In 1976 Galadriel and Athanor met Lady Rhea, a priestess and elder of a Family Tradition, and began taking classes with her in the Atlanta area. Following the end of classes, Galadriel and Athanor moved to Florida. In 1979, the two of them moved back to Atlanta and resumed their training and, under Lady Rhea’s guidance, they began teaching classes. These classes would form what would soon become the Grove of the Unicorn and would later become the basis of the Unicorn Tradition.
During a Litha ritual in 1980, Galadriel and Athanor received their Priest and Priestess initiations and the Grove of the Unicorn was officially established. This group was established as an American Eclectic grove blending influences and teachings from the Family Tradition and from the modern Witchcraft revival movement.
While many of Galadriel and Athanor’s traditional teachings were retained, many outside influences have contributed to today’s Grove of the Unicorn and to the other groups within the Unicorn Tradition. Some of these influences include teachers from other traditions and ‘adopted’ Elders who were trained in other branches of the Craft or other Mystery traditions.
In 1982, with the founding of the Grove of the Phoenix Rising, the Unicorn Tradition began branching out into other states and even other countries. Over the years several groups have hived off of the Grove of the Unicorn, and in some cases other groups have hived off of those groups, and so on. While the Grove of the Unicorn started in Atlanta, Georgia, since that time Unicorn Tradition groups have been founded in Texas, Germany, and England.
Each group within the Unicorn Tradition maintains certain of the same key ingredients- however, each also maintains its own identity and flavor. As a Tradition, each group maintains a link to the Tradition’s roots, and yet, as a dynamic eclectic tradition, each group also continues to grow and evolve with the experiences and influences of its Priests, Priestesses, and other group members. Some predominate influences in many of the Unicorn Tradition groups include myths and traditions of Phoenician, Egyptian, Greco-Roman, and Celtic origins.
