A Visual History of the Unicorn

Are unicorns real? Yes and no. Unicorns have been a part of human culture for thousands of years, but they're not what they used to be. Once upon a time, unicorns were seen as fierce creatures that only the cleverest hunters could catch. But now, in our modern world where everything is stamped with a big fat "Unicorn" label and sold on Etsy for $10, unicorns are seen as nothing more than tacky and immature symbols. 

The idea that unicorns were immature was all around me when I was just a kid. I remember when my older sister told my mom she liked unicorns and from that point forward every single holiday and birthday she was given unicorn gifts–stuffed animals, action figures, bracelets, pillows, posters etc. Soon other family members and friends were buying her unicorn-related gifts. There was literally no end to the kind of gifts my mom could find that had an image of a unicorn on it. 

But over the years, after watching my sister open unicorn gift after unicorn gift, I became a reluctant fan of the unicorn and felt a little envious of her stock pile of unicorn madness. I started to see what people found so fascinating about unicorns and, if you look at history, you’ll see that this fascination with horned horses isn’t new or a fad. Mankind has been obsessed with unicorns for over a millenia. 

With this in mind, I thought it might be the perfect time to take a visual look at the evolution of this mythical creature throughout history. For the remainder of this post, we’ll look at the origins of the unicorn, how its image has changed over time, and also discuss today’s resurgence of unicorn “madness.” I hope you find this visual history of the unicorn as fascinating as its subject matter. 

What Is it About Unicorns that We Find So Fascinating?

To begin, we should say that the underlying fascination with the unicorn stems from its dual iconography throughout history. While on the one hand, the unicorn has become something of a symbol of purity, innocence, and grace associated with Christ, the Virgin Mary, and virginity, on the other hand, unicorns have also historically symbolized evil–as creatures who bring death and destruction wherever they go.

While this iconography suggests that unicorns were two-dimensional creatures not capable of complexity, recent evidence uncovered not only suggests that there is more to the unicorn than mere mythography and that they were much more complicated that we give them credit for.

Are Unicorns Real? Yes and No.

So with all this debate, the real question is: are unicorns real? Yes and no.

Yes: In 2016, scientists discovered their fossils in Siberia. This really happened. 

No: They don't look like the ones we imagined in art or mythology. Their horns were made of bone and they had four toes on each foot with hooves—not one long horn-like you might have envisioned as a kid. These creatures lived 29,000 years ago during the last glacial period when temperatures were extremely cold, but not as cold as it gets today (and even colder than that!). In fact, the Siberian Unicorn stood 6 feet 6 inches tall, was 15 feet tall, and weighed about 8,000 pounds—which is about two times larger than an African elephant!

Why does this matter? Because it shows how much we still need to learn about our world of nature—and how much there is still left for us to discover.

Do you love unicorn art? Why not make your own?

Try our unicorn coloring page with a rose crown :)

Although Unicorns Were Real, They Disappeared Before History Essentially Began

If unicorns did wander around anywhere near Europe during prehistory or antiquity, they're likely to have gone extinct long before anyone thought to write about them. In fact, the only evidence of their existence that's been discovered so far is a painting on a cave wall in France and some pottery from Cyprus.

The unicorn was first mentioned in Western literature by Ctesias who served as physician to Artaxerxes II of Persia. Ctesias was a Greek physician in the fifth century BCE who wrote about his observations of India and Persia, including discussions of mythical creatures such as the griffin, hippocamelus (a deer with one horn), and the unicorn. He also wrote an account called Indica describing India: "There is moreover an animal which surpasses in fleetness all other animals I know and it has the body of a horse; but its head resembles that of a panther; it has teeth like those of a boar, tusks like those of a wild boar; its voice too is deep and resonant." While there is some debate regarding whether or not this creature actually existed, Ctesias’ account includes details that suggest he believed in its existence: “Its body is all white but has black stripes across it like those on panther skins; its head too has a black star between its brows."

Ctesias may not be considered reliable today (he also claimed there were eight-foot-tall ants with ten inch long stingers), but he was believed at least until the Roman period.

Additionally, the naturalists Pliny the Elder (CE 77–79) and Oppian of Corycus (flourished CE 180) wrote about the unicorn in their classic natural histories, citing Ctesias' accounts. Both Pliny and Oppian described it as an extremely wild woodland creature with a single horn on its forehead that could pierce through anything.

Pliny also mentioned that some people believed the unicorn was nothing more than an ordinary creature covered with horns to make it seem like something special or magical. He believed that this may be true because there were many different sizes of horns found at different places where unicorns had been known to live.

Unicorn Symbolism Throughout History

But the unicorn has also been used to symbolize many other things throughout history, including Christ.

As mentioned earlier, the unicorn has been traditionally described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be captured by a virgin, likely due to the fact the unicorn was associated with Christ and the Virgin Mary. In fact, it's believed that many artists used the unicorn to represent these two figures in their work.

In one such example from 1495, an artist named Jean Fouquet painted two unicorns on a tapestry for King Charles VII of France (1422-1461). He also included two other animals: a lion (another symbol of Christ) and a salamander (a mythical fire-breathing dragon). The king loved this piece so much he kept it in his bedroom.

In the Middle Ages, when it was believed that God would take on human form to die for our sins, a popular theory was that he would come as a white horse. This imagery later evolved into St George slaying a dragon and being depicted on horseback (which explains why many paintings of Jesus Christ depict him riding a white horse).

