Gorgons and Unicorns

While there is much debate over the actual meanings of various nursery rhymes, "The Lion and the Unicorn" is a pretty straightforward rhyme about King James I joining the two kingdoms of England and Scotland under one coat-of-arms.

The reputation of lions as fierce, noble creatures has remained intact for centuries. Unicorns, unfortunately, have suffered greatly from over-exposure in the last 60 years. Here is what the Book of Ratings has to say about unicorns:

“If you weren't well-acquainted with modern American culture, you might be inclined to think that unicorns were pretty cool….The difficulty lies not with unicorns themselves, but with airbrush artists.”

Somehow, the gorgon, one of my favorite mythical creatures, managed to keep its face off of glittery stickers and iron-ons. Perhaps there is a tee-shirt in the making...