The Unicorn with Crystal Lake

When we think of unicorns, we most often think of the mythical creature roaming forests in Europe or if you are from the UK, you’ll likely make a connection with the famous nursery rhyme about the Lion and the Unicorn. In addition to being the national animal for Scotland, and a symbol of their strength and independence, for Shakespeare and the 16th century society in Scotland, the unicorn is a type of currency.

Minted originally by James III of Scotland, it would be James VI of Scotland, also James I of England, who would first bring the Scottish Unicorn into the national symbolism for Britain as a whole. Here this week to help us explore the advent of the Scottish unicorn on Britain’s royal coat of arms, as well as the numismatic history of the Scottish unicorn as a coin, is our guest Dr. Crystal Lake.

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Crystal B. Lake is Professor of English Language and Literatures at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. She is also the co-founder and editor of the online magazine, the-rambling.com. Crystal’s book, Artifacts, will be published in paperback by Johns Hopkins University Press in Spring 2020, and you can read more about her research at crystallakephd.com.

In this episode, I’ll be asking Crystal about :

• Scotland also has a coin which is called the unicorn. Crystal, why was that particular coin called the unicorn?
• Isn’t the unicorn the one animal that legend hold can conquer a lion, the national symbol of England? How did the royal coat of arms go over with the public, considering the tempestuous relationship the unicorn and lion seem to have?
• Did the currency of England and Scotland unify under one banner, such that the Scottish coins were now accepted currency in England or vice versa?
• … and more!

Here’s what’s inside this week

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