Winged unicorn
Encyclopedia
A winged unicorn is a merger of the concept of pegasus
and unicorn
. It is an equine/horse
with a set of wings and a horn.
The terms for a winged unicorn should not to be confused with Alicorn, which is a word used to describe the theoretical substance that a unicorn's horn is made from. Fans of My Little Pony
have used erroneously alicorn to describe winged unicorns, however, a combination of the Latin words "Ala" and "Cornus" (meaning wing and horn respectively) could be used to form "Alacorn" as an alternative.
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
and unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
. It is an equine/horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
with a set of wings and a horn.
The terms for a winged unicorn should not to be confused with Alicorn, which is a word used to describe the theoretical substance that a unicorn's horn is made from. Fans of My Little Pony
My Little Pony
My Little Pony is a brand of toy ponies marketed primarily to girls produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. These ponies can be identified by their colorful bodies and manes and a unique symbol on one or both sides of their flanks...
have used erroneously alicorn to describe winged unicorns, however, a combination of the Latin words "Ala" and "Cornus" (meaning wing and horn respectively) could be used to form "Alacorn" as an alternative.
Timeline
Examples of this concept appear in various media. The winged unicorn is common in media with fantasy elements.70s
- 1978: Madeleine L'EngleMadeleine L'EngleMadeleine L'Engle was an American writer best known for her young-adult fiction, particularly the Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time...
in A Swiftly Tilting PlanetA Swiftly Tilting PlanetA Swiftly Tilting Planet is a 1978 science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle, part of the Time Quartet. In it, Charles Wallace Murry, an advanced and perceptive child in A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, has grown into adolescence...
calls the creature simply "unicorn".
80s
- 1981: UnicoUnicois a manga and anime character by Osamu Tezuka. Unico is a baby unicorn with white fur, a pink mane, and little cinnamon bun-shaped ears, who was born with the very special gift of making all living creatures lighthearted and happy....
a manga and anime character by Osamu TezukaOsamu Tezukawas a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack... - 1982: La Licorne Ailée (which translates to 'the winged unicorn') is a french organization that collects the works of François BrousseFrançois BrousseFrançois Brousse was born May 7, 1913 in Perpignan, France and died October 25, 1995 in Clamart, France. He was a philosophy professor who had mainly taught in the Languedoc-Roussillon region and is the author of some 80 works including poetry, essays , novels, plays and storybooks.He was a pioneer...
- 1983: Oct 1, Antioch Publishing Company publishes the Whisper, the Winged Unicorn story by Karen Styles. Whisper's Golden Friend by Jill Wolf published later in 1986. Both are 24 page sticker books.
- 1985: Swift Wind from She-Ra: Princess of PowerShe-Ra: Princess of PowerShe-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated television series produced in 1985 by Filmation. It is a spinoff of Filmation's highly successful He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, aimed primarily at a young girls' audience to counter-balance the latter show's popularity with boys...
. It is later revealed that his mate Star Wind and all the inhabitants of Unicorn Island (including their foal) are winged unicorns also. - 1985: Bearing an HourglassBearing an HourglassBearing A Hourglass is a fantasy novel by Piers Anthony. It is the second of eight books in the Incarnations of Immortality series.-Plot introduction:Norton accepts the position of incarnation of Time and continues his life living backwards in time....
by Piers Anthony. It is the first known example of using "alicorn" as a winged unicorn.
90s
- 1992: EachthighernEachthighernIn many campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Eachthighern is the unicorn deity of Healing, Loyalty, and Protection. He is also the god of pegasi...
from Dungeons and Dragons - 1992 (October): Dazzleglow from My Little Pony TalesMy Little Pony TalesMy Little Pony Tales is an American animated television series produced by Graz Entertainment and Sunbow Productions, based on the My Little Pony toys by Hasbro. The series premiered in July 3, 1992 to December 25, 1992, with a total of 26 episodes...
- 1993 (February): Advanced Dungeons and Dragons supplement Dragon #190 features the "Unisus" D&D-style unicorn mix of Unicorn and Pegasus. Alicorn is also mentioned as a unicorn with a gnarled horn.
- 1993 (February): XanthXanthXanth is a fantasy world created by author Piers Anthony for his Xanth series of novels, also known as The Magic of Xanth.-History:The name Xanth is in itself an unintentional pun, which matches the playful tone of the books...
series 16th book Demons Don't DreamDemons Don't DreamDug, a Mundane, is transported in to the magic land of Xanth when he plays a computer game introduced to him by his friend for a bet. The game consists of the player having a companion, who is usually a well known Xanth character, and being led through the magical world of Xanth, defeating...
by Piers AnthonyPiers AnthonyPiers Anthony Dillingham Jacob is an English American writer in the science fiction and fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is most famous for his long-running novel series set in the fictional realm of Xanth.Many of his books have appeared on the New York Times Best...
published by Tor BooksTor BooksTor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, page 61: ~An alicorn. A winged unicorn. There aren't many, but sometimes a griffin and a unicorn will meet at a love spring—well, I don't know what happens, but then we have alicorns.~ - In 2005, 25th book Pet Peeve (Xanth): ~There had evidently been something of an event at a love spring. He saw strong evidence of wolf, unicorn, bird, and human. But he wasn't sure how four creatures could have done it; two was more likely. Maybe an alicorn, which was a winged unicorn, and a werewolf. That would account for the wings and hoofs, though they did not appear in the same form, and the wolf and human aspects. "You must be a wericorn," he said~ credited by Piers to Maggie Foster.
