|
Bringing Myths and Legends to Life...
Lady Gryphon's Mythical Realm Presents
| | Mythical Realm Blog
Myth, Fantasy, History and Sci-Fi News | Unicorn Spotted in Italy
One-Horned 'Unicorn' Deer Born in Italy | | June 19, 2008 | |  Kiddie’s fiction is always full of unicorns (which are always horses, preferably white, with a horn on their head). However, fiction may have become a reality, when a single-horned deer was spotted in an Italian natural reserve.
The Roe deer which was born in a research park near Florence has a gene anomaly: instead of having two horns, like his twin brother, the one year-old Roe deer has a single horn, making him look that mythical creature commonly found in legends and stories.
According to Italian specialists, this type of anomaly may have been discovered in the past and inspired the legend of the ‘unicorn’. There are of course, other single-horned deer, but they are very rare and usually their horn isn’t centered.
Other mammals are believed to contribute to the myth of the unicorn, including the narwhal, a whale with a long, spiraling tusk.
Stories about unicorns are thousands of years old and seem to evolve like in every new book or kid’s novel. The legend began with the story of Herodotus, the father of history, who mentioned it in the 5th century BC. The creature’s reputation and ‘rarity’ kindled the curiosity of some of the world’s most respected scientists and inventors. One famous example, in one of his notebooks, Leonardo Da Vinci wrote: "The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself for the love it bears to fair maidens, forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it."
Resources: Guardian.co.uk, Environmental Graffiti, Scotsman.com | Posted in categories: [Mythical Creatures] | Comments | Added by Allyson Jane on June 03, 2009 | | i guess something like that could be the cause of thousands of unicorns sightings...but if your a person of the christian faith, its said that "God has the power and strenght of a unicorn..." i dont know truely what it says but it went something like that (please dont be affended by mentioning the bible). But i belive personally its a deeper mystery that we've yet to uncover. We've just recently found new types of animals that were supposed to not even be real like the giant panda and some type of gorilla. so if those are real, who's to say that creatures like that of the yeti, werwolves, Unicorns, ext... dont live amoung us? I'm only fourteen, but all my life i've always belived this...but as i said, its only an oppion. |
| Added by brittney rogers on May 18, 2009 | | we all know that is a deer with only one horn from a birth defect |
| Added by cayla on May 02, 2009 | | I don't care what you say or think that deer is an insult to real unicorns.Unicorns are hosre-like not deer-like. |
| Added by who really cares on April 25, 2009 | | Dude you got me all excited. why you gotta be that way. thats a freakin' deer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!lmao |
| Added by megan down on April 24, 2009 | | wow! a real unicorn its cute. |
| Added by candice on April 08, 2009 | | u kno how you can edit pictures im pretty sure they stuck a horn pic on the deer |
| Added by Erik on April 06, 2009 | | Believing in all myths does away with the category of fiction and fantasy, which is saying that man has no imagination but bases all on what they see. Absurd. Some myths must be made up stories whereas some are events fallen from record. Think of the white Rino. If you were telling someone about it who had never seen one, the inpression the description would give is that of a fat one horned horse. History points to the Unicorn myth coming from discriptions of the Rino. And yes new species are discovered all the time... with insects and fish... but look for the last time a new mammal was discovered. Not even once a decade. Barely once a generation, if that. Oh and this genetic anomaly is common in dear and happens with relative frequency. It is not a stick, it is a birth defect and can cause problems for the dear later in life. I doubt that a mythical creature would be genetically inferior to its common relatives. And I hope you don't all believe that a pair of wings could make a horse sized mammal fly. |
| Added by Ashley on March 19, 2009 | | Melissa regarding the unicorn...
My assumption is that the words "unique horn" was combined into 1 word.
If you pronounce (say it slowly) unic + orn = unicorn.
Just a thought though... |
| Added by Crystal and Angeleca on March 08, 2009 | | i did not find exactly wat i was looking 4 but it did a little as for my neise she loved the fact that threr was a animal with one horn in the center of the head me and her love looking 4 creatures unnone well partically me because i have been interested in them 4 a little while ever since i saw a wiered looking creature in my yard or you could say it was on top of the hill at my house it looked like a wolf but bigger it stared at me 4 a while i was to scared to take pictures and i did not have a camera but it was realy amazing to see it was unlie anything i have ever seenit was not a big dog niether much much bigger than a dog i dont know if i was the only person to see it either |
| Added by cloe on February 26, 2009 | | this doesnt look like the unicorns you see in books or paintings but maybe this is one and they simply have evolved like humans to live in this wrld unnoticed and live peacefally I deffantly belive in all things mythical
|
| Added by Jinny on February 07, 2009 | | In the Japanese folklore, there is a deer-like creature with one horn called a Kirin, which this deer resembles more than the European Unicorn, which is most commonly portrayed as a white horse with cloven hooves. There have also been black unicorns, as well.
