The Truth About Unicorns - Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World

After reviewing the history of unicorns from pre-history to today, Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli discuss the reality that unicorns have existed and still exist; the basis for the historical accounts; and what the future holds for them.
mysterious.fm/317
Further Resources:
• Chris Lavers’s book The Natural History of Unicorns: amzn.to/3z3brRW
• St. Albert the Great’s book On Animals (vol. 1): amzn.to/45oeoZh
• St. Albert the Great’s book On Animals (vol. 2): amzn.to/4ciKWpH
• St. Hildegard of Bingen’s book Physica: amzn.to/45lRlhz
• Jimmy’s original video on Unicorns: • Are There Unicorns in ...
• David Livingstone: en.wikipedia.o...
• Henry Stanley: en.wikipedia.o...
• Harry Johnston: en.wikipedia.o...
• AnimalLogic video on Okapis: • Okapi: The Forest Gira...
• HistoryOfYesterday.com’s piece on Oberon Zell: historyofyeste...
• Oberon Zell’s patent for making unicorns: colitz.com/site...
• The Unicorn Keepers’ video Real Unicorns: • Real Unicorns
• Discover Wildlife’s article on Back-Bred Neo-Aurochs: www.discoverwi...
• Toronto Zoo’s video on Rhino Vocalizations: • Rhino Vocalizations- G...
• Unicorn Horn (Alicorn): en.wikipedia.o...
• Narwhals: en.wikipedia.o...
• Sci-Show on Unicorns (and How to Make Them): • Why Can’t We Have Unic...
• Discovery News (2008) video on the discovery of a Deer-icorn: • Mythical Unicorn Found...
• Guardian story on Unicorno: www.theguardia...
• NBC News story on Unicorno: www.nbcnews.co...
• Irish Rovers’ Unicorn Song: • The Unicorn Song - The...

[@kimfleury]

At the beginning of this episode, I had 2 cats. They were sitting on the window looking outside. They attracted a stray cat that begged to come inside, and signaled to me that they wanted to keep him. It was beginning to thunder and rain, so I decided to let him in to stay dry. He made it clear that he's not going anywhere. So now, by the end of this episode , I apparently have 3 cats. I'm trying to decide whether to name him Jimmy or Dom.

[@paulafragomeni]

13 days later I’m watching the same video, reading the comments section and I do have to ask what have you decided?! Is he Jimmy or Dom?

[@Poeina]

that’s so cute

[@amyflowers2435]

My inner five-year old demanded I click on this!!

[@jennifer7648]

Same!!!!

[@Poeina]

did you listen to the first part? it’s so good too

[@topogigio6490]

I'm glad that you provided a link to "The Unicorn" by the Irish Rovers. I don't know if you're aware, but the group did a "sequel" some years later. As you remember, in "The Unicorn," the unicorns are playing and hiding when the Ark closes up, and they're swept away in the waves. In "Narwhal, The Continuing Story of the Unicorn," we hear how God, rather than watch his unicorns drown, turns them into narwhals "the unicorns of the sea." Here's a link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHOWfn59eLeZiKM

[@lisajohnson5516]

One of my most favorite podcasts 🥰

[@audreymarsh5090]

“You’re never gonna see no unicorn” Now I have an ear worm 🥴🦄

[@randimerrithew1520]

The idea that a unicorn could be approached by a virgin girl doesn’t seem very far fetched to me. When I was a young girl I was able to approach many wild animals and even have some come right up to me while I was sitting quietly either in the woods or at the edge of a yard. My brothers didn’t have those experiences and I suspect that’s because they are more excitable. Even if not externally, they heartbeats would quicken and their breathing change in a way that could frighten an animal with acute hearing. I don’t seem to be able to have the same effect on animals anymore now that I’m an adult and can only get as close as boys would. I think this could be because as an adult I understand that wild animals could bite, spread diseases, or that I could potentially have a negative effect on them. I think they can sense these thoughts going through my head if only that I’m a little hesitant.

[@erincarter1469]

So R'EM is more the red bull and less the last Unicorn. Fair. Love Auroch. Also, saw Lancelot uni-goat as a girl in the circus. Fun times. Oh, and these days Alicorn has become the word in fantasy for a pegasus/Unicorn hybrid.

[@marydelaney06]

Thanks for playing the song at the end

[@viola_ti_do4291]

Cant wait for next weeks episode!

[@marinanguish9928]

I checked my Knox Bible, Msgr. Knox appears to have decided to render the word as "wild ox" even though the Vulgate did say "unicornus". I figured I might as well share the footnote he attached to the reference in the book of Job: "Literally, in the Latin version 'rhinoceros' here, and elsewhere 'unicorn'. The word occurs frequently in scripture, but the exact meaning is in dispute".

[@Mercysam33]

Now I want to see an episode about dragons!!!

[@Mercysam33]

Mostly ones like St. George’s dragon or ones from different cultures like the Wawel dragon from Poland or the Chinese Dragon.

[@JimmyAkin]

Dragons are on the list!

