Unicorn Arms of Kings of Scots

**chimera** · 12th January 08, 11:49 PM

A horse? Do be serious. In Heraldry, the Unicorn has tufts of hair and a lion's tail. It has split hooves of antelope, not smooth horse hooves. If you say a horse has a horn, please visit a ranch / story-book/ meat-works (avoid race-tracks).
In 1424, James 1 was gifted the Yale beast by Jane Beaufort on marriage. This had swivelling horns, where the rear replaced the forward when damaged in battle. It is carved upon Windsor Castle with goat horns and lion hindquarters. It derives from Ia-ilu (yalu) sacred goat of Assyria-Babylon, and Hindi Yali horned-lion which has swivelling horns.
Probably , Scots were willing to have 2 on the Royal Arms because it had been tradition before that as Greeks wrote about it as their enemy. They flung her mother into mount Etna volcano which the European Court of Human Rights should investigate.

**macwilkin** · 13th January 08, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by chimera

A horse? Do be serious. In Heraldry, the Unicorn has tufts of hair and a lion's tail. It has split hooves of antelope, not smooth horse hooves. If you say a horse has a horn, please visit a ranch / story-book/ meat-works (avoid race-tracks).
In 1424, James 1 was gifted the Yale beast by Jane Beaufort on marriage. This had swivelling horns, where the rear replaced the forward when damaged in battle. It is carved upon Windsor Castle with goat horns and lion hindquarters. It derives from Ia-ilu (yalu) sacred goat of Assyria-Babylon, and Hindi Yali horned-lion which has swivelling horns.
Probably , Scots were willing to have 2 on the Royal Arms because it had been tradition before that as Greeks wrote about it as their enemy. They flung her mother into mount Etna volcano which the European Court of Human Rights should investigate.

Chimera,

While I'm not sure to the point of your message, let me just point out that we have a section on Xmarks dedicated to heraldry & tartans. Please post all such threads here.

Thanks!

Todd

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 13th January 08, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by chimera

A horse? Do be serious. In Heraldry, the Unicorn has tufts of hair and a lion's tail. It has split hooves of antelope, not smooth horse hooves. If you say a horse has a horn, please visit a ranch / story-book/ meat-works (avoid race-tracks).
Probably , Scots were willing to have 2 on the Royal Arms because it had been tradition before that as Greeks wrote about it as their enemy.

Actually, supporters are dawn in pairs to balance the design of the over-all achievement of Arms. You are correct about the unicorn and horse being two distinct heraldic beasts-- to your above list of references let me add James Thurber's "The Unicorn in the Garden". Oh yes... and any standard dictionary of blazon.

**Tattoo Bradley** · 13th January 08, 08:13 AM

This almost seems more fitting in "off topic," due to the randomness.

It's like the feeling you get when you stumble on a conversation that's already been going on for some time.

**macwilkin** · 13th January 08, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by Tattoo Bradley

This almost seems more fitting in "off topic," due to the randomness.

It's like the feeling you get when you stumble on a conversation that's already been going on for some time.

Trust me, it's about heraldry.

T.

**Moosedog** · 13th January 08, 09:17 AM

Um...wherever this belongs, please let me welcome you to X marks from frosty Oregon!

Moosedog

**Bugbear** · 13th January 08, 09:36 AM

You know, I'm going to remove the rest of my post. I 'm confused and I'm just not comfortable with this conversation. I still welcome you from the desert Southwest of the USA... I think.

**Sean_the_Kilted** · 13th January 08, 11:50 AM

Welcome from Heidelberg, Germany. Thanks for the info about Unicorns

**Arlen** · 14th January 08, 03:55 AM

I think, perhaps, it's just that some of the more recent crests have a more recent idea of what a Unicorn is.
So, some people will look at the crest, see it without those things and think Unicorn, other's will think Horse.

The argument gets muddied even more when you consider that the Unicorn was, according to many, on the crest BEFORE James I was crowned, gifted The Yale beast and had the arms become the 'Royal' arms.

Take it further and you will note that many, many medieval bestiarys have the Yale beast noted as looking like a large goat and having both rotating horns on the front of it's head, while other have it looking like a horse with one on the front and one on the rear.

Here's one of the older and, correct, images.

Unicorn complete with cloven hooves, lion's tail and billy-goat's beard.

As far as 'They flung her mother into mount Etna volcano which the European Court of Human Rights should investigate.'
I'm not entirely sure what you mean.
There are a few Greek myths about various people being thrown from the top of Mt. Etna and gods throwing people off of Mt. Olympus.
I've not come across anyone being thrown into Etna in mythology or recently.

Q.E.D

**chimera** · 14th January 08, 03:57 AM

Above the Royal Arms is a lion with 2 dirks. The unicorns are a form of lion, and are seen carved on Persian palaces and also:
Work: Plaque with horned lion-griffinsPlaque with horned lion-griffins. Work Information. Period:, Achaemenid (Persian). Museum:, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States ...
www.scholarsresource.com/browse/work/6969 - 9k - Cached - Similar pages .
This takes Scot Heraldry into a long tradition. Probably the Celtic goat-lion was lost to heraldic designers of the 15th century, but what they knew of it can still identify the original militant symbol.