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Unicorns at SSEES?
By Katja Richters
I always enjoy attending SSEES alumni events, but the title of Clare Griffin’s talk seemed even more inviting than those of her predecessors. It promised to take me – and other alumni – on an entertaining excursion into a part of Russian history that I had no idea about and that I found exotic and interesting. As I later found out, the talk was based on Clare’s post-doctoral project which analyses European trade in the 17th century by looking at what the Russian court at that time bought and prescribed for various ailments. The substances and combinations we heard about were imported from all over the world and seemed even more extraordinary than I had initially expected. Most people in the audience agreed that they were unlikely to heal the conditions they were prescribed for and some sounded quite outlandish indeed!
I personally found the part about unicorns and the healing powers ascribed to their horns particularly fascinating. Clare explained that, at some point, people found it somewhat strange that nobody had ever seen a live unicorn although drawings of them were widely available. They were, however, reassured by the assertion that unicorns were very, very shy and that it was therefore difficult to catch a glimpse of them. In order to come by their horns, the Russian court imported narwhal tusks from Denmark and other Nordic countries, probably at great cost due to their rarity.
The evening finished, as always, with drinks, nibbles and good company in the Masaryk room. The beverages available were less exotic than the ones we had heard about during the presentation, but if I remember correctly there was talk about making cinnamon or berry-flavoured vodka at home. With a bit of luck we might be able to taste some at the next event.