Source: “The Woman With The Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen And The Holy Grail”, By Margaret Starbird, 1993.
This podcast explores the symbolism embedded in medieval unicorn tapestries, particularly "La Dame à la Licorne" and "The Hunt of the Unicorn" series, proposing that they secretly illustrate the Albigensian Grail heresy. The author argues that the unicorn, often seen as a symbol of Christ's purity by the orthodox church, actually represents the virile, earthly Jesus of the Cathar beliefs, emphasizing the erotic and fertility themes present in the tapestries' imagery, especially the unicorn resting in a maiden's lap—a direct allusion to the "Song of Songs" and ancient Sacred Marriage rituals. Furthermore, the text highlights hidden meanings in the tapestries' flora, fauna, and cryptic letters (A, E, and X), suggesting they function as subversive symbols of the Cathar faith and its persecution, rather than purely orthodox Christian allegories, ultimately implying the "resurrection" of their truth.
Topic 1: The Unicorn Tapestries and Their Heretical Interpretation The source extensively analyzes two series of medieval tapestries: La Dame à la Licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn) displayed in the Cluny Museum in Paris, and the Hunt of the Unicorn series exhibited at the Cloisters of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The author is convinced that these subtle masterpieces, particularly La Dame à la Licorne, were inspired by the Albigensian Grail heresy, and designed in honor of the Bride. The tapestries are considered relics of the late Middle Ages, believed to have been woven near the end of the fifteenth century, most likely in Brussels, with cartoons designed by an unknown French artist. The author challenges traditional orthodox interpretations, suggesting the tapestries contain deep, often suppressed, meanings related to ancient fertility cults, the Sacred Marriage, and the suppressed human masculinity of Jesus, aligning them with heretical doctrines. For instance, the fact that the Cloisters panels were once hung in the sleeping quarters of a sixteenth-century duke near Albi, a center of the Albigensian heresy, further supports this interpretation.
Topic 2: The Myth and Symbolism of the Unicorn The unicorn is presented as a mythical animal mentioned by classical Greek and Roman historians. Its origins might trace back to Bronze Age mural paintings where a single horn is visible due to perspective. A key source for its legend is The Physiologus, a third-century A.D. bestiary, which describes the ferocious unicorn that could only be captured by being lured to a virgin and sleeping with its head in her lap. This legend circulated widely for over a thousand years. While the early church patriarchs recognized the unicorn as a figure of Christ, associating it with healing powers (its horn could purify poisonous waters), the source argues that its deeper, often erotic, symbolism related to virility and the Sacred Marriage was deliberately overlooked or reinterpreted by orthodox apologists. The unicorn is also noted as one of the most frequent recurring symbols among Albigensian watermarks, signifying its importance to the heresy.
Topic 3: The Sacred Marriage (Hieros Gamos) and Its Imagery A central theme connecting the unicorn legend and the tapestries is the concept of the Sacred Marriage, or hieros gamos. This ancient ritual, often involving a king and a love goddess, symbolized fertility and the prosperity of the realm. The source emphasizes that the imagery of the unicorn resting its head in the lap of a maiden is not accidental but explicitly linked to the erotic poetry of the Sacred Marriage. It echoes lines from ancient Sumerian poetry to the love goddess Inanna, where the king seeks the "holy lap" for consummation. This imagery, depicting the Bridegroom/King and the Bride/Goddess, is seen as directly influencing the design of the tapestries, mirroring both transcendent and earthly reality. The tent in the sixth panel of La Dame à la Licorne is explicitly identified as the bridal chamber of the Sacred Marriage, awaiting the Bridegroom.
Topic 4: The Song of Songs and Its Erotic Interpretations The Song of Songs (Canticles) is presented as a significant source for the imagery and themes within the unicorn tapestries, particularly the "garden enclosed" and the "Sister-Bride." While the church traditionally interpreted this biblical canticle as a mystical allegory for Christ and the Church, the author argues that its erotic imagery, extolling the delights of the senses and depicting lovers united in a verdant garden, is more akin to the ritual poetry of the Sacred Marriage in the Near East. The lady in the tapestries is interpreted as the Sister-Bride from the Song of Songs, awaiting her Bridegroom in the garden. Specific references, such as "You are a garden enclosed, my sister, my bride" and "His banner over me is love," are directly linked to the tapestries' symbolism.
Topic 5: Feminine and Goddess Symbolism in the Tapestries The feminine presence in the tapestries is rich with symbolic meaning. The Lady in La Dame à la Licorne is adorned with late fifteenth-century fashion and jewels, set against a background of flora and fauna, including bunnies, which are sacred to the goddess of love due to their fertility. Her holding of a mirror is a symbol frequently associated with Venus/Aphrodite. The banners held by the lion and unicorn in La Dame à la Licorne are red, white, and dark blue, the colors of the Triple Goddess, with three white crescent moons—a symbol for the "maiden," proclaiming the lady as the Sister-Bride. The Lady herself is seen as the Dompna of the troubadours, the Beloved, and the prototype of the soul. Ultimately, the lady in the garden, particularly in the Hunt of the Unicorn series, represents the Goddess of the ancient world, waiting to embrace the Bridegroom/King.
