Find out more about the mythical creatures.
Unicorns are magical, mystical creatures that have captured the imagination of many for hundreds of years. Even though this fascinating beast has never really walked the planet there are some amazing facts about them. Here are some things you need to know about unicorns.
The fascination with unicorns
According to some reports, the depiction of a unicorn was first spotted in Lascaux Caves, which is in France. It dates back to somewhere around 15,000 BCE, which is a really long time ago. However, it is believed that the image had two horns, which might have been drawn too close together and resulted in confusion.
A unicorn was described by a Greek historian
Ctesias, a Greek historian living around 400 BCE, had made a mention about a beast with a white body, multicoloured horn, blue eyes, and purples head. This was quite possibly one of the earliest records of unicorns in Western literature.
Marco polo's opinion about unicorns
It is widely speculated that Marco Polo may have come across a unicorn on his travels. He reportedly described them to be "ugly brutes" and was surprised that they weren't what they had been popularly depicted as. However, it is quite possible that what he saw were rhinoceroses and this was a case of mistaken identity. It is thought that Roman scholar Pliny the Elder also may have spotted a unicorn. However, it is not clear and there is speculation he too could have been speaking of a rhino.
People believed young ladies had power over unicorns
Many things happened during the Dark Ages that seem bizarre today. It was during this time that many also believed that young, pure women had power over these mystical creatures. In some cultures, unicorns are said to bring you eternal happiness if you got to touch one.
The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn
You'll find unicorn heraldry on the ancient seals of Babylonia and Assyria. However, its connection to Scotland’s King James III in the 1400s is very popular. Interestingly, the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland today. It is reportedly a symbol of purity, innocence and power in Celtic mythology. April 9 marks National Unicorn Day in Scotland annually.
People would sell unicorn horns
Unicorn horns were extremely valuable back in the day. German merchants reportedly sold a unicorn horn to the pope for a lot of money in 1560. In London, many pharmacies would sell powdered unicorn horn up unti around 1741.