[@Frst2nxt]

Even saying GOD's metaphorical single horn of power is like that of a r'em, need not mean that the r'em has only one horn, but that the idea of the horn strength is comparable to the kind of horn the animal has, without reference to its horn number.

[@virginiacharlotte7007]

I agree. I picked up on that too, but could not articulate it before everything moved on in The video. It could also be referring, in a poetic manner, to a musical horn that sounds out strongly . Just a thought.

[@rylion2770]

A unicorn is a based 10. If she’s not based she’s on the crazy axis gents.

[@AnthonyMarcus0115]

Could it be a rhinocerous (a rhino sometimes has 2 horns)?

[@richiejourney1840]

Sometimes the rhinoceros was called a unicorn. Found it in an old English dictionary

[@chesterbless9441]

Is it possible to learn this power?

[@markiangooley]

The extinct Bos primigenius is called, as far as I can tell, the aurochs. With the terminal letter S. Even if you mean one of them. A few online articles about it call it the auroch without the S, but that seems to be an error.

[@mrs.cracker4622]

I've read that the aurochs may have resembled the White Park cattle breed which is an old, once endangered British breed.

[@dutchmansmine9053]

Is zero an even number?

[@AlaisDahen]

I gotta say Jimmy, since moving back to Arkansas your accent has returned. Not that there's anything wrong with that lol. It's just kind of interesting to hear. When I was younger, I went on a trip to Ireland and when I came back, my classmates told me that I sounded Irish. So, I picked up the accent while I was there. Apparently, it still comes out if I talk about Ireland, so I've been told.

[@dutchmansmine9053]

Same happened to me when I listened to a bunch of Irish folk songs

[@Ruudes1483]

Do you have Irish ancestry?

[@AlaisDahen]

@@Ruudes1483 not to my knowledge.

[@lindad6223]

If the Irish Rovers say unicorns are real, that's all I need as proof!

[@darlameeks]

Many years ago, I attended a Medieval Faire in Massachusetts (where I lived at the time). Someone had managed to find an animal with one large horn growing out of its forehead...a "unicorn"! Of course, he was a goat, not a horse...and he was wandering free among all the booths and displays.

[@icarlsw34]

I have a unicorn in my aquarium. 😅 JK. Not really a unicorn but it is called an elephant nose fish. It has a long stick like thing on its face.

[@manny-9261]

Love that Dom can barely make it through the part where he talks about unicorns and rainbows without laughing. Great few episodes.

[@johnpaulpoelman2531]

More people need to take up the hobby of unicorning goats

[@CarlosGarin-zg7ez]

The Last Unicorn is one of the earliest movies I remember seeing in the cinema.

[@MartinaStC]

St. Luke the apostle is represented as an Ox.

[@userJohnSmith]

What did I just walk into?

[@StringofPearls55]

I thought for sure it was going to be a rhinoceros.

[@tonyl3762]

Not sure this will rank in my favorites for the year, but it was _really_ well done and interesting/engaging! Always great when there's a fun song at the end too. I'm sure I've heard/seen that story/joke before somewhere. I'm sure the marine unicorns did just fine.

[@Lex_Araden]

From what I have seen the skeptic/atheist criticism of Unicorns in the bible is more against creationist types that show the "fantasy unicorn" on Noah's Ark, and that if the bible is referring to anything it is referring to a Rhino. A similar situation happens with the Leviathan (a Nile Crocodile with the fantastic embellishment of fire breathing in Job 41) and the Behemoth (an Elephant).

[@224ngc]

Interesting Please keep me in your prayers sorry I went off subject 🙏✝️☦️

[@wildhunt3302]

If something has to exist because early Christians drew a parallel to Christ from it, then does that mean that phoenixes were real? That would be awesome.

[@AlaisDahen]

It was even earlier with Roman Pagans, like Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger among other Greco-Roman Natural Historians.

[@wildhunt3302]

@@AlaisDahen some translations of Job also mention a phoenix. So between that, the romans and Clement along with eastern legends, it seems that there was some sort of belief in them. Hopefully Jimmy makes a video on that someday too.

[@tonyl3762]

Hope Jimmy sees this comment and makes an episode about it. Would be surprised if wasn't on the list. I've heard people disparage Clement of Rome's letter to the Corinthians because he mentions the phoenix as a symbol of resurrection. Of course, phoenixes don't have to exist for that letter to still be authoritative and making a valid point in a poetic way, even if he was mistaken about their existence.

[@shepherddog1199]

I imagine them as a horrifying giant rhinoceros. Namely, the Siberian variety.

[@maiquelm]

Another great work from Jimmy Akin! Loved this episode as he applied a lot of critical thinking on a subject that is always associated with fantasy.

