Are Unicorns Real?

Unicorns are creatures found in legends all over the world. They are famous in children's literature and fairy tales.

In this story we are going try and unveil this mystery behind these mythic beasts, so hop on as we go on a journey to see whether unicorns are real!

To open the gates of discussion, let's see what exactly a unicorn is, and what makes it so magnificent. Unicorns are mythical creatures, and traditionally has been described as having a billy goat beard, the tail of a lion, and cloven hooves. The popular perception of unicorns is that of a horse with a single horn on its forehead.

This mythical creature has got a mention in almost all the ancient scriptures. But contrary to common belief, they are not found in Greek mythology. Instead, they have got a mention in natural history. In every age, there has been a different interpretation and varied mention of this beautiful creature.

One thing was sure, though: in every age, its strength, wildness, and ferocity was never doubted. Legend has it that unicorn's horns have magical healing powers. This horn is called alicorn.

If mixed into a potion, the dust from the horn was considered to be protective against deadly diseases, and its blood provided long life. This is precisely the reason Lord Voldemort had to kill a unicorn, incidentally.

Unicorns have been believed to be a symbol of chastity, virginity, and purity, and they were supposed to be extremely proud and untamed. It was once said that only a virgin, equally chaste and pure, would be able to tame this creature.

No proof was found supporting their existence in the contemporary world. However, the belief that unicorns are real was very much prevalent in England even until the 1700s. Medieval pharmacists, in fact, devised some ways to check whether unicorns are real or fake.

For instance, if you place scorpions under a dish with a piece of horn and the scorpions die in a few hours, the horn was considered a genuine unicorn horn.

A couple of years back, there was a report of a deer from the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, near Florence, having a genetic flaw resulting in one horn growing in the center of its head. It was actually a roe deer.

So this genetic defect may prove to be a plausible answer to the dilemma of whether unicorns are real or imaginary. Even when these were seemingly spotted in ancient times, it could have been a genetic defect, which then was not known, obviously, because genetics and life science was non-existent.

So, in the end, it is for you to decide! I would like to believe they are real just for the desire of seeing such awesome creatures! But my brain tells me that after all it is a mythical creature.

It is actually good that there has been no concrete proof of it being existent, because otherwise, it would surely have become extinct due to the sheer greed of us humans. If not the scriptures, that would certainly have made them mythical!