37 Unicorn Facts to Astonish You
Did you know that one in four unicorns can speak, or that unicorn is the national animal of Scotland? These 37 unicorn facts will astonish you!
1. A Baby Unicorn Is Called a Sparkle.
Baby unicorns are often depicted as having a magical aura that sparkles and shimmers. This is especially true of baby unicorns, who are said to be even more magical than their adult counterparts.
A baby unicorn sitting on a swing in a magical forest. View more pictures of cute unicorns.
In addition to Sparkle, baby unicorns are sometimes called Shimmers, Starlights, and Moonbeams. These names all reflect the magical and ethereal nature of these creatures.
2. Unicorns Don’t Need Food to Survive.
Unicorns are mythical creatures, and their mythical nature allows them to have many magical abilities, including the ability to survive without food. While unicorns don’t need food, they certainly like eating.
There are a few different theories about how unicorns might survive without food. One theory is that they can absorb energy from the sun and other natural sources with their horn. Another theory is that they have a special digestive system that allows them to extract nutrients from the air or water. Still, another theory is that they can photosynthesize, like plants.
In addition to not needing food, unicorns are also said to have several other magical abilities, such as the power to heal, the ability to fly, and the ability to understand human language. These abilities make them even more powerful and mysterious creatures.
3. The Unicorn Is the National Animal of Scotland.
Scotland chose the unicorn as its national animal because of its association with purity and strength. In Scottish mythology, the unicorn is also associated with the royal family.
In addition to its cultural significance, the unicorn is a popular symbol of Scotland. It can be found on everything from postage stamps to souvenir t-shirts and is featured in many popular songs and poems. Here’s where you can find unicorns in Scotland.
4. National Unicorn Day Is Celebrated on April 9th.
National Unicorn Day is a day to celebrate all things unicorn. People participate by dressing up in unicorn costumes, throwing unicorn parties, and enjoying unicorn-themed activities. It’s a great day to learn more about unicorns and their cultural significance.
5. Unicorns Live in Small Family Groups.
Unicorns usually live in small family groups consisting of four to five family members. This can be a family with parents and their foals, or a group of unicorns can be formed by grown-up unicorns.
6. Unicorn Tears Are Healing.
Unicorn tears are magical, and they have healing powers. However, unicorns hardly ever cry, so unicorn tears are extremely rare.
7. Unicorn Blood Is Healing.
Unicorn blood is healing too, as we have learned in the first novel of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. In this novel, Harry Potter found a dead unicorn Voldemort had killed. Voldemort used the unicorn’s blood to regain his powers.
We also learned from Harry Potter, that killing something as innocent as a unicorn curses you for the rest of your life.
So, killing a unicorn for its blood is not worth it, and who would do such a horrible thing anyway? (Well, Voldemort would.)
8. Unicorn Mane and Tail Hair Have Healing Properties.
Even unicorns’ mane and tail hair are healing, and you can make indestructible clothes of them.
But unicorn hair is more powerful if the unicorn has given its hair to you willingly, compared to a unicorn hair you took from a unicorn without its permission, or one that you found accidentally.
9. Harz Mountains Region in Germany Is Known for Unicorn Sightings.
With forests, mountains, and meadows being prime habitats for unicorns it is no surprise that sightings have occurred in the Harz Mountains in Germany.
10. One in Four Unicorns Can Speak.
Unicorns can understand any human language, so you can speak to a unicorn in your own native language. However, only one in hour unicorns can speak in human languages.
11. Unicorns Are Capable of Telepathy.
Even the unicorns that can’t speak are able to use telepathy for communication.
12. A Winged Unicorn is an Offspring of a Unicorn and a Pegasus.
A winged unicorn, a unicorn with wings that is able to fly, is born, when a unicorn and Pegasus mate.
