Unicorn Myths

Searching for unicorn myths is a bit like searching for unicorns themselves.  Before you even begin the hunt, you don't expect to find anything.

The truth is, unlike almost every single other mythical creature, the unicorn does not appear anywhere in any culture's actual mythology.  That is to say, plenty of Greek scholars believed that unicorns existed, but the unicorn itself does not come from Greek mythology.  There are no tales of gods riding unicorns or legends of unicorns fighting monsters.  

To put it simply, as far as ancient myths are concerned, there is no such thing as 'unicorn mythology'.

Greek scholars actually believed that this creature was real, and that it made its home in India.  At the time, India was a little known distant land that seemed magical and mysterious to the ancient Greeks and Romans.  Fittingly, the unicorn was seen as a mystical and mysterious creature who commanded great respect and power.

This is not unlike the griffin, who many ancient Greeks also believed came from India.  And like the griffin, very few specific tales can be told about the unicorn, despite its popularity around the world.

The strangest part has to be the fact that ancient scholars believed that unicorns were real.  While this is true of other mythical creatures, unicorns are unique in that they aren't from mythology.  For example, ancient people might believe that a Pegasus, the winged horse of Bellerophon, was real because there was a specific myth that spoke of him.  The unicorn, on the other hand, has no such myth, so where does the belief in unicorns come from?

Some historians speculate that ancient carvings depicting bulls or goats may have something to do with it.  Those creatures both have horns, but obviously they have two horns while the unicorn only has one.  The carvings in question, though, show the animals depicted from a perfect side-view, which makes it appear that the creature had a single horn coming from its forehead.

This theory is furthered by the early depictions of unicorns having goat-like cloven hooves and beards.  This very well could be where the legends began.

One scholar pointed out another interesting fact about unicorns - they are possibly the only mythical creature that is not based on human fears.  Unicorns are not monsters.  Anytime they are spoken of in ancient texts they are revered and respected.  They are strong, solitary animals who seek to do good for all around them.  Never does a unicorn pose a threat to humans, or any other creature that does not seek first to harm them.

It's interesting because the myth of the existence of unicorns is so widespread, that even if we assume that the carvings explain where unicorn myths came from, it still doesn't explain why they continued for so long.  Notice that I haven't even described what a unicorn is.  I just assume that you know because... who doesn't know what a unicorn is?

For a creature that came from nowhere, never really existed, and has no real origin, the unicorn has lasted an unbelievable amount of time in the imaginations of the human race.  There really is no parallel, other than maybe the griffin, but even then not to the same degree.

So I had an idea to invite visitors of this site to make up some unicorn myths of their own?  The following are the submissions from that experiment.  There's got to be someone who can tell a good unicorn legend, even if the ancient myth writers couldn't.


Stories From Visitors

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

How the Unicorn Got Its Horn 
The goddess Athena was particularly fond of 12 of her worshippers that looked after one of her temples deep in the forest at the foot of a huge, rocky …

How the Unicorn Came To Earth 
The Unicorn in not like other mythical creatures who are born of earth, the Unicorn comes from the home of the gods, Olympus. It was there in the heavens …

Tiffani and the Unicorn 
There once was a young farmer's daughter named Tiffani who was very kind and very pretty with long curly brown hair. One day she found a baby bird lost, …

I've Met the Man Who Breeds Unicorns... 
I will explain it to you now as I have come to understand it. There is a man named Oberon Zell whom not only breeds Unicorns, but he has the patent to …

The Maiden's Hardened Heart 
As every great tale starts, this one begins with a maiden (virgin). The maiden was the only child of a wealthy merchant and his wife. She was …

Unicorns 
Unicorns are a lost species that were hunted to extinction thousands of years ago. They were first created when Artemis, the goddess of animals, was tricked …

The Story Of Atrenipaloloa 
Once many years ago, there was a river of wine. Born from the enchanted wine was Terphonagao and Artumetlisopoa. They were the first Unicorns. They birthed …

The Unicorn Of Heatherbridge Hill 
"Once up on Heatherbridge Hill, I saw a Unicorn." said Jess's grandpa. "But there is no such things as unicorns!" protested Jess. Her grandpa told her …

The Horse and the Antelope 
It was a dark day, and the Inuktituk people were not impressed with the lack of antelope to feed their families. They did not have alot to begin with since …

Unicorns of the Sea God 
The fluidity in the movement and the soft, kind and emotional nature of unicorns that are as sensitive to feelings as a bubble is to touch - all stem from …

The Black One 
None were black. None of them expected this. 'Twas only spoken of in their legends. The Black Unicorn. She was born from Rage, a paint unicorn, and Lust, …

The Creation of Unicorns 
Many years ago an Italian man fell in love with a woman called Riatu. The man, named Adriano, fell into great dispair when Riatu married his brother Habicho. …

The Coming Of The Unicorns 
Unicorns came from a place where we not know of. They are amazing creature with power beyond imagined. The Unicorns came from the half-goats half-horses. …

The legend of Zah'ro 
Zah'ro was an evil and greedy man. He tied women up for days without food or water until they finally died. He went to bars and had bar fights regularly. …

Legend of the One-Horns! 
Long ago the battle of good and evil raged on. Evil was taking the upper hand. Humans began to act like animals and demons began taking over human souls! …

Hera's Secret. 
The creature in question, commonly known as the "unicorn" is known as a, usually, white horse with a majestic horn upon its forehead. They were never seen …

The First Unicorn Emerges 
I looked upon the magnificent beast before me, although I don't think beast was the right word. Beasts are nightmares born into reality, but this ... …

Unicorns Habitat 
They live in Narnia or Neverland.


Return from Unicorn Myths to the List of Mythical Creatures.

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