with full-color illustrations)
One Unicorn
SUMMARY:
One Unicorn transforms Medieval unicorn mythology and famous unicorn tapestries into a magical tale of innocence lost and regained in love’s eternal cycle. Unicorns appear in ancient Greek writings, in the Judeo-Christian Bible, and in heraldry. Most famous are Medieval images in the tapestries in the Cloisters collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and in the Musée de Cluny in Paris. Their theme is the pure maiden taming the fierce unicorn, and his killing by hunters, with overtones of holy martyrdom. This book brings to life the unicorn, the maiden, and the necessary sacrifice of his life for love.
EXCERPT:
As Princess Alicia wept in pain for the first time in her life, one ruby-red drop of her blood fell from her pierced finger into one milk-white petal’s dewdrop.
Before her surprised eyes, that dewdrop swelled big and clear as glass. Inside was not the milk-white flower, but one milk-white creature with a golden spiraling horn.
Its horn pierced the covering. Standing on unsteady legs, the animal shook away wetness, and stared at the princess with loving trust.
“You are a real unicorn!” Princess Alicia exclaimed with delight, and took him in her arms. She said, “Our castle has unicorns, but they are just in tapestries.”
On her lap, the unicorn nestled in perfect innocence. And Princess Alicia’s own innocence was less by only one moment of pain and by only one drop of blood.
Princess Alicia held the unicorn until dusk forced her farewell. Then she retraced the deep green forest’s overgrown, long, and winding path back to the mighty castle of stone.
with full-color illustrations)
Unicorn Moon
SUMMARY:
Unicorn Moon, illustrated in full color by the author, presents the riddle of true love as a fairy tale choice of a princess between a dream-land called Unicorn Moon, in which the lure is a beautiful youth who offers false love by wanting her to abandon her life to rescue him, and her eventual recognition that true love makes no such demand. This revelation frees her and the youth to healthy love and escape from the delusion of Unicorn Moon.
EXCERPT:
One morning, a young princess saw a round day-moon, chalk-white and hollow-eyed in the sky. That night, the wind whispered to her through pine branches, “Alone, alone. Dead is your queen mother, at war is your king father, and you are alone with the moon.”
The princess slept and dreamed that she was in a dark frozen land, lit only by a chalk-white moon. There, a handsome prince rode a unicorn, racing after white hounds. To the princess, he called, “This is the land of Unicorn Moon, where I ride in endless hunt.”
Mournfully, he said, “Save me.” And he sang:
I am a lonely hunter;
My fate lies with your heart.
Dream the dream
That sets me free,
And we will never part.
with full-color illustrations)