THE THE SYMBOLISM OF THE UNICORN IN MEDIEVAL BESTIARIES

A BRIEF ANALYSIS

Abstract

This article aims to analyze briefly the image of the unicorn in the medieval Bestiaries. The unicorn, as shown by Jacques Le Goff is an example of an imaginary animal that had great symbolic importance in the Western Middle Ages and was portrayed in various images throughout the Middle Ages. (LE GOFF, 2013, p.140) Its symbolic character gained more prominence in the books of beasts written in the Low Middle Ages, better known and generally titled as Bestiaries. Where, as will be shown in this article through the analysis of images of different medieval bestiaries, the image of the unicorn varied between an animal that symbolized the divine and a animal of that symbolized the devil. Furthermore, as it’s presented at this article. The Bestiaries were considered important influencers of the cultural characteristics attributed to this animal and others animals in Western culture.