The Unicorn is the only fabulous beast conceived not out of human fear but as the sole single creation of mankind’s fertile, positive and ever hopeful imagination, a legendary creature whose power is exceeded only by its mystery. Fierce yet good, a symbol of strength, endurance, agility, perseverance, wisdom and playfulness, Unicorns are selfless yet solitary, a wild and untamable animal symbol of purity, hope, love and majesty, grace, finesse, and unconquerable nature.¹

To find the Unicorn again we must unlearn old lessons, seek new paths to familiar destinations, stop and listen to guidance we have ceased to hear and look deep within ourselves for right answers.

Men of the Middle Ages found the Unicorn in a natural truth, purity and love that has been lost in technology of today.

The Chinese Unicorn is K'i-lin, a symbol of wisdom and moderation whose birth foreshadows the arrival of a great leader and whose appearance inspired Fu Hsi to create the Chinese written language, circa 2900 BC.

In Japan, Unicorns are the Sin-you, known for its ability to know right from wrong and often called upon to determine the guilt or innocence of accused persons.

Middle Eastern Unicorns, the Karkadann, were fierce animals with magical abilities. They could be mild and tender hearted; when they put their head in water, the water would become pure and fruitful, opposites would unite, and any evil within the water would die and be cast out. ²

The ancient Greeks were convinced of Unicorns existence, found in the fantastic distant realm of India, as mentioned by Ctesias and Aristotle. Pliny the Great describes the one horned beast as a very fierce animal with a single black horn, which projects from the middle of its forehead, two cubits in length.³

To the ancient Hebrew, the Unicorn is the Re'em, a symbol of a wild, untamable animal with great strength and agility.⁴

An Assyria Unicorn, Rimu, is depicted as a powerful, fierce, wild mountain beast with one large horn and is found often in ancient Mesopotamian art.⁵

Biblically, the book of Job asks us: “Will the Unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? Wilt thou leave thy labour to him?^"6

The royal throne of Denmark was made of "Unicorn horns", to capture the magical properties said to be within them, including the ability to neutralize poison.⁷

In heraldry, the Unicorn is invariably shown collared with a broken chain attached, showing that it has broken free from bondage and cannot be taken again, forever remaining free of artificial limits set by man.⁸

When James I ascended to the English throne in 1603, the heraldic Unicorn and Lion represented the union of two formerly warring nations and showed a new order of things supported by the balanced forces of nature, sun and moon in harmony.

Found also on the royal arms of Scotland and the United Kingdom, two Unicorns support the Scottish arms; a lion and a unicorn support the UK arms.⁹

References:  Sources of Unicorn History

1. Mayer, Marianna. The Unicorn and the Lake (1961) and Odell Shepard, The Lore of the Unicorn. (1930)

2. Beer, Rüdiger Robert. Unicorn: Myth and Reality (1977).

3. Ctesias (390 BC) “45” and Indica – Pliny (before 79 AD) "8.31", Natural History translated by John Bostock (1922)

4. Jewish Encyclopedia

5. Encyclopaedia Britannica: "Unicorn"

6. King James Bible

7. Gotfredsen, Lise. The Unicorn (1999)

8. Friar, Stephen. A New Dictionary of Heraldry (1987)

9. Brown, Robert. The Unicorn: A Mythological Investigation (1881)