Unicornucopia: The Little Book of Unicorns. Caitlin Doyle

to Bambi the unicorn-deer, born in Florence, Italy, as recently as 2008 …

      You see? For however hard we try to disprove their existence, the unicorns of legend stand even stronger, several thousand years old, drawing us back into their magic once more. In our quest to discover more about the unicorn, we have learned about the world around us, from the world view of ancient Japanese cultures to the mating rituals of the narwhal, and from prehistoric animal skeletons to Shakespearean allegory. So whether or not unicorns have existed, do exist, or might one day exist, the myth is more powerful than the reality. With its legendary gentle, noble nature, the unicorn has taught us to love, to believe, and to seek magic in the everyday. And with a little unicorn magic, sunshine can find its way through the clouds, kindness trumps cruelty, and we all finally have an excuse to eat rainbow cake.

      ONE OF THE EARLIEST DESCRIPTIONS

      of a unicorn

      COMES FROM A BOOK WRITTEN CIRCA 400 BCE CALLED

      Indica.

      THE BOOK’S AUTHOR, THE ANCIENT

      Greek historian and doctor

      CTESIAS, WORKED AT THE PERSIAN COURT, WHERE HE HEARD

      travellers’ tales of the fabulous beast.

      CTESIAS IS ALSO CREDITED AS THE FIRST PERSON TO ATTRIBUTE

      magic

      to a unicorn’s horn

      (GROUND INTO A POWDER, THE HORN WAS THOUGHT TO BE MAGIC).

      CTESIAS’ UNICORN WAS DESCRIBED AS A

      white horse

      with a purple head and blue eyes.

      THE CREATURE’S HORN WAS WHITE AT THE BASE, BLACK IN THE MIDDLE, AND RED AT THE TIP.

      ‘No creature, neither horse or any other, could overtake it.’

      IT IS NOW BELIEVED THAT CTESIAS

      was actually describing

      A MISHMASH OF ANIMALS, INCLUDING

      an Indian rhinoceros!

      IN THE ANCIENT GREEK BESTIARY KNOWN AS THE PHYSIOLOGUS,

      the unicorn

      WAS INCLUDED ALONGSIDE OTHER REAL AND MYTHICAL ANIMALS AND DESCRIBED AS

      strong and fierce.

      MANY MEDIEVAL PAINTINGS EXIST OF THE

      mythical hunt of the unicorn,

      FROM CULTURES AS WIDE-RANGING

      as Europe, China, and the Middle East.

      DURING THE MIDDLE AGES,

      chivalry

      – A CODE OF RULES FOR GOOD MANNERS, POLITE BEHAVIOUR, AND BRAVERY – WAS VERY IMPORTANT IN EUROPEAN SOCIETY. UNICORNS BECAME THE

      ultimate symbol

      of chivalry for their power, purity, and grace.

      ‘Unicorn horns’

      WERE OFTEN EXTRAVAGANT GIFTS

      for kings, queens, and churches,

      COSTING THE EQUIVALENT OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OR POUNDS.

      CUPS SUPPOSEDLY MADE OF

      unicorn horn were highly prized

      DURING THE MIDDLE AGES. THESE DRINKING VESSELS WERE BELIEVED TO CURE ILLNESSES AND TO PROTECT THE OWNERS FROM POISONED DRINKS. IN REALITY, THEY WERE PROBABLY MADE OF

      rhinoceros or narwhal tusk.

      A recipe for

      how best to cook unicorn

      HAS EVEN BEEN DISCOVERED IN A

      medieval cookbook!

      THE 14TH-CENTURY COOKBOOK WAS DISCOVERED AT THE BRITISH LIBRARY AND EVEN INCLUDES ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE POOR CREATURE BEING

      roasted on a grill!

      Scotland’s national animal is the

      unicorn.

      IT WAS FIRST ADOPTED AS THE NATIONAL ANIMAL BY KING ROBERT WAY BACK IN THE 1300S. THE UNICORN WAS BELIEVED TO BE THE

      natural enemy of the lion –

      ENGLAND’S NATIONAL SYMBOL. THIS MADE IT THE NATURAL CHOICE OF SYMBOL FOR SCOTLAND, DEFIANT OF ITS NEIGHBOUR.

      The Lion and the Unicorn nursery rhyme

      ‘THE LION AND THE UNICORN WERE FIGHTING FOR THE CROWN,

      THE LION BEAT THE UNICORN ALL AROUND THE TOWN.

      SOME GAVE THEM WHITE BREAD, AND SOME GAVE THEM BROWN,

      SOME GAVE THEM PLUM CAKE AND DRUMMED THEM OUT OF TOWN.’

      IN 15TH-CENTURY SCOTLAND,

      golden coins

      WITH UNICORNS ON THE FLIPSIDE WERE USED. FIRST ISSUED IN 1486 BY KING JAMES III, THEY WERE SIMPLY CALLED

      ‘unicorns’ and ‘half-unicorns’.