[@JeffBoutte]

I don't believe this accent is real. I'm having a lot of trouble listening to this episode, it's very distracting. Feels like Jimmy is mocking people from the South

[@caterinadc5567]

Love the show! Quick note: The fellow reading excerpts out loud might benefit from re-takes in future, or focusing more carefully on the text as he goes. In both unicorn episodes I've been following along with the written text on the screen as he read out loud, and he made quite a few word substitutions, e.g. saying "such" when the word was "much", or saying "house" when the word was "home" (and it's questionable whether "house" actually conveyed the author-intended meaning given the original word's context about the pygmies returning to their home deep in the forest.) In the video version of the show, it doesn't make much difference. (At least, if we're watching the screen and reading along.) But for podcast listeners, they will only be aware of what's spoken out loud, and if word substitutions ever accidentally convey a significant (if subtle) difference of meaning from the original word, then podcast listeners will have a mental picture of what's going on that's further from accuracy than it could be. Again, love the show! I just think more attention to this sort of detail would help sharpen it up :)

[@TierTwoWorks]

Oh my gosh, Memory unlocked! My parents used to play The Unicorn song for me when I was a small child. I had completely forgotten about it until it started to play. Thank you for the very enjoyable set of podcasts about one of my favorite mythical-turned-real! animals, and for jogging back the warm childhood memories. ❤

[@BeauBeckwith]

It cracks me up how much effort Jimmy puts in to pronouncing the more exotic sounds and still fails so miserable to get French pronunciation even close - treating it like Italian or something. 😅🤦

[@mrs.cracker4622]

I haven't quite finished the podcast so you might have already mentioned this book: "The Lungfish, the Dodo, & the Unicorn: An Excursion Into Romantic Zoology by Willy Ley. Viking Press. 1948. The author talked about grafting/moving horn buds on young animals to create unicorns. (I have trouble leaving comments using my phone so I thought I'd grab a chance to do that while I have a computer handy.) Thank you for all you do & God bless!

[@pabloandres6179]

No

[@dragonbricks7086]

Nice quoting Mahabaratha. I grew up in Asia (not India) and used to enjoy listening to stories from that epic. It had huge main storyline with mumerous side stories / side quests.

[@simondeep]

This was fun. I’ve been hobbying around with latin, and animals are always fun to learn Here we got bōs, pl: boves-so like bovine for ox and cows The root meaning wild oxen gave us aurochs and ūrus (pl ūrī), though that latin word is extinct And apparently the latin plural for rhinoceros and monoceros is -ōtēs. Rhinocerotes. Huhm.

[@catholicbeth2371]

no closed captions again.... grrrrr of frustration

[@JimmyAkin]

The auto-captions were there but KZbin wasn't showing them so we've uploaded them manually. Hope that helps and that KZbin fixes their system. - Dom (on behalf of Jimmy)

[@R.V.C.1]

Interesting thus far. Will finish listening to this later👍

[@michaelpcooksey5096]

Very interesting ... especially that unicorn goats can be created with manipulation. I also appreciated the indication of what HORN refers to in the bible as strength. I'd never had that explained by anyone although reading it as raising their horns [toot toot instruments] popped up here and there. It also seemed some sort of phallic reference ... but strength fits that easily enough.

[@misnervios]

I really appreciate Jimmy trying to answer age old questions.

[@StuartistStudio1964]

I have to wonder about the relationship between Tolkien's Kine of Araw and aurochs.

[@BD-3x3]

Sorry, but if single horns were advantageous in a herd they would occur naturally. As hornless cattle seem to dominate the horned ones, perhaps these manipulated bulls just acted more like hornless ones, since they may have been less aware of having horns at all. With side-mounted eyes, animals like cattle and horses do not have good vision to the front and in fact have a blind spot straight in front.

[@GBS-dd6rq]

God creates a myriad of spectacular animals (like Narwals) because he's cool....and then clueless atheist scientists invent bogus explanations for them lol

[@triconcert]

As someone with many East Indian friends I think the pronunciation of Mahabharata would be more accurately sounded as "Ma-hab-HAR-ta. Do check your East Indian sources.

[@trad-lite]

Great work Jimmy! …but let’s be honest, this was really a fifteen minute video at best😊. We all know what a unicorn is..a white horse with a single spiral horn as depicted in the famed motion picture by Ridley Scott; LEGEND. The quick answer is “no”, with a few quick explanations about Narwhals and mistranslations that have led to the perpetuation of the mythical creature. 🦄 Keep up the good work!

[@BD-3x3]

Poor manipulated creatures. Goats do use their horns in several ways, having only one is a handicap and likely makes their lives less fun since they can’t play butting & wrestling games like normal goats. :(

[@lordwife]

I raised goats for years. They don’t need horns to lead full lives, in fact many of our goats with horns ended up getting hurt either by their companions horns, or by getting their horns damaged or stuck places.

[@kimfleury]

Having a built-in handy dandy back scratcher is pretty nifty though, you've gotta admit.

[@BD-3x3]

@@kimfleury Normal goats with horns use their dual horns that same way, having just one is not better, just means there's less range of back and flank they can scratch.

[@snowrider4495]

It's a fictional story so that's why there are unicorns, dragons, talking animals, talking bushes, magic, etc. creatures that are only found in fictional stories just like the buybull!!!

[@Ruudes1483]

Tell me you didn’t watch the video without telling me you didn’t watch the video.