Art
by Kwillowart.Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.
As early as 400 BCE and 370 CE, unicorns were seen as exotic and ferocious beasts. They were believed to be swift and uncatchable, only vulnerable when leading their foals to graze. If encountered, they would fight to the death to protect themselves and their foals. If used as a drinking vessel, unicorn horns could cure any illness and prevent poisoning.
Because of their rarity, unicorns were favored by nobility. For nobles, unicorn horns signaled wealth and prestige to their peers and rivals. They were either rich enough to afford it or brave enough to hunt one in the wild. For leaders, hunting a unicorn is a demonstration of dominance and control, showing their ruler’s ability to protect their subjects from any threat.
In Celtic culture, specifically in Scotland, unicorns symbolize power, untameability, and wildness. Coats of arms and crests often depict unicorns entrapped and bound with chains, symbolizing royal authority and the power of a king believed strong enough to subdue such a creature. In fantasy, it could be interpreted as a Rite of Passage or as part of a ceremony within their culture. Success in such a task signified that a person was the strongest, making them eligible to become their leader.
As such, unicorn horns, when displayed as trophies, conveyed power and exclusivity, reinforcing the elite status of their owner.
The motif is reflected in the wearer's jewelry, talismans, and other regalia. These adornments were believed to protect the wearer from poisoning, a common method of assassination within high society. As jewelry, the silver metals and bright, shiny colors are evocative of a unicorn's silver or white coat. Affiliation, guild, and signet rings featuring unicorn imagery can imply familial or clan associations with unicorns. Such symbolism reflects a belief that the bearer is powerful enough to subdue and dominate a unicorn. The golden chains that bind a unicorn symbolize a monarchy capable of ensnaring and capturing the beast, asserting its royal authority across its domain.
The symbolism of unicorn imagery can vary depending on its context. When paired with specific elements, the meaning changes accordingly. Because unicorns are traditionally depicted as woodland creatures, the silver tones found in jewelry pair well with green for nature-based royal characters, those who harmonize with nature, or desire to protect it. In that context, unicorns evoke a guardian of the forest, someone who will protect their lands at all costs. Silver also pairs well with blue for winter-based royalty, tragic characters who are likely to be pragmatic, resilient, and resourceful to survive the cold north. Their royal status could be evoked through unicorn ice sculptures. In this context, unicorns represent those destined to survive and lead their people through harsh environments.
Unicorns have a variety of symbolic meanings. As symbols of divine ordination, if a person was “chosen” by a unicorn, it signified that they were special and destined to do great things. Similarly, as symbols of divine favor, being chosen by a unicorn meant a person was divinely blessed and their lands would prosper. Among the medieval nobility, unicorns also symbolized courtly love—an idealized, often unattainable form of romance.
In stories, living unicorns often occupy positions of authority or serve as companions to rulers, symbolizing the leader’s virtue and moral integrity. As companions, unicorns also function as moral indicators: because they are associated with virginity and moral purity, their presence acts as a visual shorthand for a ruler being unquestionably good. When unicorns are portrayed as magical creatures, they often serve as the house animal of a Benevolent Mage Ruler or The Magocracy. Their strong associations with magic and religion further emphasize how unicorns reinforce the idea of divine birthright and royal authority within the kingdom.
Subtrope of Unicorn. Compare Unicorns Are Sacred, where killing or harming a unicorn is seen as a sign of irredeemable villainy. Compare Fierce Unicorn, where unicorns are ferocious beasts. Compare King of Beasts, which is about lions being in a position of authority. Contrast Absurdicorn where the unicorn is associated with less glamorous concepts. See also White Stallion. If the unicorn is used as a mount, it goes with Upper-Class Equestrian. Goes with Unicorn Hunting, where Unicorns are sought after for their blood, hair, horns, and magic.
Examples:
- Attack on Titan: The Military Police Brigade is an elite unit of the Walls' forces that are supposed to answer directly to and serve under the King, and their symbol is a green unicorn with a white horn and mane. They have an unfortunate tendency to be Well-Trained, but Inexperienced.
- Little Witch Academia: The brilliant but haughty Diana Cavendish and her wealthy family are connected with unicorns. The unicorn is the Cavendish Family's house animal, meant to represent their affinity for healing magic, and Diana even summons one during the Samhain Festival. Members of the family are often concerned with preserving their traditions and reputation.
- Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans: Gaelio Bauduin is a member of the Bauduin family, a wealthy family and one the 7 noble houses. After being betrayed by McGillis, Gaelio assumed the identity of "Vidar" to seek revenge. After revealing his identity, Gaelio's mobile suit, ASW-G-XX Gundam Vidar, changes to ASW-G-66 Gundam Kimaris Vidar, which has some unicorn characteristics in its design, as reflected by the drill and unicorn horn on the helmet.
