The Lion and the Unicorn — for The Campfire Kids Church

 The Lion and the Unicorn are two majestic creatures. 

People have thought of the Lion's mane as being like a crown or even like the rays of the sun — a glorious, kingly beast. Do you know the name for a group of lions who live together? Yes, that's right — we call it a "pride of lions". In folk-lore, lions stood for royal majesty.

The Unicorn is a noble beast from the world of myth and legend — and people said its beautiful shimmering horn had miraculous powers, and could even cure illnesses and get rid of wickedness and restore life. In folk-lore, unicorns stood for spiritual strength.

Where I live — Hastings in England's East Sussex — on the road that runs along the shore of the sea, at the back of Debenhams there's a small strip of garden with a stone pillar either end. One pillar has a statue of a lion, and the other has a unicorn. They are old now, their stone bodies all pitted by the salt and wind, and the unicorn has lost his horn. Here they are:

In the old days, England chose the Lion to be a symbol of English pride and power. And Scotland chose the Unicorn.

This is where the children's nursery rhyme comes from, about the Lion and the Unicorn. James I of England unified the two kingdoms of Scotland and England in 1603, so the lion and the unicorn are on the coat of arms of the United Kingdom. But this uniting was not altogether kind and friendly. The English are not known for gentleness. 

The nursery rhyme goes like this: 

 The lion and the unicorn were fighting for the crown.

The lion beat the unicorn all around the town.

Some gave them white bread and some gave them brown,

Some gave them plum cake and drummed them out of town.

And when he had beat him out, he beat him in again;

He beat him three times over, his power to maintain.

Hmm.

So lions and unicorns may live together, but there are murky depths to the relationship. 

But I know at least one lion and one unicorn who try to be good friends, even though it isn't always easy.

Hanafubuki is a unicorn.

Hanafubuki is a lovely name, but it's a bit of a mouthful isn't it, so he lets us call him just Fu. Fu de unicorn —

Danshari is a lion. Not quite so difficult to remember as Hanafubuki, but people do like to shorten names, don't they. So most people call him Dan. Dan de lion.

Here he is with his friend Fu.

Danshari — you can call him Dan, most people do, but I like his whole name — finds he has to be very patient and respectful with Hanafubuki (who you can call Fu if you like).

Unicorns, you see, are somewhat one-pointed in their thinking. They like to go their own way. When I was a child, my sister gave me a birthday card I loved, that said on the front:

They tried to persuade me not to cross the curious hills,

Calling me foolish, stubborn.

That's how it is, I said.

I'm going where my pig is headed.

And that could have been written about a unicorn.

You can't argue with unicorns. And, truth be told, I'd advise you against trying to argue with a lion as well, but Danshari is a quiet and reasonable soul. Most of the time.

And he works hard at becoming a good person, reading and thinking about the path he's on.

Hanafubuki does too.

Danshari has mixed feelings about Hanafubuki's reading choices.

He does what he can to find something they can enjoy together.

And most of the time, they live together in peace.

Hanafubuki likes to sit right at the front of the shelf, so he doesn't feel hemmed in. But Danshari murmurs, "Mate, you aren't Pegasus," and keeps a protective arm round Fu so he doesn't fall off. Danshari never minds squodging into the corner. True kingliness, he knows, starts with humility. Besides which, it's a long way to fall.

The Sunday I first wrote this was Hanafubuki's big day at The Campfire Kids Church, when we thought hard about unicorns.

Well, some of us did. Others are easily distracted.