by Ellen Galford & the Editors of Time/Life Books
Publisher : Time Life Education; First Edition
(September 1, 1985)
Hardcover, 143 pages
"In the wilderness, and even in the settled
lands, more beasts than man lived. The beasts existed in bewildering and
changeable variety, as if nature itself were confused or had not yet finished
the work of creation. Among earth-bound creatures of that time were some with
real men's bodies and goat's feet, or with men's torso and horses' bodies.
Lambs could be grown on special trees. Among the creatures of the air were
winged horses, birds that cast human shadows, and birds that hatched from
barnacles rather than from eggs. And in that era, though rarely seen, lived
unicorns -graceful horses adorned with a single spiraling horn and blessed with
the powers of purification and healing."
Magical Beasts opens with telling of how early in
humanity's existence the world was locked in an Ice Age. Humans feared the
animals and worshipped the cave bear, but as time passed man eventually
conquered the cave bear and drove it away. Which is what most of these stories
represent, mankind’s conquering of the land. Each evil beast whether it be the
Minotaur, Manticore, Chimera, or what have you, represents this theme. That
even in the unsteady world of nature, and the constant evolving weird mix of
animals, man has the power to conquer and dominate. At least that was the theme
of the first chapter – “Vestiges of the Elder Days”
With chapter two – “Riders of the Wind” – the
exploration shifts to the portentous use of birds – mostly ravens and crows –
and what they signify. Birds were often respected, and the bringers of portents
for the average person. It also recounts that many flying animals, both mundane
and magical, commanded respect for reasons that they were able to escape the
mundane world by flight. Pegasus, the roc, firebirds, the phoenix.
Chapter three - Paragon of Purity- focuses on that
most respected of magical beasts, the unicorn and his ilk. It comments on the
appearance of the horned beast, or a near equivalent, in almost every culture.
It symbolized beauty and purity but courage as well because it would never be
taken alive. Its cousins included China's ki-lin and the Persian karkadann
which personified only gentility or ferocity. All, however, could be tamed by
maidens.
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