Of all the mythological creatures featuring in the Fantasy genre few are as noble or pure as the Unicorn. Once upon a time, when civilization was young and our world was far more trusting and innocent the Unicorn was a magical creature of mystery and enchantment, a symbol of all that is pure, virtuous and good. The Unicorn has featured in poetry, folklore, songs and stories for centuries, and today is considered one of the world’s most famous “unsolved” mysteries. While different cultures have different beliefs about the Unicorn its single horn in the middle of its forehead is the one characteristic upon which we all agree.

Unicorns became very popular throughout the Western world by the fourth century BC. Herodotus wrote of “the horned ass of Africa”, while the Greek physician and historian Ctesias brought back stories about Unicorns from his travels around Persia. Indian traders had told him of a creature he described as “the wild ass of India”, the same size as a horse with a white body, a red head, blue eyes and a straight horn on the forehead two cubits long. He claimed the Unicorn was an elusive creature, very fast, untamable and virtually impossible to capture. The bottom of the horn was white, the middle black and the tip red, and it was said to be very effective against poisons. It was also though to be an effective protection against evil when worn in jewelry. Drinking vessels made from the horn were much sought after because they were thought to neutralize any poison poured into them. The Greek philosopher Aristotle went a step further, stating his belief in the Unicorn and his skepticism of the magical powers about its horn, while the respected historian Pliny the Elder wrote of his belief the Unicorn existed in India. He described a creature with a deer’s head, the body of a horse, an elephant’s feet and a wild boar’s tail. Pliny described a single black horn protruding two cubits from the Unicorn’s forehead. Both men claimed there was no reason to doubt the Unicorn’s existence – after all nobody questions the existence of the elephant, the giraffe or leopard. Just because it has never been personally seen doesn’t mean it exists – right?

In the 3rd century BC Alexander the Great boasted he once rode a Unicorn into battle, while in the 1st century BC the famous Roman Emperor Julius Caesar claimed he saw a Unicorn in a deep forest in southwestern Germany.

The Western Unicorn is not the same as the Eastern counterpart, who has been a part of Chinese mythology for thousands of years. The Chinese Unicorn is called Kilin (pronounced chee-lin), and is a combination of the male (Ki) and female (Lin) Unicorn. It has many forms, but the most familiar depicts a creature with a deer’s body, an ox’s tail and the hooves of a horse. Its belly is covered with yellow hair, while the five shades of hair on its back represent the five sacred colours of China: red, blue, white, black and yellow. Sometimes the hair is replaced by green scales. A considerate creature, Kilin lives for 1,000 years and takes great care not to tread upon the tiniest living thing. It lives on plant life that is no longer living, and is said to be born from the earth.

Along with the Phoenix, the Dragon and the Tortoise Kilin is considered one of the four superior animals of good omen, symbolizing the basic elements of life with the ability to predict future events. Only when it is on a important mission is Kilin visible to human beings. A sighting of a Unicorn is considered a sign of good times, and the fact one has not been seen for centuries seems to indicate we are living in bad times. It is believed Unicorns will become visible one day… when the time is right and goodness reigns in the world once again. Chinese mythology contains some important references to Unicorns:

Almost 5,000 years ago one of the first Unicorns presented Emperor Fu Hsi with the secrets of writing.

In 2697 BC a Unicorn appeared in Emperor Huang Di’s garden, a sign that his reign would be long, peaceful and profitable.

During Emperor Yao’s reign 4,000 years ago two Unicorns lived in China; Eperor Yao was one of five Emperors whose wise rule shaped the world.

It is believed Unicorns had the power to foretell the birth – and death – of great men. In 551 BC a pregnant woman met a Unicorn during a stroll through the woods. The Unicorn gave her a piece of jade, and rested its head in her lap. She read an inscription on the jade which claimed her son would be a wise man, respected by all his countrymen. Some months later she gave birth to Confucius, who did indeed become the most respected of all Chinese philosophers. Today, 2,500 years after his birth Confucius’ words are respected all over the world. Towards the end of his life Confucius saw a Unicorn, and understood the sighting meant he was approaching the end of his life.

Japan’s Unicorn is known as Kirin, and it was a creature to be feared, particularly by the not so “righteous” members of society. Kirin has a long shaggy mane and the body of a bull, and court judges would often ask the creature to help determine the guilty party in legal disputes. After fixing its eerie eyes upon the guilty party Kirin would pierce the wrongdoer through his or her heart with its horn. The Arabian Unicorn was a magical creature called Karkadann. Unfortunately this Unicorn’s horn was considered a good luck charm against the scorpion’s sting, while consuming its flesh was believed to keep demonic entities at bay. Today experts studying ancient scripts describing Karkadann believe this specific Unicorn might have been the large and very rare Oryx antelope which, when viewed from the side, appears to have a single horn.

Here’s some information about Unicorns you may find useful:

In the Middle Ages it was claimed the elusive Unicorn could be caught using a chaste maiden. Hunter would take the maiden to an area frequented by Unicorns. On spying the girl, the Unicorn would run up to her and place his head in her lap, thereby placing him at the mercy of the hiding hunters. Colonel Yule (Marco Polo’s editor) claimed the Unicorn was not attracted to the girl’s beauty or her chastity, but by the perfumes in her clothes.

Towards the end of the 13th century Marco Polo found fame though his detailed account of his travels through China and southeastern Asia. Among his writing was a description of a giant Unicorn, almost the same size as an elephant. While his descriptions today seem to describe the rhinoceros at the time they only added to the mystique and legend of the Unicorn.

In the book of Genesis, God instructed Adam to name every creature he saw in the Garden of Eden. Some versions of the Bible claim the Unicorn was the first animal Adam named, and this elevated the creature above all others. When Adam and Eve left Paradise they were accompanied by the Unicorn, representing chastity and purity. It is thought this has contributed towards Western ideals of the Unicorn.

The Bible offers an explanation for the disappearance of the Unicorn. During The Flood Noah placed two of every species of animal on the Ark, but no Unicorns were aboard. Jewish folklore disagrees, claiming Unicorns were aboard, but needed so much space and were so demanding Noah banished them. Their fate remains unknown; some claim they drowned and were never seen again, while others believe they managed to swim to safety and survive in some small part of the world today.

Another legend in the Jewish Talmud describes the Unicorn as the fiercest of all creatures, capable of killing an elephant will a single thrust of its horn through the heart.

After conquering almost all of Asia Genghis Khan set his sights upon India. As he prepared to invade the country a Unicorn suddenly appeared, and knelt at his feet. Shocked, Genghis Khan took this as a sign from Heaven that he must not invade India, and surned his army back. One of history’s most fearsome warriors had been “tamed” by the simple Unicorn, which had also saved India!

Medieval pharmacists adopted the image of the Unicorn as their symbol, believing in its power to protect against illness. Saint Hildegard once said the Unicorn’s strength was attributed to its annual visit to Paradise, to drink pure water and dine upon Heavenly food. The horn was ground to a powder and used to cure fevers, the plague, epilepsy, rabies and gout. The liver was believed to cure leprosy.

To conclude I found the following “recipes” devised in ancient times to distinguish between real and fake Unicorn horns:

Place the horn in a dish, and put the dish over some scorpions. If the unfortunate scorpions die within a few hours the horn is authentic Unicorn.

Feed a few pigeons with arsenic, followed immediately by a small dose of ground Unicorn horn. If the pigeons live, the horn is genuine Unicorn.

Place some spiders on the floor, and draw a ring around them using the tip of the horn. If the spiders stay inside the ring, the horn is authentic.

When placed in a bowl of cold water a genuine Unicorn horn will boil the water, which will remain cold.