When art historians look at these images today, they can see how this association with purity and grace led to its use as an icon for virginity in medieval religious artwork—especially since unicorns were believed not only to be pure as virgins, but also able to purify anything they touched.

Unicorns Also Played a Role in the Early Church

The unicorn has played a role in the early Church. The Bible mentions unicorns, and early Christians believed that their appearance was associated with the second coming of Christ. In the 6th century, Saint Isidore of Seville explicitly describes unicorns as a symbol of purity and grace.

In medieval times, unicorns were often depicted on cathedral windows along with other mythical creatures such as griffins and dragons. The unicorn appears on some coats-of-arms throughout history—including those of King Richard I and Queen Elizabeth II.

By the 18th century, belief in unicorns began to fade largely due to the fact that as the world became more heavily explored, travelers were unable to find evidence of their existence. 

Many Artists Have Used the Mythical Horned Beast in their Paintings, such as Leonardo da Vinci

Humanity’s fascination with unicorns is the reason why they've been depicted  in art for centuries. Artists from Leonardo da Vinci to Raphael have incorporated them into their work. From fine art to illustration, the unicorn has been captured in almost every medium. Here are just a few famous examples of visual art featuring unicorns. 

Northumberland Bestiary (1260)

Leonardo Da Vinci’s  Maiden with a Unicorn (1480)

Unicorn Tapestries The Lady and the Unicorn (1495)

Raphael’s Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn (1505)

Albrecht Dürer’s Abduction on a Unicorn (1516)

Edward Topsell’s 17th-Century Woodcut from The History of Four-footed Beasts and Serpents

Domenchino’s Virgin with a Unicorn (1605)

Gustave Moreau’s Les Licornes (1887)

At Chub & Bug, we’ve also been fascinated by the unicorn and have developed several illustrations and artworks devoted to the unicorn. 

Our favorite is our unicorn painting called Purity, which is perfect wall art for a girl's baby nursery or a kids room or playroom

[Purchase Painting]

Over Time, Humans Have Turned Unicorns into Nearly Every Type of Creature Imaginable—from Fierce Predators to Cuddly Companions

Although we’re used to thinking of unicorns as just a pretty white horse with a single horn, over time, humans have turned unicorns into nearly every type of creature imaginable—from fierce predators to cuddly companions. The idea of an alternative, fierce unicorn can be traced back at least as far as ancient Greece, where the unicorn was thought to be a ferocious wild animal that could only be tamed by a virgin maiden.

For much of Western history, however, unicorns took on a more peaceful role in folklore and mythology—often serving as guides in times of uncertainty or helping knights adhere to their chivalric codes. 

The image of the unicorn changed again during Victorian times. The unicorn, which was once a symbol of purity and chastity, transformed into an erotic emblem. There was actually unicorn porn circulating in the era showing the unicorn to be engaged in unseemly sexual acts, tempting wholesome minds into carnal acts. This is again the flip side of unicorn mythography, which is suspicious of the unicorn’s innate purity and sees it as the means of entrapment.  

 You can see this shift reflected in popular culture: for example, you won't find any modern children's cartoon about cute little ponies called My Little Unicorn or even My Little Pony – although there's no shortage of programs about magical horses who teach lessons about friendship through song!

As a result, unicorns are now seen as tacky and immature, with pop culture co-opting these symbols for children's birthday parties and cutesy mobile phone cases. The unicorn has even found its way onto the shelves at Urban Outfitters, where you can find everything from pins to t-shirts emblazoned with unicorn tote bags.

Poor little guy. He never stood a chance.

The Unicorn Today

So where does Chub and Bug weigh in on this? Do we see the unicorn as banal kitsch or do we see something more complex? As I said, over time, I began to see something beautiful in the image of the unicorn that has been used and exploited throughout history becoming at once a victim of his beauty and magic. 

In all of the imagery of the unicorn in popular culture, the image of the unicorn in Ridley Scott’s movi, Legend, has always stood out to me as especially beautiful and tragic. The unicorns are portrayed as so innocent and trusting that the removal of their horns will thrust humanity into permanent darkness. One of the gorgeous white unicorns is poisoned and has his horns removed. The unicorn has as black haunting eyes, that appear wise beyond its years and seem to speak without speaking. 

It is this unicorn which captivated me and prompted me to create my unicorn paintings and coloring pages. It was my hope to capture not only the innocence of the unicorn, but also the tragedy at the heart of its existence, so eloquently seen in its mournful eyes. 

So if you haven’t had your fill of unicorns yet and are potentially someone who collects all things unicorns, we hope you’ll consider our representation of the unicorn as one that represents the unicorn in a more thoughtful and complex way. Always beautiful, but not so innocent. Eyes filled with a pathos that comes from knowing that your own purity is the thing which will eventually come to destroy you. 

If you and/or your little one love to write, what could be better than putting all your deepest thoughts into this gorgeous unicorn notebook? If you haven’t yet discovered the benefits of journaling for kids, it’s time you did.

Wrapping It Up

So, are unicorns real? As I said, yes and no. 

No. They can never be everything we have hoped them to be. 

Yes, they are real. They exist as historical facts, but more than this, they exist–and  they will always exist–in our global imaginaries. Unicorns are beautiful and mysterious creatures that have dazzled humans for centuries. We don't know much about their origins or purpose, but we do know one thing: unicorns are awesome.