13. Cteasias Described a “One-Horned Wild Ass” in 5th Century BC and Brought the Unicorn Myth to Europe.
In his piece of work Indica, Ctesias described a “one-horned wild-ass” with white bodies, dark red heads, and blue eyes. Although the mysterious wild-ass was nothing like the modern unicorn myth, that was the beginning of the unicorn myth in Western culture.
14. Cosmas Indicopleustes Described the Unicorn Horn as a Kind of Airbag in the 6th Century.
Cosmas Indicopleustes, a Greek traveler living in the 6th century, described a unicorn as an invincible creature. According to Indicopleustes, a unicorn’s power was in its horn.
His theory was, that a unicorn would jump off a cliff to escape from hunters. The unicorn would fall on its head and its horn would cushion the shock like an airbag.
15. Unicorns Can Purify Water with Their Horn.
According to legend, unicorns can cleanse any water source by dipping their horns into the liquid, making it safe and healthy for drinking.
16. Unicorns Are Mentioned 9 Times in the King James Version of the Bible.
17. Prophet Daniel Had Visions of Unicorns.
18. According to a Legend, Genghis Khan Met a Real Unicorn in 1224.
The unicorn spoke to Genghis Khan in his father’s voice and convinced him to call off the invasion of India.
19. According to an Old Myth, a Lion Can Only Beat a Unicorn by Standing in Front of a Tree.
The unicorn would charge at the lion, the lion would jump off at the last minute and the unicorn’s horn would get stuck in the tree.
20. The Chinese Unicorn Is Called Qilin.
The Chinese unicorn is a dragon-like creature that avoids harming any life forms.
21. The Middle-Eastern Unicorn Is Called Karkadann.
Karkadann is a fierce but benevolent creature. It loves all women, not just virgins like the Western unicorn traditionally does.
22. Siberian Unicorn Was a Real Animal.
The Siberian unicorn was a prehistoric rhinoceros that existed until up to 35,000 years ago. It had a horn on its forehead like a unicorn.
23. Narwhal Is Called “the Unicorn of the Sea”.
24. There Is a Vintage “Unicorn Car” Called La Licorne.
The French unicorn car La Licorne was advertised with unicorns, and the unicorn was its official emblem.
25. The Unicorn Horn Is Called Alicorn.
26. Marco Polo Claimed He Saw a Unicorn.
Apparently, the “unicorn” he met was actually a rhino.
27. Unicorns Are Symbols of Purity, Innocence, and Magic.
28. Unicorns Can Tell the Truth from a Lie.
29. Unicorns Can Grant Wishes.
Unicorns only grant unselfish wishes, and you have to ask politely.
30. Antarctica Is the Only Continent Where Unicorns Can’t Be Found at all.
31. Unicorns Are Traditionally White, but They Can Be Any Color.
32. The Japanese Unicorn Is Called Kirin.
Kirin is a holy and gentle animal, and it is the most powerful mythical creature in Japan.
33. Unicorns Can Run at the Speed of Sound.
34. Unicorns Live for Hundreds of Years.
35. You Should Not Give Unicorn a Mirror.
Unicorns can get stuck in front of a mirror because they can’t stop looking at their own beautiful reflection.
36. Unicorns Rarely Allow People to Ride Them.
When they do, they normally only accept young girls or virgins.
37. Unicorns Need Sleep, but Only a Couple of Hours a Day.
Which Unicorn Fact Astonished You the Most?
These were the amazing unicorn facts I wanted to share with you. Which unicorn fact astonished you the most? Please let me know in the comment section below!
Lots of cool facts here, but I actually didn’t know Scotland’s national animal is the unicorn. I also didn’t know that the Siberian Unicorn existed. I just looked it up to see what it looked like and it kind of looks terrifying compared to what unicorns are portrayed as today lol. Looks fascinating, but wouldn’t want to cross paths with one in the wild, if they were still around.