Unicorn comes from the Latin unus 'one' and cornu 'horn' and can be referring to many different creatures. There have been a few different species that have had similar genetic mishaps resulting in only one horn.
Some believe that the Narwhal also caused many different stories of unicorns (as well as cyclops) to spread.
However, it is folly to suppose that we know all species on Earth and imagining the mass extinctions that have taken place over the years, I am certain we have missed many creatures similar, if not exactly, like those that we daydream about. The possibilities of these creatures still being alive are also scientifically good, as we find new species practically every month.
So to say that a unicorn is a mythological creature is the same as saying a dinosaur is, if you want to be technical.
Dragons, Werewolves, Berserkers, Vampires, Ghosts, Unicorns, etc, are or were all real, in one fashion or another.
|
| Added by Mia on February 07, 2009 | | Why did they say a spotted ''Unicorn'' when it is clearly a ''deer''????? lol |
| Added by blah on January 26, 2009 | | a unicorn is a one horned creature..which could be anything. That deer is a unicorn because it only has one antler instead of two.. that's all.. unicorns are real. it's as simple as that.. I don't believe they are glorious white horses with a horn on its head..but its possible.. with genetics and deformaties, anything is possible. |
| Added by cool man on January 16, 2009 | | i have seen a real unicorn and that my dear readers is not a real unicorn.
|
| Added by Anna on January 15, 2009 | | I'm happy that I don't have a horn sticking out of my head. It looks great on the deer, though. |
| Added by nissa on January 15, 2009 | | hey who cares where the name comes from, uni means one. and who says it must be a white horse, some damned adult i suppose. like everything, they dictate to us what things should be according to them. i see one horn, there for regardless of species, it is a unicorn. heck, why cant we just appreciate the magic of nature in all its form, especially the gifted and unique. :) |
| Added by hila on January 13, 2009 | | that is a deer all the way lol that is cool and it is so cute |
| Added by Gabriella on January 13, 2009 | | I thougt unicorns are not real. Because I thougt people just put horn's on the horse's and ponies. |
| Added by Mariposa on January 07, 2009 | | If you think they used to call it a Unihorn, the Unicorn means one-horned piece of corn!!!<3 |
| Added by on January 07, 2009 | | this is not real!
it is a deer with a stick on its head! |
| Added by jane on January 05, 2009 | | something happen to these deers and that is all you saw like I saw a frog with four legs |
| Added by Ruby Vampire on December 30, 2008 | | It's a cute deer thats for sure. |
| Added by anne on December 28, 2008 | | this does not count
a unicorn is actually a white horse with a horn
obviously that is a male young deer with a antler growing |
| Added by Z on December 18, 2008 | | i disagree with morgan, i belive unicorns apper how YOU want them to not how some 1 else wants. thats where i stand. |
| Added by sheenam on November 29, 2008 | | Man that is awesome. A mythical creature is reality. I guess now uni-horns should be brown and more deerlike. |
| Added by sjbdk. on November 01, 2008 | | thats a deer lol! |
| Added by Tatyana on October 31, 2008 | | Uni means one and Cornus means horn in latin, that's where the name comes from. And... for those who hadn't realised... this one-horned deer isn't a mythical creature it's just a deer OK... a genetic mutation or two caused it to develop only one central horn. It's like humans being born with six fingers. No biggie =P |
| Added by Falconair on October 30, 2008 | | Although I have seen mythical beasts myself before, I'm impresed that they got this on camera. Maby my friends will believe me now. |
| Added by dragonfox on October 24, 2008 | | I don't think so. unicorn means something... I can't remember what it was though. And besides, I don't find this news very surprising, I mean, unicorns have been around for ages. unicows, unideer, unigoat, it's all been done before. |
| Added by sarah on October 15, 2008 | | melissa: it probably used to be unihorn and ya know how words change over the ages. |
| Added by on October 09, 2008 | | hey this is really cool like i didn'y know that they were real but ya and even if its a gimps out deer then its still really cool well bye summer fox |
| Added by Heather on October 07, 2008 | | I personaly believe in all things magical and mythical and I think it's amazing that people have found a Unicorn!This could very well be the start of finding all different kinds of magical and mythical beings!You never know! |
| Added by melissa on October 03, 2008 | | i wonder why its called a unicorn. uni means one i know that but where did the corn come from? after all, the horn is what makes it a unicorn and not a common horse |
| Added by Zack on September 26, 2008 | | The unideer looks like its sayin, "U lookin at me huh punk wat do u want?!" |
| Added by Morgan on September 20, 2008 | | supposedly unicorns are suppose to be more dear-like than horse-like. So this is actually closer to a "real" unicorn than any white horse you stick a horn on. |
| Added by tobi on September 04, 2008 | | what that guy above me said |
| Added by joey on August 31, 2008 | | actually thats a unideer lol |
| |
| | Blogs for June 2008 | | | |
|
|
|
