Unicorn Dieties

Unicorn Dieties

Goddesses/Gods: Diana, Artemis (they pulled her Chariot of Chastity), Demeter (In some stories it is said that the cornucopia was inspired by the unicorn), Horned God, some moon gods and goddesses, Amalthea (more of a magical goat than god, whose horn was said to break off to form the cornucopia. Now, it is also the name of the unicorn in The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, which has flavored modern unicorn mythology extensively). The triple goddess corresponds to the unicorn, in that, the three colors of the Greek alicorn correspond with the three colors of the goddess. The unicorn is related to Ra and Sirus because of the unicorn's relation to the Egyptian Obelisk. The horn represents the sword/horn of the Judeo god.

Invisible Pink Unicorn (IPU)
Una
Mieliekki
Jehova
Jesus
Talmud Unicorn
Tiamat (births unicorns upon death)
Diana
Artemis
Unicorn on seal of Indus Valley

Kir'Rin Most Fortunate Animal of Asia
Amduscias (sometimes considered "demonic" in some circles)

ARTEMIS

Lately, the goddess who has been demanding my undivided attention has been.....Artemis! I have studied her quite a bit and she has gone through many transformations. For the most part she is a maiden goddess in the visage of the protector or defender. She is Greek, however she has been present in other mythologies under other names. Pure and strong, she did not seek the company of males and was a "virgin wife" or "eternal virgin" depending on the story. Often she is armed with a bow and protects women, virgins, children and animals. Sacred animals are the deer, hound and unicorn along with many others.

Well, I have a special place in my heart for any unicorn goddess, so its no big surprise I keep running across her. In fact, the golden hinds said to bear the Chariot of Chastity are actually golden unicorns in some older paintings. Perhaps it is the confusion of Christian mythology and how it flavors older "pagan" religions, perhaps it is something similar to that and alludes to a more masculine chariot. Her virginal "purity" is often what lures the masculine unicorn to the maiden's side. Often his downfall as hunters take him. Artemis is a hunter and she is the only one allowed to seek her sacred animals.

Apollo, the sun, is her brother, and Artemis is a moon goddess. This primal duality reflects the need for the twin powers to coincide with each other. Artemis even as a child (new moon) had to exercise her youthful energy by helping her mother flee Hera from the island the twins were born on. Throughout her waxing and waning energies however, she contains a strong sense of purity and purpose. Most moon goddesses have a triple aspect, and I suppose that Artemis has this when coupled with other Grecian goddesses that have lunar powers. However, she does not encompass them singularly as strongly as many of the other lunar goddesses in other cultures. You could put Selene, Hectate and Artemis together to create an obvious lunar trinity. However, it would be interesting to examine how Artemis as a singular goddess could represent the moon's cycles. I think that all women do. Although Artemis was never the "mother" or "crone" goddess, she did have elements that alluded to both. She is certainly a protector of mothers, though she herself never bore children. Her eternal youth bars her from the physical representation of the crone, but perhaps her natural and learned wisdom is symbolic of her crone-aspect.

The unicorn itself carries some elements to give it a triple symbolism itself. The triple colored unicorn horn is often colored in the symbolic goddess colors of red, black and white. Sometimes the unicorn is symbolized by the moon. Each month as the moon wanes to a sharp point in the sky, it recreates the unicorns horn. In mythology, this was related with the following story. The lion in the sky ran around the earth chasing the unicorn. The unicorn would wax and grow strong and suddenly, the lion, hungry, would challenge the unicorn. The unicorn would then sharpen the horn, and turn on the lion. However, the lion would devour the unicorn (during the new moon when it would disappear). The unicorn is immortal though, and soon, the sharp horn would be visible in the sky, and the unicorn and lion's celestial pursuit would continue next month.

An ancient "Horned God" the unicorn is a fitting companion for the forever-pure Artemis. Like the Horned Lord of many myths, the unicorn is sacrificed. The story goes that a woman (usually implied to be virginal by some people who care about that, and even rich or beautiful by other standards) draw out the unicorn. The unicorn comes out of the safety of the forest and lays his head in a maiden's lap. She is a terrified witness to hunters who had tricked her into luring the beast attack. Sometimes she is active in catching the unicorn, and sometimes the woman or hunters are evil, but at other times they are good. The story of the horned lord is one which found its way throughout nearly all mythologies of the world, simply through the unicorn alone. A good, divine creature, immortal and sacred gives its life to humanity that they too may find immortality and be cleansed. Of course, this very closely matches horned lord stories, especially sacrifice stories, implying that the "Horned God" gives his life so that people gain a powerful benefit (usually supernatural like immunity to poison, disease and immortality). Artemis as divine huntress has her own stories where she hunts all sorts of animals. I have even heard stories of her hunting unicorns.

Either way, the unicorn and Artemis tie is very strong. She is a Goddess, symbolized in the past by unicorns and is both hunter and guardian of the sacred animal. As you continue your quest, remember, the unicorn is found in many places, it has stood beside gods, lords, kings, paupers and religious people all over the world. It is one of the most prevalent magical animals in myth and story and it is certainly one that will continue to lure us into magical forests.

Source:

Faeries 101 by Doreen Virtue
Creating Magickal Entities: A Complete Guide to Entity Creation: by David Michael Cunningham (Author), Taylor Ellwood (Author), T. Amanda R. Wagener (Author)
http://www.loggia.com/myth/selene.html
Lore of the Unicorn by Odell Shephard
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/artemis.html

The White Goddess
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Biblical Unicorn/Jesus: See Page on Biblical Unicorn