Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Unicorns and Winged Horses/The Midnight Summer Festival Ends Today




So this is the very last day...
I really do wish the festival had gone on far longer!
I have a very deep love for mythology,
and would enjoy
a longer time period in which
to post more articles related to this topic!


I wanted my last post to be about Norse mythology,
but just haven't had the time
to write it.
Those who have read my two previous posts
know that they took a lot of work.
If it weren't for my night job,
I would have been able to write the third post...

Oh, well...

Instead, I will feature my favorite
mythological creatures.

I got this idea from Kat @ A Myriad of Books.
She has several favorite mythological creatures, 
while I have two -- both equines!
I do like dragons and griffins,
but the creatures I absolutely prefer are...
unicorns, with or without wings,
and winged horses.

These creatures are so beautiful!!


Here are some pictures I discovered
at a fabulous website today,





"Darkness"
David Jean

In this beautiful picture, there's a wingless unicorn
along with a winged horse.
They look so realistic!






"Winged Magic"
Lori Howe

This is so exquisite....







"October"
(Calendar Image)

This one is rather whimsical!







"Starlight Visit"
Sue Dawe

This image is very touching...it seems
that the winged horse, probably a male,
is courting the rather shy female unicorn...



And now a little background on winged horses
and unicorns!



Pegasus is the snowy-white, winged horse of Greek mythology,
sired by the Greek god Poseidon,
and foaled by the fearsome Gorgon Medusa.
In one legend, he was captured by the Greek hero
Bellerophon, and together they completed
many fantastic adventures.
Eventually, Zeus transformed him into the
constellation that bears his name.

Pegasus has been depicted in art and film,
and at times has been the symbol of wisdom.






Bellerophon on Pegasus spears the Chimera,
425 - 420 B.C. 



Unicorns first appeared in Greek mythology as well.
They were also white, as was Pegasus, sometimes depicted
with a goat's beard, and with a spiral-shaped
horn growing from their foreheads.
They were especially popular in the Middle Ages
and the Renaissance,
becoming a symbol of purity and grace.
Indeed, part of the legend was that a unicorn could only
be captured by a young, virgin girl.


is a series of seven tapestry hangings depicting
these beautiful, fantastical creatures.
The tapestries are on display
in the Cloisters branch of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.







"The Unicorn Is Found"
(the second of the seven tapestries)










3 comments:

  1. LOved this post :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, and thank you so much for your comment!! I guess you're a fellow horse lover, eh?

    Thanks for stopping by! : )

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved these pics. Some looked almost 3D. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete

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