By: Elena Bagwell
"The Unicorn in Captivity"
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The day I
found out my husband was being unfaithful to
me with my best friend was the day my life took a turn for the
worse. It
was like a domino effect, one horrible situation turning into another
and it
seemed to never end. Every aspect of my life was so heavily
impacted by
the divorce I was advised to take a leave of absence from my position
as the
top editor of Elle magazine. For the first few days of my
involuntary
vacation I moped around my loft. On day four I had a revelation.
I
told myself I would take advantage of the few weeks off work I had been
given
and I decided on taking a vacation. I bought a one-way to ticket
to
I
started my exploration in my home-town
of
Not being artistically inclined I stared at the first tapestry for a few minutes. I must have expressed my confusion on my face because I was approached by a fragile old woman who I had overlooked in the room. She gave me her name, Pipita, and asked for mine. "Juliet," I responded. Pipita offered to explain the meaning behind the tapestries since she had been so fond of them all her life.
"These are 'The Unicorn Tapestries,' but some people call them the 'Hunt of the Unicorn.' There are seven of them each being 12 ft by 8 ft in size. The artist is unknown, but they have been given a date between 1495 and 1505. In 1937, they were given to the Museum as a gift from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Each, is filled with symbolism down to the tiniest detail. One interpretation is that they tell the story of courtly love, explaining the search a young woman went on to find her loving prince. The other interpretation is that they represent the life of Jesus with Jesus symbolized as the Unicorn. Revealed in the story are Jesus’ suffering, Crucifixion, and Resurrection," Pipita explained.
After I had received the useful information from Pipita, the Unicorn Tapestries suddenly took on a new meaning and appearance to me. I began noticing tiny details I had easily overlooked before. The line between reality and imagination soon blurred as I entered the first scene in the series:
I see around me a group of young nobles. Each one of them carries a spear, while their savage dogs stand at their feet with eyes fixed on the dense forest in front of them. It appears they are on a hunt and suddenly I remember the Unicorn. At that moment the air becomes thick with excitement and fear. Knowing what is about to happen I run off unwilling to join in their terrible escapade. I run until I come upon a clearing and it is there that I stumble upon the Unicorn. I immediately understand why men have such an interest in this magnificent animal. I am so astonished at this sight that I am frozen stiff. My spell is broken and the silence shattered as one of the hunters who had followed me saw the Unicorn and made a call to his fellow men. Suddenly, the Unicorn and I are surrounded by dogs, men, and spears. The Unicorn, unfazed, continues on with his business. We watch him in dead silence as he dips his horn into a fountain filled with vile water. Instantly, the water is purified and all the animals of the forest come to drink. I witness life-long enemies’ drinking water next to one another. A group of lions next to a stag, the symbol of the destroyer of serpents who is protecting his kind from those things that are evil. There are peacocks, doves, and bunnies, too. All of us stare in awe for what seems like an eternity. Suddenly, the hunters remember their purpose. All hell breaks loose as the hunters attempt to spear the Unicorn and their dogs to bring it down. The commotion causes the wild animals to scatter in every direction, running for their lives. The Unicorn escapes with ease as he nimbly jumps over a stream, the hunters and their dogs in quick pursuit. As the hunters surround him the Unicorn fights back, kicking one man with his hooves while using his horn to gore a dog. It becomes obvious the Unicorn will not be taken by ordinary measures. Unable to withstand anymore I run off in search of help. As I escape the Unicorn spots me and chases after me in desperation. I approach a house and begin to bang on the door only to get no reply. Giving up, I turn around and see the Unicorn at my feet. I bend down to console him, laying his head on my lap. I think to myself that he has given up his fight and is close to death. He sees my thoughts and explains to me that he could only be caught by a beautiful maiden which he saw in me. Soon after, I see the hunters and their dogs approaching. There is nothing I can do as I watch them spear the Unicorn to death. I follow the group as they take the defeated Unicorn to their lord and lady who desire his horn, which is said to contain powers of purification. I watch their faces as they bring the Unicorn into the castle. They speak to one another in whispers, astonished that this mystical animal existed. As the men carry the Unicorn into the walls of the castle, suddenly and magically, he comes back to life as if he had never died. They place the Unicorn in a corral for safe keeping, never to be harmed again. I approach the Unicorn to say goodbye, remembering this was the final scene of the tapestries. As I come closer I see what appear to be spots of blood on his flank. My eyes fill up with tears at the thought of him dying a slow death. His final words to me were of comfort. He explains that what I think is blood is actually pomegranate juice dripping from the tree above and that his wounds were healed. The Unicorn thanks me for his happiness as I disappear back to reality. The next thing instant I am back in the Museum still staring at the Unicorn Tapestries.
Bibliography:
“The
Unicorn Tapestries” (author unknown)
Website: The
Weblink: http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/Unicorn/hunt_unicorn_transcript.htm
“The Unicorn Tapestries”
by Sarah Albertini & Danielle Pastor
Website: The Tapestries at the Cloisters (Project for
Intro to
Medieval History)
Weblink: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/medny/albertini2.html
Author’s Note:
The reason I began my Storybook with
The Unicorn Tapestries was because I thought they fit most
appropriately at the
beginning. Since their location is in
The detail that I mention about the
stag being a symbol of the destroyer of serpents that is trying to
protect his
own kind... This is an ancient religious belief in Christianity.