Unicorn - Ottawa, Ontario
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Weathervane
N 45° 25.488 W 075° 41.972
18T E 445275 N 5030380
This sculpture of a unicorn is located outside, in front of the entrance to the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings, in Ottawa, Ontario. It was added to the Coat of Arms of Canada to represent the Scottish people who helped build this country.
Waymark Code: WMY73H
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 05/03/2018
Views: 8
This sculpture of the unicorn is located under the arch leading to the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The unicorn portrayed here is an emblem found on the Coat of Arms of Canada.
The Unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. The Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland used prior to 1603 by the King's of Scotland was supported by two unicorns. The unicorn is frequently found as an ornament on mercat crosses.
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In Celtic mythology the unicorn was a symbol of purity and innocence, as well as masculinity and power. Tales of dominance and chivalry associated with the unicorn may be why it was chosen as Scotland’s national animal.
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It could be said that the unicorn is holding the banner of France because it had no choice in the matter. The committee which designed the arms of Canada wanting to represent the founding nations, it was normal for the lion, an emblem of England, to hold the Union Flag, leaving the unicorn with the banner of royal France. The idea of including banners had come from the royal arms of France in which two angel supporters each hold the banner of France. The committee had wanted to match the lion of England with one of these angels, but Edward Marion Chadwick, an heraldist from Toronto, had strongly objected to coupling an angel with a beast.(22) Some have viewed the combination of fleurs-de-lis with the unicorn as symbolic of the old alliance between Scotland and France. In Canada, however, there are many examples of cooperation between Canadians of French and of Scottish origin, particularly in the fur and lumber trade. The endeavours of Scottish explorers and French Canadian voyageurs, working for the North West and Hudson's Bay Companies, played a decisive role in securing for Canada the western territories from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean.
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