her horn is she cooperated.
The charming and irresistable virgin role was played by Pete, and while Ariel never fell asleep with her head on his lap, she did surrender her freedom for his by creating a distraction. Her self-sacrifice was noble, nearly costing her life, and subsequently, her horn. Luckily, Pete and their rag-tag group of freedom fighters saved the day and killed the bad guys. At this point, Ariel runs off.
And finally, the demise of the virgin's unicorn. Pete may have saved her life, but when he accepted Shaughnassy as a lover his unicorn became dead to him. The next morning when Ariel found them, he was unable to touch her as he was no longer pure.
It is possible that Ariel foresaw this future and purposefully stayed away until they consummated their relationship, making it impossible for Pete and Ariel to be together. Had Ariel wanted to, she would have been able to find them before that happened. It could be that the final scene in the woods was a goodbye. It could be symbolism for the Fall of Man.
What do you think happened?
Books used for background information:
Allan, Tony. 2008. The Mythic Bestiary: The Illustrated Guide to the World's Most Fantastical Creatures.
Matthews, John & Matthews, Caitlin. 2005. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic.
