Magic
Magic is not a cure-all for human ills. It is an unpredictable, incomprehensible power that is never fully subject to human control--unless one is willing to live out life as a mortal. It is only then that a magician gains full control of magic. In this regard, magic may be seen as symbolic of human ambitions. Unless one is prepared to pay a steep forfeit, a great sacrifice, one cannot achieve their objectives.
Inability to see enchanted creatures/Enchanted
The common folk’s inability to see enchanted creatures for what they truly are is symbolic of self-limiting ideas or beliefs that some people have espoused. Rather than accept the possibility of the wondrous existing side by side with the mundane, they’d rather downplay it, shelving the magical into neat, banal, easily understood shadows of what they truly are. Thus, instead of seeing a unicorn, they see a white mare.
The Red Bull
The demonic Red Bull is symbolic of blind, irrational fear--fear of the unknown, fear of change, fear of failure--especially for the the unicorns. A single unicorn has the power to defeat the Red Bull but the unicorns are driven into the sea by a strange, irrational fear of the Red Bull and they are powerless to resist. Conversely, the Red Bull symbolizes the greed and obsession of King Haggard.
The Harpy Celaeno
Mommy Fortuna is a witch capable of casting powerful spells that can harm the body and befuddle the mind. Her knowledge of the magic arts has allowed her to capture the mighty and dreadful harpy, Celaeno, a true testament of her power; the ability to cast true magic however comes at a cost--however powerful a mage may become, it still cannot delay aging or prevent death. Mortality therefore, like all men, is the fate of all magicians despite their arcane ability. Mommy Fortuna, knows this and with every year that passes her magic grows less and less potent. This makes detaining the harpy an increasingly difficult task. She knows that time will come that Celaeno will break free and kill her. Despite that she continues with her traveling circus and with her freak show. The harpy therefore is symbolic of Mommy Fortuna’s acceptance of the inevitability of death and to a certain extent, a backhanded immortality that she will have received as a result of having successfully caught and detained a true harpy.
The Unicorn/Unicorns
King Haggard reveals later on that the reason he orders The Red Bull to capture the unicorns is because it brings him great joy as they remind him of the strength, joy, and freedom he once had as a young man. The unicorns therefore symbolize the fleeting joy, and to a certain extent, his frustration at the unattainability of joy and eternal youth that he desires so much.
King Haggard’s Castle
The contrast to the ethereal majesty and beauty of the unicorns, King Haggard’s Castle is an echo of his poverty of spirit. Like him it is large and looming but decrepit, dark, and dank. Similar to the master of the manor it is also largely devoid of joy and life. It is also interesting to note that the great castle remains in a state of disrepair despite having captured the unicorns.
