Encounters with Unicorns
- Kim McElroy
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
History of the Unicorn
Since the 16th century, the unicorn has embodied magic and mystery, weaving its way into legends of love, loss, and the pursuit of purity. Beyond these tales lies the enduring spirit of benevolence and healing that this ethereal creature is revered for.
In this work of art, I envision the elusive essence of the unicorn as a sentinel of nature that vanishes like mist among the trees. This magical being offers us a glimpse of the enchantment and wonder that still exists in our world.
'Unicornuus' ~ Available as Prints and Gifts
Believing in Unicorns
Ever since I can remember I have always held a fascination and a belief in unicorns. Even at the age of sixteen when such fantasies might start to wane, I still held the unicorn in my heart.
One night when I couldn’t sleep, I wrapped myself in a blanket and went to lay outside on a moonlit night. The well-manicured lawn of the condos where I lived was lit softly by the moon, and beyond that expanse was a small glen of dark trees separating the properties next door. A mist rose and in the silence, I began to feel the potential of a presence. If unicorns existed, even in the domesticated and suburban world, surely, they would be about on a night like that.
Years later, I had a dream of being in a museum and seeing a glass case in which lay a fossilized skull that resembled a horse head, only where the forehead was, there was a transparent, opalescent stub of an absent horn. I exclaimed to the people moving around me, “Do you see? Now do you believe?” But they only passed by, their eyes and hearts blind to the miracle and proof of magic.
Inspiration for Unicornuus
I mused upon the beautiful challenge of how best to depict my favorite magical being for The Council of Horses Oracle card deck. I knew I wanted to create something different than a fantasy images. To me, unicorns are mystical beings that deserve much more than the whimsical lighthearted fantasies so often depicted in popular culture. I wanted to depict the unicorn as elusive, on the edge of our sight and our consciousness, choosing to only appear to the believer.
The idea for the pose of this unicorn came from a horse I knew years ago named Shahzareign. I had been inspired to portray him in several works of art including my painting, 'Unicornus Maris', the unicorn of the sea. But as the art another horse gradually began to reveal himself and I realized it was my beautiful soul mate, Mystico. At the time, Mystico had been stall bound for two years with severe laminitis, and he was at the stage of choosing a path of recovery or release, so essentially he was “between worlds”, and I was traveling step by courageous step along with him.
All of these feelings and images went into the creation of this work of art. The theme from The Council of Horses Oracle added another layer in which the Unicorn relates his story of betrayal, redemption, and forgiveness.
I hope 'Unicornuus' will inspire those of us who want to continue to believe in unicorns, to believe in them. The unicorn lives in the hearts and minds of those who believe that there is still good to be found in the world, who believe that the human race can be redeemed by the benevolent forgiveness of nature, and that a return to innocence is our only hope.
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