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Queen Elizabeth was presented with a narwhal tusk in 1577. During that period it was believed to be a unicorn’s horn. It was valued somewhere between 10,000 pounds and Pound 40,000. It is still considered as a royal treasure.
The modern-day unicorn is depicted as a white horse with a long spiraled golden or white horn coming from its forehead. This has not always been so. In medieval times, the unicorn was considered to be the size of a donkey or goat. It was white, but had the head of a deer, the body of a horse, the tail of a lion, the beard of a goat and cloven hooves. It was a symbol of purity and faithfulness and was thought to be untamable, very fast and strong. In folklore, unicorns could only be captured by virgins. If the maiden they approached was merely pretending to be a virgin, the unicorn would kill her.
A unicorn is a legendary animal mentioned in many of the Asian and European myths. Many scientists believe a unicorn could have been a distorted form of a rhinoceros. There are many theories based on this magnificent beast. However, there were no records of it being captured by anyone. People of medieval ages believed a unicorn runs silently through the forest and is a savage animal. However, a virgin could tame it. Hence, a unicorn is mainly associated with Virgin Mary. There is also a belief, if the horn of a unicorn were placed on an injury, it would heal the wound. In ancient times, it was believed unicorn’s horn was powerful enough to neutralize the effects of poison in food and drinks. Hence, many cups were made from these horns. However, there is no proof whether these cups were made from the horn of unicorns. Possessing even a fragment of a unicorn’s horn could prolong life of a person, according to the belief of the medieval period. A beautiful and carved unicorn horn was auctioned at Christie’s in London for half million pounds in 1994. Till late 18th century, it was a custom in France to carry a cup made from unicorn horn or a horn of unicorn to test whether the food and drinks were poisoned or not.
In Chinese mythology, a unicorn is known as a Ki-Lin or Chi-Lin. The ancient Chinese believed a unicorn to be represent great and good things and also as a harbinger of good fortune. According to one of the Chinese legends, Chi-Lin would appear at the time of birth of wise men and emperors. They also believed at the time of birth of a Chinese philosopher and thinker Confucius, a Chi-Lin appeared carrying a piece of imperial jade in its mouth. The prophecy of the baby was written on it. This happened as early as 2700 BC. Unicorn occupies a significant place in Chinese mythology. Chinese believed a Chi-Lin had a very long life and lived up to 1000 years. They considered a unicorn as an embodiment of wisdom and knowledge. Chi-Lin had a beautiful voice and he was extremely gentle animal. However, a Chinese unicorn never resembled a European unicorn. Chi-Lin was a combination of a lion and a dragon, the single horn was short and it grew backwards.
Unicorns
The unicorn has at various times been identified or confused with the rhinoceros, with various species of antelope, or with other animals having a horn (or horns) or horn-like projection from the head. According to Pliny it had a body resembling that of a horse, the head of a deer, the feet of an elephant, and the tail of a lion, with one black horn projecting from the middle of the forehead. In biblical translation, unicorn may be used for a kind of wild ox
Unicorns are the prettiest creatures
