Scotland associates the mythological animal with dominance and bravery. They are portrayed with a white horse head, body, and mane, a singular horn arising from the top of its forehead, and a gold chain that wraps around its powerful body.
Western civilizations believed in the existence of unicorns for thousands of years—it was a symbol of purity, innocence, and power in Celtic mythology. The unicorn first appeared on the Scottish royal coat of arms in the 12th century by William I. In the late 15th century, Scottish coins featured an image of the unicorn, and it even appeared in artistic works during the Middle Ages, symbolizing the holiness of virgins, including the Virgin Mary. According to popular belief, only a virgin maiden had the ability to capture a unicorn because it was so enthralled by her virtue.
Tag: Scotland
- The Isle of Harris, the Western Isles
- The Quiraing, Isle of Skye
- St Kilda, the Western Isles
- Foula, the Shetland Islands
- Cairngorms National Park, the Highlands
- Loch Torridon, the Highlands
- Thurso, the Highlands
This Patagonia film explores how being respectful, reasonable, and responsible allows universal outdoor land access and the shelters that support mountain folks to rove freely.
The 15th Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival this year will run 3-4 February 2018 at the George Square Lecture Theatre at Edinburgh University.
Along with the selection of mountain and adventure films, this year’s guest speakers include Mark Beaumont, Sarah Outen, Pete Whittaker and Kelly Cordes.
Ness Knight is gearing up for the biggest adventure of her life, to row the Pacific Ocean — solo — later this year. Yet she makes time for other adventures, like exploring Scotland. Next month Ness will head off to the Guyana with Laura Bingham and Pip Stewart to paddle the Essequibo River.
Tom Ough, writing for The Telegraph:
We often think of the British Isles as tame, wildlife-wise, and crowded. But neither is true of the Highlands, and that was part of Ness’s justification for going there. She is an adventurer, having crossed the harsh Namib desert solo, paddle-boarded 1,000 miles of the Missouri river, and cycled the breadth of Bolivia without spending any money – but in exploring wild Scotland, she believed, she could show her online followers that you don’t have to take a long-haul flight to go adventuring.
Ness worked her way clockwise around the north of Scotland, starting at Glencoe and moving on to Skye. From there she went to the Outer Hebrides, visiting the hilly, weather-battered island of Barra, before heading back to the mainland.