Topic 6: Masculine and Christ Symbolism in the Tapestries The unicorn, along with the lion (the lion of Judah), is presented as a medieval symbol for Christ. However, the source delves deeper, interpreting the unicorn's symbolism, especially its horn, as representing virility. This is linked to ancient associations of the unicorn's horn with the anointing of the king, echoing psalms that refer to the "horn" or "head" of the Bridegroom/King being anointed, a part of the hieros gamos ritual. The author contends that the medieval church deliberately ignored the explicit sexual connotations of the single raised horn and the unicorn's head in the maiden's lap, emphasizing strength and purity instead. For the Grail heresy, the unicorn represents the "virile Jesus," whose human masculinity was a central doctrine. The unicorn's ability to purify waters is also connected to the Cathars' claim of purer doctrines.
Topic 7: Flora and Fauna Symbolism The tapestries are rich with meticulously woven flora and fauna, each carrying specific symbolic meanings. John Williamson's detailed studies of the flora symbolism are cited. In La Dame à la Licorne, bunnies signify fertility. The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries feature numerous plants aiding fertility (wallflower, stock gillyflower, daisy, violet) or acting as aphrodisiacs (cuckoopint, periwinkle, male orchid). Specific flowers symbolize betrothal (carnation), lust (violet), love (rose), and marriage (periwinkle). Trees also carry symbolic weight: oak (solar principle), holly (lunar principle, embodying both male and female aspects of God, requiring cross-fertilization), orange (conjugal union, bearing leaves, blossoms, and fruit simultaneously, blossoms carried by brides), pomegranate (female fecundity, "bursting with seeds"), and pine (male fertility). Acorns and pine cones are visual images of masculinity. The presence of malevolent plants like "white campion" or "devil's flower" near the polluted stream in the hunt series hints at evil intent.
Topic 8: Challenging Orthodox Interpretations A recurring argument throughout the source is the author's strong contention against traditional orthodox Christian interpretations of the unicorn legend and the tapestries. The author suggests that these interpretations, such as equating the maiden with the Virgin Mary and the unicorn with Christ seeking incarnation in her womb, are "bizarre" and "ex post facto laundering" attempts. These orthodox explanations are seen as deliberately bypassing the "physical evidence" and the "phallic significance" of the imagery. The author believes the church "desperately" tried to give the popular unicorn a mystical, orthodox meaning while ignoring its ancient, often erotic, roots and its clear connection to the "heretical" version of Jesus' life, which included his human masculinity and marriage.
Topic 9: The Unicorn Hunt as a Heretical Allegory The Hunt of the Unicorn series is interpreted as a direct allegory for the persecution and suppression of the Albigensian heresy. The "ruthlessly hunted and killed" unicorn represents the "heretical" version of Jesus, whose human masculinity and potential marriage were anathema to the Church of Rome. The scene where the unicorn purifies poisonous waters symbolizes the Cathars' belief that their doctrines were purer than the "polluted" teachings of the Catholic Church. The unicorn defending itself against hunters and hounds, rather than going docilely to its fate, is seen as an accurate portrayal of the Cathars who bravely defended Provence against the Vatican and French king. The brutal sacrifice of the unicorn in the sixth panel represents the defeat and butchering of the Cathar faith, their doctrines, and their hopes. However, the seventh panel, not part of the original series, shows the unicorn alive and resting in an enclosed garden, symbolizing the enduring truth of the heresy, which cannot be truly destroyed.
Topic 10: Secret Heretical Codes and Hidden Meanings The source points to specific visual elements in the tapestries as potential "clues" or "secret codes" linking them irrevocably with the heresy. The letter X, prevalent among heretics as a secret code for their faith, appears conspicuously. In La Dame à la Licorne, the letter X is fashioned into the shoulders of the lady's gown in two panels, and in the Hunt of the Unicorn series, it occupies a central position, notably formed by a cord wrapped around the pomegranate tree in the seventh panel. This deliberate placement, occurring twice, strongly suggests conscious intent. Additionally, the letters A and E are woven into the corners and center of virtually all seven panels of the hunt series. Drawing on Bayley's Lost Language of Symbolism, the letter A is interpreted as a stylized glyph for "aleph and tau," meaning "the First and the Last," an epithet for God and a prayer for the Millennium. The letter E means "the Living God." These letters are presented as honoring the "Living God, the Alpha and the Omega," rather than any human patron, further solidifying the tapestries' profound heretical significance.