- The LEGO Movie: Princess UniKitty is a pink unicorn-feline hybrid who is the ruler of Cloud Cuckooland.
- The Sword in the Stone: Used briefly at the London jousting tournament intended to end England's Succession Crisis following the death of Uther Pendragon: a golden-armored knight briefly seen competing has fitted his horse with a chanfron with a horn on it, making the destrier resemble a unicorn.
- Death of a Unicorn: The Leopolds are a wealthy family who exploit a unicorn foal for their own greedy purposes after discovering its blood can cure every known disease, disability, and condition. However, they are in danger once the adult unicorns arrive to get their foal back and are more than eager to slaughter anyone who stands between them and their foal.
- Chronicles of Amber: Even the royal family of Amber, with literally god-like powers, regard the unicorn as special. Oberon made the creature their crest after glimpsing one in a sacred grove.
- The Lion and the Unicorn, is a nursery rhyme that involves a unicorn fighting a lion for the title of "The King of Beasts", but unfortunately lost the fight to the lion.
- The Last Battle: Jewel is a unicorn and is the close friend of King Trian and wears a gold chain around his neck.
- The Last Unicorn:
- King Haggard possesses multiple unicorns because he believes they are the only things left in his life that can spark joy.
- A betrothed prince and princess believe that only a unicorn can approve of their relationship before they declare their engagement.
- The Once and Future King: In The Queen of Air and Darkness, the four sons of Queen Morgause hope to catch a unicorn to please their mother.
- Set Ablaze: The symbol of the Golden Hearts Kingdom is a unicorn, and there are carvings of unicorns all over the royal castle.
- Skandar and the Phantom Rider subverts the trope. The First Rider, who was once a peasant fisherman, narrates how surprised he was when a unicorn approached him: "Where I came from, unicorns were mythical beasts. They did not appear to dying young fishermen on far-flung beaches." As he soon discovered, the unicorns of Skandar are at least as rowdy, messy, and egalitarian as horses. A lot of unicorn riders come from impoverished backgrounds.
- Doctor Who: In "The Unicorn and the Wasp", the unicorn is a renowned jewellery thief who was posing as Robina Redmond, an elite socialite, to steal the jewel. Once her real identity is discovered, she drops her high-class speech pattern and speaks with her natural Cockney accent.
- Merlin (2008): In The Labyrinth Of Gedref, Merlin encounters a unicorn, but Arthur kills it on impulse and gives its horn as a gift to his father. Upon seeing it, Uther believes it will make Camelot the envy of the other kingdoms for having such a rare item.
- In a story from Highlights for Children, a king commissions a sculptor to create a statue for him of two unicorns. The sculptor catches two wild unicorns and keeps them in a stable, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't make a good statue because they will not pose magnificently, as they are so sad. The king is angry and threatens to have the sculptor executed if he can't finish the statue. The sculptor gives up and decides to let the unicorns go, and they look majestic as they rear their heads and gallop joyfully to freedom, giving him inspiration to make the statue as the king wants it.
- Forgotten Realms: Lurue the Unicorn is the queen of beasts and is worshipped by unicorns and other sentient creatures.
- The Glass Menagerie: The Wingfields are a wealthy family originating from Blue Mountain, Mississippi. Laura, the eldest daughter, lives in isolation because she's anxious and fragile with the outside world. Laura owns multiple figurines, including a glass unicorn. After Jim O'Connor accidentally breaks off its horn, he uses it as an allegory for Laura; she may be "broken" but in a way that makes her just as ordinary as everyone else.
- Ever After High: The tie-in book, The Storybook of Legends, reveals that Briar Beauty (who's parents are Sleeping Beauty and her prince, thus making her a princess) owns a pet unicorn named Divacorn.
- Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!: Lady Aurelia Hammerlock has a unicorn motif and is a wealthy aristocrat who likes 2 things; hunting animals and torturing her brother for kicks. Her reveal trailer features a title card with a unicorn emblem, and the white stripe at the front of her hair can be compared to a unicorn’s horn. Her name card also displays unicorn heads.
- Final Fantasy XIV: Of the four High Houses of Ishgard, House Fortemps is the only one to bear an animal as their crest, the unicorn. According to history, the unicorn is what led the Elezens to where Camp Dragonhead stands today. Unlike the other High Houses, House Fortemps tend to get involved with outsiders even before Ishgard finally opened its gates to the outside world again. They are also allies to the Warrior of Light and their friends where the other Houses are antagonistic at best.
