The Unicorn is a Symbol of What?!

[Evandril]

Plus, Pagans love to party, and trying to take away their celebrations just is NOT going to go over well

[asianmommy]

Aester is a name I haven't heard, usually I see Ostara for that particular holiday, but you're right, Most of the Christmas and Easter traditions, and other Christian traditions, come from the Pagan holidays. Think about this: when you're trying to get someone to convert, it is better to have things that they'll recognize and already associate, so the holidays fell around the same time with some of the same "characters" and ideas - though I always thought it was interesting that in the middle of winter jesus is born and then in the spring, when everything else is coming to life, he dies (of course he's resurrected but that's because he's a tarty-show off 'because when jesus went into nazareth on a donkey he must have gotten tarted up a bit")

"bunnies are for shagging, eggs are for fertility, it's a spring festival"

[greyloch]

The bunnies and eggs at Easter stem from Aester which is a fertility / pagan holiday or as Eddie Izzard put it, "... the chocolate represents the wood of the cross and the rabbits represent shagging (stunned silence from audience)... well then, YOU tell me how it fits in! (laughter)" (I'm paraphrasing a bit)

Today's egg dyeing comes from pisanki (ornate painted eggs from Russia) which "an egg displays a certain potential, a life-giving seed, a mystery of being," and were given out as special gifts to friends and family. Yeah, I'm into metaphysics. Deal with it.

Many of the Christian holidays stem from local and/or pagan traditions absorbed by the Holy Roman Empire during its expansionist phase. It was easier to assimilate new groups into the religion if there were familiar names and imagery - a really good example of this is Catholicism in Haiti. Many of the Loas (Voodoo gods and spirits) are also saints (who knew?) and both religions have pretty much merged into one faith.

Tho, the unicorn thing being a Christian symbol is new one to me. I'm waiting for the machine gun to become part of the sacrament - it's only a matter of time before it is. Ranks right up there with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

"... And I shall use thy divine bullets, Lord, to smite thy enemies who covet our lawn ornaments. For those ornaments are neither cheap nor easily replaced. Amen." (j/k )

[DrT]

Then he can enroll in the youth of one party or another. With his innate ability for spin, he'll be rich&powerful in no time !

[Sehson]

We have too much dirt on him. I don't think Plunder can *ever* run for political office.

depends on what office he's running for, he can't run for president because he's not a natural born citizen of at least 35 yrs of age...

Hmm actually I don't think he can run for any office... I think they all have age requirements of at least 18....

[Sehson]

According to my unicorn friend, the first recorded evidence of the unicorn's existance was in 389 BC, by the greek historian Ctesias, based on the stories of travellers from India.

So unless the dudes linking unicorns and Jessu smoked the same herbs than these travelers, I don't see the connection.

Then again, Jesus being the son of god he could perfectly have traveled in time to meet unicorns. or something.

the only Link I know of from unicorn to Jesus is the fact that a british monistary, found a copy in some church archives of the manuscript from Persia/India on breeding unicorns which had been used as mounts.

They successfully bred one after 20 yrs. I don't know what has happened since as the story was aired back in the mid 80s. And yes Unicorns are of goat decent...

[Evandril]

Nonono, that's exactly WHY we *want* him to run for office...Because it'll be sooo much more fun when he's *IN* office

[KiaKat]

We have too much dirt on him. I don't think Plunder can *ever* run for political office.

[DrT]

I like your logic.

you should run for office, you sound like them boys on C-Span.

[Plunder Down-Under]

Either way, we know Alleyways are the ones truly at fault and if we are to move forward as a species we must stamp them out!

When alleyways fall, rape, mugging and drug selling rates shall plummet!

[sableagle]

I think of that the other way round. Apart from the "foreign" restaurants, most of our linguistic idiosyncracies are from invasions with varying degrees of success up to and including 1066. They're more like the diseases picked up from being dragged into too many alleys. :-P

[Plunder Down-Under]

Similar to the english language taking other languages into back alleyways and mugging then

[sableagle]

Bascially another case of the choir-rapist in the purple dress hijacking someone else's cool ideas?

[Plunder Down-Under]

Aye, the link is purely symbolic afterthought placed over the original mythos

[DrT]

According to my unicorn friend, the first recorded evidence of the unicorn's existance was in 389 BC, by the greek historian Ctesias, based on the stories of travellers from India.

So unless the dudes linking unicorns and Jessu smoked the same herbs than these travelers, I don't see the connection.

Then again, Jesus being the son of god he could perfectly have traveled in time to meet unicorns. or something.