'Unicorn' found in Tuscany
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (64169)
United States
June 11, 2008 5:26pm CST
(ANSA) - Prato, June 10 - A roe deer with a unicorn-like single horn at the centre of its forehead has been spotted in Prato, Tuscany.
The ten-month-old deer is living in a herd of normal two-antlered deer belonging to the Prato Natural Science Centre.
''It's proof that the mythical unicorn celebrated in iconography and legends was probably not just a fantastic creature but a real animal: a deer or other species with an anomaly similar to that of our deer,'' said centre director Gilberto Tozzi.
''Our deer may be aware that he is different since he doesn't allow himself to be seen very easily,'' Tozzi added.
The deer's mother arrived at the centre several years ago after being wounded by a car in the Apennine mountains near Pistoia. In Western mythology unicorns date back to the writings of fifth-century BC Greek historian Herodotus.
The creatures were said to be mysterious, solitary and difficult to capture, while their horns could neutralise poison.
5 people like this
17 responses
@nate_d099 (175)
• United States
11 Jun 08
Thats pretty crazy. I think the horns neutralizing poison thing is crap, but that deer is pretty cool. Its funny how we mistake unicorns for horse-like when really they could have been deer... interesting.
3 people like this
@nate_d099 (175)
• United States
12 Jun 08
well, i mean shown in movies today, unicorns are always portrayed as a white horse, maybe even with wings. This brings new thoughts to mind...
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
13 Jun 08
I happened to be in London when it came out, & unbeknownst to me, they had an -uncut- version. By the time I got to see it back in the USA, it was the -butchered- version.
The critics here hated it, & I'll always wonder if that was because they didn't see the UNCUT version, because even the short version I saw was, IMO, still wonderful. (Those huge, magical TREES! The costumes! The cinematography! The choreography! The sets! The DEMON! Tim Curry was marvelously over-the-top)
I still kick myself for not going to see it THERE, but...who KNEW?!
I have the video, & in the "extras" they do show storyboards, & a few scraps left out (including an alternate opening!), but it ain't the same. Sigh....
Maggiepie
2 people like this
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
21 Jun 08
Hello, I agree with you on that one as well.
2 people like this
@Angelwhispers (8978)
• United States
12 Jun 08
What a fantastic find Elic.... See I knew they really existed! How exciting.
3 people like this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
11 Jun 08
How fabulous. It makes sense that the mythical unicorn once roamed the earth, even if it was a genetic abnormality.
I do hope they take good care of their little unicorn. I saw publicity about a beautiful white deer a while ago, and some low life shot it for sport.
3 people like this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
12 Jun 08
Some say the original ones were goats, but I don't care, albino deer with one horn, goats, or a rhino, a rare animal should be protected.
Now.. there is an albino deer herd on a former military base in New England. Albinos don't survive in the wild unless they are protected some how.
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
11 Jun 08
Hi Elic!
Wow! How pretty that sounds! Deer are so photogenic & graceful to begin with -- hey! WERE there any pix? I'd love to see them, if you can add a link!
Oh, as an afterthought, REAL unicorns, such as were mentioned in the bible, were supposed to be dangerous (howso wasn't specified, though I believe it mentions "being torn" by a unicorn's horn).
Thanks!
Maggiepie
2 people like this
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
12 Jun 08
Nate, here's a website that tells some of the passages in the Bible where unicorns are mentioned. Scroll down to the 4th paragraph.
http://www.genesispark.com/genpark/bible/bible.htm
3 people like this
@nate_d099 (175)
• United States
12 Jun 08
I'd like to know where a unicorn is mentioned in the Bible... i've never even heard of that...
4 people like this
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
12 Jun 08
That does sound exciting. It could be that unicorns actually existed but were bred out, and then this doe and this stag that carry the unicorn gene in them, actually meet and mate and there it is a baby unicorn. I wonder the reason there is hardly any is because they could not defend themselves, having only one horn. Now all I need to do is to see the Loch Ness Monster and Ocopoco in Lake Okanagan, British Columbia and that has made my day.
@youless (114117)
• Guangzhou, China
12 Jun 08
In fact I watched this news this morning from TV. It is very interesting. But people say it's only an abnormal deer. And this deer's brother has no problem at all. This abnormal deer must be so special around the deers.
I love China
@twallace (2675)
• United States
12 Jun 08
I always thought that unicorns were horses and not deers but this puts a whole new look on the thought of unicorns. Now it makes the myth a little different with it being a deer. But there is nothing wrong with that. I guess this has them wondering what is going on for those in the mythology department trying to give reason; to something that they can't really explain. Have a nice one.
@newzealtralian (3930)
• Australia
8 Jul 08
Can I have it? Gimme, gimme! lol. I love animals, can you tell?
Wow, how unusual. It does make you think about the myths and legends of unicorns, and let's face it, there had to have been an animal at one time that sparked the legends to begin with.
I do know that thousands of years ago, there was a breed of horse (ok, species) that did have a bony like bump on the head, but it was not a horn like depicted on unicorns now. Unless you knew what you were looking for, you wouldn't even notice it.
I want a pet unicorn! Oh, and throw in a dragon while you are at it! lol.
1 person likes this
@mikeysmom (2088)
• United States
12 Jun 08
i actually heard about this on the radio yesterday as i was driving in my car. very interesting. you just never know.
2 people like this
@Maggiepie (7816)
• United States
3 Nov 08
Thanks for the BR mark, hon!
Maggiepie
1 person likes this
@Lock_Heed (210)
• United States
12 Jun 08
Would explain why they are rare to find looks like a genetic typo,IMHO. Still it shows how some things can hold some truths. This trait has obviously not been seen since the days of yore,lol.
They should check the DNA make up of it's horn and that of a normal calf and see what differences there are if any.
2 people like this
@janiceancajas (227)
• Philippines
12 Jun 08
White horse as a unicorn is just a myth. Maybe unicorn is a true animal but its in the family of dear and not a horse.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
23 Jun 08
That's interesting.Many times stories have some kind of basis in reality. I enjoyed reading that. Thank you for sharing.
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
21 Jun 08
Who knows maybe one time unicorns really were alive .It is always nice to beileve because they are so lovely and pure . If the deer was white I might believe it more ,but it is kinda cool he knows he is different and hides.Al things are possible and you just never really know. Poison in the horns .hmm that would be sad .
I am gonna check out the bible pages now.