- Heroes of Might and Magic: The Unicorn Duchy, who bear a shining white and blue unicorn heraldry, serves as one of the Holy Empire's seven territories, ruled by the Unicorn family, guardians and protectors of a Tear of Asha. However, following the fall of the Griffin Line, the Duchy takes the reins and becomes the new royal line of the Holy Empire.
- South Park: The Stick of Truth: Princess Kenny is accompanied by various unicorn imagery and will incorporate them into gameplay, with Unicorn Stampede being one of her attacks.
- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Tiny Tina imagines the leader as a Pandoracorn called ‘Queen Butt Stallion,’ who has two unicorn horns.
- Unicorn Overlord: The unicorn is the heraldic animal of the Kingdom of Cornia, of course. In addition, the unicorn is central to the piety of the Palevian Orthodoxy, the largest religious organization in the continent of Fevrith.
- Valkyria Chronicles: The unicorn is the Principality of Gallia's national animal, which is seen decorated in its flag and military insignia. Its horn resembles the Valkyrur's lance, which denotes the Gallian royal family's connection to the Valkyrur or so they claim. In addition, the northwestern part of their country resembles a unicorn's head.
- Cirque Royale: Zigzagged with King Hemlock and Princess Valeria of the Unicorn Kingdom. While they're the ruling king and princess, everyone in their kingdom is a unicorn, not just the two of them.
- Magi Stream: Aericorns are pets of the nobles in Synara City, and it is said that every noble owns at least one. They hold shows once a year to display the most beautiful of the aericorns.
- PBS Digital has a YouTube series called Monstrum (on the Storied channel) that explains why unicorn horns were highly valued and treasured by high society. Unicorn horns were seen as luxuary item that indicated status. Unicorn horns were also believed to cure illnesses and poisoning when used as a drinking vessel.
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
- Equestria's capital city, Canterlot, is mostly inhabited by posh unicorns who wear haute couture and go to expensive parties. It's also home to the prestigious School for Gifted Unicorns.
- In "Hearth's Warming Eve", it's established that unicorns used to behave like aristocratic royalty who prided their magical abilities to the point they saw the other pony races as beneath them—labelling Earth ponies as 'dirty peasants' and the Pegasi as 'ruffians'.
- The Simpsons:
- In "Three Dreams Denied", Bart voices a princess in a series called "Cookie Castle". Although he's initially dismayed for voicing a girly character, he perks up after seeing the second episode, where she becomes a queen and rides a unicorn to kill multiple people.
- In "Rosebud", Mr. Burns receives hundreds of gifts for his birthday, including a unicorn that starts munching on some of them. Still, he doesn't seem to enjoy even one of his presents, as his thoughts were only on his lost teddy bear, Bobo.
- Star vs. the Forces of Evil:
- The Butterfly family is the ruling monarchs of Mewni; they possess the Royal Magic Wand—an ancestral heirloom passed down through generations and powered by a unicorn.
- The Pony Head family is the ruling family of the Cloud Kingdom. King Pony Head and his daughters resemble the floating heads and necks of unicorns.
- Unicorns were frequently commodified in high society as symbols of status. Aristocrats prized unicorn horns as luxury items that conveyed wealth and distinction. Collectors regarded a unicorn horn as proof of owning something unattainable. In 1638, Ole Worm, a Danish zoologist, discovered that these horns were in fact derived from narwhals.
- Scotland
- In Celtic culture, unicorns symbolize power, untameability, and wildness. The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. As a coat of arms, a unicorn indicated a leader who was strong or clever enough to capture one.
- Mary of Scotland has a coat of arms that features 2 unicorns on it. It is on display at Falkland Palace
- On the gates of Palace of Holyroodhouse, there is a unicorn on a heraldic shield.
- There is a stained glass window featuring a unicorn at St Giles’ Cathedral, as well as various woodcarvings of unicorns.
- Among royal families, unicorns appeared as decorative motifs in jewelry and regalia.
- As part of the 1603 Union of the Crowns, King James I commissioned a crest featuring a lion and a unicorn to symbolize the union of England and Scotland.
- Queen Elizabeth I owned and drank from a cup that was believed to have been made from unicorn horns. She drank from this cup because she believed it could detect poison.
- In 1533, Pope Clement VII gave King Francis I of France a unicorn horn decorated in gold as a gift at his wedding to Catherine de' Medici.
- In Denmark, the Coronation Chair was initially believed to be made out of genuine unicorn horns.
- The Church Treasury of St. Mark in Venice was believed to have 2-3 unicorn horns.
- In the 15th century, Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, had a weapon called the "Unicorn Sword" because its hilt and scabbard were believed to have been made from unicorn horns. It was decorated with gold, pearls, rubies, and silver, and is now kept in the Imperial Treasury of Vienna.