What through history drove people to love the unicorn? How did the legends of this incredible animal start? A fascinating and unusual history hides behind the myth loved by millions.
The usual image of the unicorn coalesces in our minds as a white horse with a horn. In Europe the image of a small goat-like horse with cloven hooves, a beard, a lion's tail, and one horn dominates the fairy tales of this particular beast. However, throughout the many years and different cultures the unicorn changed greatly.
Long ago, several years before the Greeks thought of building their cities, the unicorn already made an appearance in China. Called the ki-lin (pronounced chee-lin) the Chinese unicorn appeared as a creature with the body of a deer, the head of a wolf, the hooves of a horse, and a horn several feet long. Always a mythical creature to the Chinese, it wore a coat of the five sacred Chinese colors, red, yellow, blue, white, and black. Its coming foretold great things, such as the birth of famous people. As the chosen animal of Buddha, the Chinese teacher, it symbolized great peace and serenity. Never would it step upon a blade of grass or eat meat. Its horn possessed a fleshy tip so the unicorn could not harm another creature. The ki-lin loved all things and creatures.
During fifth century B.C a Greek physician named Cestias penned the first written account of the unicorn. He heard of a wild Indian ass larger than a horse with a white body, red head, and azure eyes. Instead of the usual white horn, this unicorn carried a foot and a half-long horn. The horn displayed unique qualities in the colors of the horn. The tip glowed a brilliant crimson, the middle a dark black, and the base a pure white. No horse could ever hope to match it in speed. Strangely enough Cestias never traveled to India. He heard the story from traders who in turn heard it from other traders. Whether or not it existed, Cesitas's unicorn owned a beauty all of its own.