Ben Francisco
Viet Vo
Jordan Diehl
Adam Marks
Abstract
Although many people will describe a Unicorn as, “a white horse with a single horn,” some historical definitions differ. Aristotle describes the animal as “’a he-goat [who]…had a prominent horn between its eyes’” (qtd. in Hunt 76). Julius Caesar describes it as “’an ox, shaped like a stag’” (qtd. in Hunt 76). Many descriptions of a Unicorn also differ in the fact of the size of the beast. Some claim it to be a large beast while the anonymous author of Physiologus states that, “’He [the Unicorn] is a small animal, like a kid [baby goat], but exceedingly fierce…’” (qtd. in Hunt 76). The one similarity in all of these different descriptions, though, is that everyone describes a beast with one tall horn on its head.
Unicorn horns played a very significant role in Medieval Europe. During the time period between the 11th and 16th centuries, “Unicorn horns” were very sought after items (qtd. in Unicorn Fact and Fantasy). Unicorn horns were so valuable because it was believed that Unicorn horns protected against poisoning (qtd. in Unicorn Fact and Fantasy). This myth was so widely believed that all of the dishes and “eating utensils of European royalty were made of ‘unicorn horns’ in order to prevent poisoning…” (qtd. in Unicorn Fact and Fantasy). Even the poor peasants of Europe believed in the myth of healing properties of Unicorn horns and “…used powdered horn in medicines’ (qtd. in Unicorn Fact and Fantasy).
Of course one of the most obvious references to Unicorns in popular culture is in the Harry Potter Series. The first mention of a Unicorn in the series in the 15th chapter of the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” As Hermione, Harry, Draco, and Neville are in the Forbidden Forest Hagrid tells them, “…see that stuff shinin’ on the ground? Silvery stuff? That’s unicorn blood” (Rowling 250). Later in the chapter Harry and Draco find the unicorn dead on the ground, “It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves” (Rowling 256). Although this description of the Unicorn is not historically accurate, it is the most common description of a Unicorn, which is most likely the reason why Rowling decided to describe the beast in this way. Just after this a centaur named Fireneze picks up Harry and explains why killing a Unicorn is one of the worst things a person can do,
’…it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn’…’The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.’ (Rowling 258)
This is just one of the many references to the mythical beasts throughout the series, but shows how important the Unicorn is to the magical culture. Just like the Unicorn, the next creature’s history goes back a few hundred years.
Champ is a cryptid creature. In the book Lake monsters: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures written by Benjamin Radford, and Joe Nicklell, it claims that the sightings of Champ have been traced back to 1609 when Samuel De Champlain claimed to have seen Champ and described the creature to be a 20 foot serpent thick as a barrel with the head of a horse. Many people who saw Champ claim the creature to have components that looks like a Loch ness monster.
There are many theories to Champ’s existence, one of which claims that the creature is a dinosaur that managed to escape extinction and lives in Lake Champlain. The author later asserts “And many openly accept the creature believe it to be a plesiosaur, zeulodon, or other unknown or erstwhile extinct creature” (Radford 29).
Champ is a well known creature, but there are no solid evidences that could prove its existence. However, there has been some break through in the last decades in terms of information about this mysterious creature according to Lake Champlain Land Trust, which its goal is to preserve the scenic beauty of Lake Champlain. In 1977, Sandra Masi photographed a creature allegedly thought to be Champ. In 1979, Jim Kennard of Rochester engineering laboratories used high-tech sonar to search for Champ. Their readings indicated the presence of a 10-15 foot long object moving in the water. Even though there is evidence of Champ’s existence, there are people who argue against its existence. Some of the questions they pose make logical sense. For example, how does the creature live during the winter season with the water temperature below zero?
While there is not much information specifically about Champ’s existence during the Renaissance period, cryptid creatures such as sea monsters have been popular. A fact from Go Lisbon says that Christopher Columbus actually had a hard time putting a crew together for his expedition because people believed that sea monsters were in the ocean. People today are ambitious and want to learn more about Champ, while people in the past accepted the existence of sea monsters and didn’t explore. There are people who believe in Champ and there are people who don’t, so it’s really up to the person. Just as many people are unsure of the existence of Champ, many people feel the same way about the next cryptid.
One of the most well known cryptids is Big Foot. Big Foot is a type of creature also known as a Sasquatch. Sasquatches are usually 8 to 15 feet tall, and have very large feet. The feet of the males are usually 18 inches long and 8 inches wide, but the female feet are 14 inches long and 7 inches wide. Sasquatches look like a cross between a human and an ape, but they are not covered in fur, they are covered in hair. Many of the stories surrounding Sasquatches seem very unrealistic, but they continue to have many cryptozooligists follow them.
The UnMuseum tells the story of Albert Ostman, who was captured by a family of Sasquatches. “The father and daughter guarded him while the mother and son prepared the meals. The family was vegetarian and ate roots, grass and spruce tips. After about a week Ostman was able to slip away. He didn't tell his story to anyone till 1957, fearing people would think him crazy” (Krystek).
Many other strange stories like this have risen. One of the most reputed was reported by a psychologist named Matthew Johnson. When Johnson reported sighting Big Foot in the woods while hiking with his family, the media went crazy. People believed that if a PhD attested to the existence of Big Foot then it must be true. Having one PhD’s agreement should not be enough to prove the existences of the Sasquatch. Even though the evidence is against the Sasquatches, people want the thrill of the unknown in their life, so they seek them out.
The Kappa is an important creature in Japanese folklore, however despite the origin and significance as being a religious creature, it is also considered to be a cryptid. To the Shinto religion, the kappa is a water god that has the smell of fish. Visually, they have the body of a tortoise, a head similar to an ape, scales on their limbs, long hair in a circular pattern on the skull, webbed feet and hands, and yellowish-green skin (Schumacher). They wear a tortoise shell on their backs, and according to some sources, they can change the color of their skin similarly to a chameleon. They abhor metal objects and loud noises. The defining characteristic is the hollow cavity surrounded by hair atop their heads (Schumacher). Supposedly this is filled with a strength giving water, which if spilled, causes the kappa to lose all of their strength. Despite being the size of a 10 year old child, the kappa is incredibly strong and uses this strength to pull creatures into the water. In legend, the kappa is mostly considered to be evil. However, stories tell of them teaching valuable medicinal skills (Schumacher).
The true origin of the kappa legend is difficult to pin down, however there are multiple popular theories on it. These range from the story of someone seeing a dead child in the river, to them seeing a portugeese monk in the river and believing it to be a creature (Schumacher).
People’s views on cryptozoology have changed drastically since medieval times. Ignorance was everywhere in the middle ages, so people believed in cryptids with little to no evidence. People had no real reason not to believe in the cryptids, because most were uneducated and took the word of authoritative figures as being fact. While this tradition of automatic belief in authoritative figures is still exists today, it is not as bad as it used to be. Some things like medicine are widely accepted as being true, but now society is educated enough to not take everything they are told at face value. Hopefully this paradigm shift towards cryptids is an example of society advancing and not believing everything they are told.
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