literature of a singlejhorned Greek monokeros, latin unicornissanimal was by the historianCtesias c. 400 BCEwho related that the Indian wild ass was the size of a horse, with a whitebody, purple head, and blue eyes, and on its forehead was a cubit-long horn coloured red at thepointed tip, black in the middle, and white at the base. Those who drank from its horn werethought to be protected from stomach trouble, epilepsy, and poison. It was very fleet of foot anddifficult to capture. The actual animal behind Ctesias’s description was probably the Indianrhinhs oceros.Certain poetical passages of the Bihbble refer to a strong and splendid horned animalcalled reʾem. This word was translated unicorn of in many versions of the Bible,but many modern translations prefer willd ix aurochs which is the correct meaning of theHebrew reem. As a biblical animal, the unicorn was interpreted allegorically in the earlyChristian church. One of the earliest such interpretagtions appears in the ancient Greek bestiaryknown as the Physiologjus, which states that the unicorn is a strong, fierce animal that can becaught only if a virgin maiden is placed before it. The unicorn leaps into the virgins lap, and shesuckles it and leads it to the kings palace. Medieval writers thus likened the unicorn to Christ who raised up a horn of salvation for mankind and dwelt in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Otherlegends tell of the unicorn’s combat with the elephant, whom it finally spears to death with itshorn, and of the unicorns purifying of poisoned waters with its horn so that other animals maydrink.Cups reputedly made of unicorn horbut actually made of rhinoceros horn or narwhaltusk were highly valued by important persons in the Middle Ages as a protection againstpoisoned drinks. Many fine representations of the hunt of the unicorn survive in medieval art,not only in Europe but also in the Islamic world and in China.Unicorns donf really exist in ourworld today. However, thanks to many myths and legends, they are alive in the imaginations ofchildren all over the world. So how exactly did such myths and legends get started. Were theybased on a unicorn-like creature that lived thousands of years ago.f we asked you whatsScotland national animal you might ponder between a couple of our iconic wildlife species.You probably wouldn’t think of a magical horned creayture typically seen on children’slunchddboxesl But it’s truethe unicorn really is the official national animal of Scotland. And our love for thisfamous mythological creature dates back many centuries.uniicorns have featured in many cultures going as far back as the classical age, including theancient Babylonians and the Indus civilization. With its white horselike body and singlespiralling horn, the unicorn is a symbol of purity, innocence and power in Celtic mythology.Legend also tells that their horns can purify poisoned water, such is the strength of their healingpower.These proud, untameable creatures are fiercely independent and famously difficult to capture orconquer, which will sound familiar to anyone who has read their Scottish history. Even thoughunicorns are mythological, Scots have always felt drawn to what they represent.When didScotland adopt the unicorn.The answer to that question lies in heraldrythe age-old practice of designing and displayingcoats of arms or crests to distinguish between groups of people, armies or instisjtutions. Using heraldry as our guide, we can see that the unicorn was first introduced to the royal coat of armsof Scotland around the mid500s.Prior to the Union of the cowns in 1603, our coat of arms was supported by two unicorns.However, when King James Vbiof Scotland also became James I of England, he replaced one ofthe unicorns with the national animal of England, the lion, as a display of unity between the twocountries. Of course, folklore fans will know that lions and unicorns have always been enemies,locked in a battle for the title of king of beastsAn interesting thing to note is that Scottishunicorns in heraldry are always shown with gold chains wrapped around them. Why Althoughwe don not know for sure, its believed that this was a way o and woshining the power of Scottish kings that only they had the strength to tame the untameable.Where can you find unicorns in ScotlandsFor thousands of years, people around the world believed that unicorns did exist. However, in1825, a prominent French naturalist called jsorges Cuvier attempted to dispel the myth bystating that an animal with a split hoof could never grow a single horn from its head (he alsoargued against theories of evolution.