Hi Nate,
You´re right, the Siberian unicorn wasn’t very pretty. It looked like a rhino, but actually uglier than a rhino, because I think rhinos are kind of cute. Like many animals in the Ice Age, the Siberian unicorn was huge and hairy. The only reason they call it a “unicorn” is the horn on its forehead.
Okay, I took the test and got 6 of 7 correct (only one in 4 can speak with humans?). That is actually better than I thought I would do. I guess all those hours playing with the girls so many years ago when they were young daughters learning about the world stuck!
It could be that I am just lucky too because I think the girls used to make up the rules for the unicorns and what powers they had and what they could do. They were very powerful as I remember! Much more than the real unicorns perhaps, but we together decided that our unicorns were special.
The quiz was a fun activity and although I did not share it I got a lot of enjoyment from this post. I am a better unicorn fan from the quiz and a better informed one too. Thanks for making my day, and that is yet another power that unicorns have (brighten your day!)…
Hello Dave,
Well done, 6 out of 7 is an excellent result! Thanks for sharing it with us.
I´m sure you’ve learnt a lot about unicorns from your daughters. Even if your daughters made up some of the unicorn powers, they actually might have been right about them, because each unicorn has unique powers. Some unicorns might have powers we don’t even know about. The unicorn power you mentioned, brightening your day, is probably my favorite!
Unicorns are very popular right now. I think it’s because we need to believe in magic in theses troubled and turbulent times.
It does make you wonder if there were such actual living creatures as pictures were found in early Mesopotamian artworks. There were also references to them in ancient myths of China and India.
Stories about them supposedly began 2,000 years ago in ancient Greece. So there must have been something similar living in ancient times.
Thank you, I enjoyed the post, very interesting.
I agree, in the modern world with so many problems we need unicorn magic more than ever.
Yes, in ancient Greece unicorns were mentioned as part of natural history. So, they were considered real animals. Some of the old unicorn references were actually rhinos; people didn’t know what unicorns look like, so they confused rhinos with unicorns. But maybe there were some other animals too, animals that were more like how we imagine unicorns.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. 🙂
My daughter’s friend loved rhinos and thought of them as magical. I looked up Fueng shui and Chinese lore and indeed rhinos are protective of young daughters. Similar in appearance to Siberian unicorn, and some protection magic too. Afterwards I bought my daughter a pair of carved rhino to hang by her window protecting her in her sleep. The one horned animals seem to be viewed as rare. The modern unicorn is gorgeous, sparkly, mythical, magical, and helps bring romance and fantasy into our lives.🦄
Wow, I didn’t know rhinos have protective magic too. It makes sense, since they were an inspiration for the unicorn myth in the first place. Thanks for sharing!
How charmingly whimsical.
So, I am curious… how often are new unicorns born? Did they originate in Scotland? How widespread over the world are they? Do they only live in colder climates? Do they stay with one partner for life? What kind of magic can they do? Are they really angels’ messengers?
I guess I have to bookmark this site and check back by for the answers.
A life well lived needs whimsey. I appreciate this work.
Mike
Thanks, Mike!
I haven´t found the answer how often new unicorns are born. I just know they are not born very often, because the right circumstances don´t take place too often. However, unicorns do live quite long, at least hundreds of years.
Unicorns didn’t originate from Scotland. There are different stories about the first unicorns. According to one I have heard, the first unicorns were born in Himalayas.
Unicorns live around the world, even in cold climate. They even live here in Finland. Unicorns are most widespread in Europe. They also live in North and South America, East and South East Asia, India, Africa, Arabian peninsula and Australia. So, they exist on every continent, except for Antarctica.
As far as I´m aware of, unicorns do live their whole lives with one partner, when they find the right one.
Each unicorn has unique magical powers, but the common ones include ability to purify water, healing wounds and illnesses, granting wishes, extraordinary speed and strength, ability to run for days without exhaustion and ability to get energy directly from the sun.
No, unicorns are not angels’ messengers. Unicorns make their own decisions and live according to their own guidelines, which are, of course, very pure and noble.