U Is For Unicorn

The unicorn is a mythological animal, whose spiral horn resembles the one found on the narwhal, a sea creature related to whales.

These myths are often based on occurrences in nature where horned animals are born with mutations that leave them with only one horn. You can find references to unicorns in many different world cultures and there have even been instances in the modern day when people purposely have worked to create them.

The unicorn is quite a unique creature, even in the world of myth from which it comes. Described as having the tail of a lion, the beard and hooves of a goat, yet the body of a horse, the unicorn is crowned with a singular horn growing from the center of its forehead. The word "unicorn" comes from the Latin meaning "one-horned."

Sometimes stories about unicorns have them male and female like other animals and sometimes there is only one unicorn and they don't say which it is.

It is often symbolic of purity, which is emphasized by its solitary depiction and white color. It is often said of unicorns that they can only be captured or tamed by virgin girls.

The unicorn is written about in Chinese and Western mythologies. In reality, it's horn most closely resembles that of the whale the narwhal.

Unicorns are considered by some to be mythological, and by others as being real. What do you think?

There's a lot of debate about if unicorns are "real" or not. Here's your chance to share what you think...

Do you believe in unicorns?