Tales of the Unicorn Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

The Greeks believed that the unicorn was a creature that lived in the forests and woodlands of India, which they viewed as a mysterious place. Ctesias, a Greek author and physician, is believed to have been the first to write about them; he included information in a book called "Indica", describing them as "wild asses, fleet of foot, having a horn a cubit and a half (700 mm, 28 inches) in length..." Other Greeks of note who wrote about unicorns or "wild asses" include Strabo, Aristotle, and Pliny the Elder.

Answer: White

Ctesias, one of the earliest unicorn authorities, wrote that they are "colored white, red and black". Other colors have been mentioned, however, in European art and stories, the unicorn is depicted as having a white coat and a flowing white mane, which symbolize the purity of the animal, and either deep blue or purple eyes.

Answer: Goat

Throughout history a unicorn is said to look like many four-legged creatures, including a goat, horse, wild ass, and stag. Sometimes it is depicted as having a beard like a goat, but it is typically shown with cloven hooves, and, most certainly, the horn.

Answer: A Virgin

Many of the medieval stories about unicorns relate that they can only be tamed by a virgin. This virgin, of course, was represented as the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ. The unicorn was also symbolic of faithfulness in marriage.

Because some sources claim that the Bible mentions the unicorn, it must be clearly stated that it is believed the word "unicorn" was used when translating the word "re'em". A "re'em" was, in all likelihood, an auroch, which was an ancestor of modern-day cattle.

Answer: Alicorn

Both the horn and the substance it was made from is called alicorn, which was believed to have magical healing powers. Sold for centuries, it was thought alicorn powder could detect poisons, and cure almost any disease. A merchant from Alexandria, Cosmas Indicopleustes, visited India in the 500s AD, and wrote, "it is impossible to take this ferocious beast alive; and that all its strength lies in its horn.

When it finds itself pursued and in danger of capture, it throws itself from a precipice, and turns so aptly in falling, that it receives all the shock upon the horn, and so escapes safe and sound".

Answer: True

In fact, Marco Polo wrote that the unicorn he saw was one of the ugliest creatures he had ever seen, and was just a little bit smaller than an elephant! "They have the hair of a buffalo and feet like an elephant's. They have a single large black horn in the middle of the forehead...

They have a head like a wild boar's... They spend their time by preference wallowing in mud and slime. They are very ugly brutes to look at. They are not at all such as we describe them when we relate that they let themselves be captured by virgins, but clean contrary to our notions".

Answer: Scotland

The unicorn was chosen to be one of the national symbols of Scotland because, like the unicorn, the Scots would rather die than be be captured. In other words, they did not wish to be ruled by anyone else! Since the 1707 union of Scotland and England, the unicorn has been used to symbolize the joining of the two countries, and is found today on the royal arms of the United Kingdom with the English lion.

The unicorn seen in the picture is holding the flag and shield in a representation on Edinburgh Castle.

Answer: Denmark

In all reality, it is believed that the Throne Chair of Denmark is made from the tusks of the narwhal, a whale that has a single tusk. These tusks were collected and used for all sorts of purposes, including drinking cups; because they are made of ivory they were able to easily be passed off as unicorn horns.

It is believed that narwhal horns were worth their weight in gold to the Vikings, who used them in trade.

Answer: Oryx

Oh, my! What huge horns an oryx has! At a side view seen from a distance, the horns can look like the single horn of a unicorn. Perhaps the ancients saw this animal as a unicorn because travels to places like Arabia and Africa, where the animal lived, were so uncommon. A similar animal, the eland, that lives in Southern Africa, could also have helped formulate the unicorn legend.

Answer: Indus Valley

Cylinder seals were used by ancient people as a form of identification or picture writing. Those found in the Indus Valley Civilizations, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, show many different animals, including some that look like they may be unicorns. Most historians today believe the animal was actually an auroch, shown in profile.