- 1993 (November): RavanRavanRavan could refer to:* Ravana , the villain in the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana* Ravan , a DC Comics villain* Ravan , a 76-km Russian river...
from The Ancestral TrailThe Ancestral TrailThe Ancestral Trail is a now out-of-print partwork magazine that was originally published by Marshall Cavendish in the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand in the early nineties. It was also translated into French, German, Italian, and Spanish and licensed for sale worldwide... - 1995 (March): Helios/Pegasus from Super S season of Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
- 1995 (September): Sunstar from Princess Gwenevere and the Jewel RidersPrincess Gwenevere and the Jewel RidersPrincess Gwenevere and the Jewel Riders is a 1995 children's fantasy animated television series inspired by the Arthurian myths, produced by Bohbot Productions with association with Hong Ying Animation and internationally syndicated by Bohbot Entertainment.The series had two...
- 1996: Kleo The Misfit UnicornKleo The Misfit UnicornKleo The Misfit Unicorn is an animated television series for Children that now broadcast on Treehouse TV in Canada and Horse TV in the United States. A television pilot episode for the series aired in 1996, and Kleo The Misfit Unicorn became a regular series in 1998...
- 1998: Yuniita from Flint the Time DetectiveFlint the Time DetectiveFlint the Time Detective, known in Japan as , is an animated Japanese television series directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi. It was based on a manga by Hideki Sonoda and Akira Yamauchi and was published by Kodansha in Japan...
- 1999: Unimon from Digimon AdventureDigimon Adventureis a Japanese animated television series created in 1999 by Toei Animation based on the Digimon virtual pet made by Bandai. It is the first series of the Digimon anime "metaseries"...
2000s
- 2000: The Last Winged Unicorn from Dawn of VictoryDawn of VictoryDawn of Victory is the third album studio released by Rhapsody in 2000. Like the previous albums, it centers on the story of Algalord and the "Emerald Sword Saga". It has been produced and engineered by Sascha Paeth and Miro...
album (Manowar/Rhapsody of FireRhapsody of FireRhapsody of Fire is an Italian symphonic power metal band led by Alex Staropoli. Since forming in 1993, the band has released eight studio albums, one live album, two EPs, and a live DVD...
) - 2002: Ginzan from DaigunderDaigunderis an anime series about humans using robots in tournaments. Created by Aeon and Takara and animated by Animation Studio Brains Base, the series aired in TV Tokyo from April 2002 to December 2002.-Plot:...
- 2003: Joey YungJoey YungJoey Yung is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actress from Emperor Entertainment Group. She won the prestigious JSG "Most Popular Female Singer" and "Ultimate Best Female Singer - Gold" awards a record breaking six times, thus emerging as one of the premier Cantonese singers in Hong Kong...
rides a winged unicorn prop on stage performance Show Up! LiveShow Up! LiveShow Up! Live is Joey Yung's third major concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum and first world tour.-The Stage:The stage was an in-the-round stage that featured a large circular stage in the middle and two catwalks stretching out from it... - 2004: St. Vrus, the Child of Yukariko SanadaYukariko Sanadais a fictional character in the anime and manga series My-HiME, and also appears in the alternate universe sequel My-Otome and its manga series, where she is known as...
in My-HiMEMy-HiMEis an anime series, created by Sunrise. Directed by Masakazu Obara and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, the series originally premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo from September 2004 to March 2005... - 2005: The carousel Le Manège d'AndreaLe Manège d'AndreaLe Manège d'Andrea is a carousel that was built by la MACHINE in Toulouse, France, in 1999 under the artistic and technical direction of François Delaroziér...
features a winged unicorn. - 2007: AdventureQuestAdventureQuestAdventureQuest is an online flash based single-player RPG developed by Artix Entertainment in 2002. As of June 14, 2010, aq.battleon.com, the game's hosting website, and www.battleon.com, the game's homepage, have an Alexa rating of 3,041...
introduces Lucius, the winged unicorn of the Lucian clan. - 2008: Lunette (Gargoyles) from the Gargoyles (comic) series
- 2009: Opal from JewelpetJewelpetis a toy line created as a joint venture between Sanrio and the toy division of video game giant Sega. The toy line was originally released on January 15, 2008, focusing on animals named after jewels, birthstones and minerals, who can use magic using their eyes...
anime series - 2010: Nightmare Moon, Princess Celestia and Princess LunaPrincess LunaPrincess Luna may refer to:* Princess Luna , a character in My Little Pony* Princess Luna , a protagonist in The Adventures of Peter Pan...
from Friendship is Magic are the most recently known winged unicorns created in the world. - 2011: FarmvilleFarmVilleFarmVille is a farming simulation social network game developed by Zynga in 2009. It is similar to Happy Farm, Farm Town,, and older games such as the Harvest Moon series...
releases a winged Fairy Unicorn on August 22 as part of the Fairy Garden Event. A black Winged Unicorn unit is later released October 18 to those who complete Mafia Wars 2 quests.