The Fierce Mythical Unicorn Travelled the World and Through Cultures, Killing and Healing

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The magical unicorn, legend around the world.

The Fierce Mythical Unicorn Travelled the World and Through Cultures, Killing and Healing

Legend speaks of a powerful creature, a wild beast that is both an unpredictable, deadly foe and a gentle and innocent spirit. The unicorn, a creature with a single, spiraling horn centered on its forehead has become one of the most popular and enduring of mythological creatures. Like dragons, they are unique legendary figures with an image that is instantly recognizable all over the globe, with tales reaching back through ancient epochs.

Stemming from text mistranslations and misunderstood travelers’ tales, stories of the elusive creatures cemented their place in ancient record and oral traditions, demonstrating a long and rich history in legend since antiquity, and which continues today in modern popular culture. The modern mythical beast is now generally described as a perfect white steed with a tapering horn projecting from its forehead. It is said to be beautiful, pure, and magical, which visits or defends young girls specifically.

At once time, however, the unicorn was not the lovely creature we know today. Rugged, beastly, four-legged animals with a dangerous horn and strange powers were described by various ancient writers in accounts of natural history.

The Virgin and the Unicorn, 1620.


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