Unicorn

Unicorn puns in a nutshell

It’s uncertain what language the unicorn was invented in. Since the specific horned-horse unicorns are medieval symbols, I’d suggest it’s some European language. Mythical creatures with horns are plenty though, so there may well be unrelated earlier puns in different languages.

As for the puns:

• The unicorn is called חד קרן ḥd-qrn in Hebrew & Aramaic. The main pun shifts the D onto the 2nd word, and treats H & N as prefix & suffix.
• The unicorn has a very pointy horn, because Hebrew הדקרן h-dqr-n means “piercing” & “stabbing”.
• The unicorn is brave & fierce, because Aramaic הדכרן h-dkr-n means “manly” (Aramaic dkr is Hebrew zkr).
• The unicorn becomes soft & tame in a virgin’s lap and needs to be fenced in, because Aramaic הדכרן h-dkr-n also means “penis”!
• The unicorn may be a symbol for banksterism, because ˀḥd-qrn also means “possessing capital”.
• The unicorn may be a symbol for banksterism, also because ˀḥd-qrn also means “united capital”. (It’s actually the same 2 word roots as with the actual “unicorn”.)
• The unicorn may be a symbol for spookery. because Aramaic ˀḥd-qrnˁ means “veiled ruler”.
• The unicorn may be a symbol for spookery, because Greek ιππο κερατος hippo keratos for “horned horse” puns with υποκριτης hypo-krites for “stage actor” & “pretender” (see horn). Enacting & pretending to be someone else is what spookery is all about!
• The unicorn may be a symbol for spookery, also because Greek κερατο μονο kerato mono for “one horn” puns with κερτομεων kerto-meon for “mockery” (see horn). Mocking one’s subjects is what spookery is all about!
• The unicorn is associated with believing in fairy tales, because υποκρινομαι hypokrinomai is a general word for theatrical acting, i.e. generally things that are not real.

The number 1 also puns with “Jew” & “leader”. In Hebrew, the horn also puns with “finance” & “power”, and with “like someone else”. It’s thus possible that the unicorn is also a Semitic “hidden ruler” pun at the same time.

Semitic ḥd-qrn for “unicorn”

In the Semitic languages, the unicorn is called חד קרן ḥd-qrn, from ˀḥd “one” and qrn “horn”. Many of the unicorn’s alleged traits seem to be puns with this word, so the Semitic languages is perhaps where they originated.

The Bible also mentions some fierce critter called ראם rˀm, translated as “aurochs” / “rhinoceros” / “unicorn”. But that word has nothing to do wth uni or horn, so it seems the unicorn translation was slapped on later.

Semitic ˀḥd-qrn for “possessor of capital”

The spelling of unicorn is very close to ˀḥd-qrn, which means “united capital” & “holding capital”. In fact, it is merely different meanings of the same word roots: ˀḥd / yḥd / ḥd means “one” → “unite” → “concentrate” → “seize” → “possess”. qrn means both “horn” and also “financial capital”, though it’s unclear why. One suggestion is from Akkadian qerenu for “pile”, where a pile would have the protruding shape of a horn.

This “united capital” is likely the explanation for the unicorn in British heraldry, as the founders of medieval Great Britain were likely Roman & Phoenician capitalists, who set up their new headquarters there for unknown reasons, in the way British capitalists later made the USA the new global headquarters. In British heradry, the unicorn is paired with a lion which also puns with “finance”.

This unicorn pun may also explain the financial slang term “unicorn” for private billion startups: These purportedly “independent” startups were really founded by ultra-powerful capital holders. The term “unicorn” may also hint at the fact that the stories of their founders and their founding are just elaborate fairy tales (as with SpaceX and Elon Musk).

Semitic ˀḥd-qrnˁ for “veiled ruler”

There is a possible pun of ḥd-qrn “unicorn” with ˀḥd-qrnˁ “veiled ruler”. Both words are not related, and rarely attested: Aramaic ˀḥd / Hebrew ˀḥz means “holding”, and was also used to mean “aristocrat” & “ruler”, abbreviated from “[title] holder”. qrnˁ is Aramaic for “veil”, though it occurs more often in the form qnˁ.

For a full discussion, see number 1 and horn.

Semitic h-dkr-n for “piercer” & “penis”

The unicorn is said to pierce people, and in Semitic the word ḥd-qrn for “unicorn” does indeed pun with h-dqr-n which would mean “piercer”. The H is a causative prefix, and the N is an agent suffix. The underlying root is dqr for “piercing”.

This root is also very close to Aramaic dkr (Hebrew zkr), which means “penis”. This fits strangely well with those tales where the unicorn is strong & fierce, but changes into being soft & tame whenever it can rest its head in a virgin’s lap. After the unicorn has been “captured” by the virgin in this manner, it can then be properly fenced in. It’s a smutty pun by the Semitic-speaking spooks! So much for chastity behind the scenes in the medieval ages.

Since the unicorn as a one-horned horse doesn’t appear in ancient Semitic-speaking cultures though, the critter itself was probably invented elsewhere, perhaps from another pun.

Greek hippo-keratos as pun with hypo-krites

The Greek name for the unicorn is monokeros for “one horn”. However, the animal is actually a “horned _horse_”, which would be hippo-keratos, a near perfect pun with hypo-krites for “pretender”. The only argument that this isn’t the intended pun is that the unicorn was not a popular symbol in classical Greek times. Perhaps the pun would’ve been too obvious.

The Greek name mono-keros still puns with mune for “pretence”, and chreios for “poverty”, so it could hint at the ultra-rich folk pretending to be poor. Many other horn puns are possible.