Today is International Unicorn Day! These mythical creatures were first described by a Greek historian in 400 BCE. They looked a bit different according to his account. He described them as having a white horse-like body, dark red head, and dark blue eyes. He also said their horn was a foot and a half long, with a white base, black middle, and red tip. Marco Polo thought he saw one during his travels to Asia in the 13th century. He called them “ugly brutes” and said they had a large black horn, hair like a buffalo, and feet like an elephant. Today, it’s widely accepted that what he actually saw was a rhinoceros. At one time, a unicorn horn was a very valuable possession. It was prized for its supposed magical and medicinal properties and given as diplomatic gifts. They weren’t, of course, horns from a unicorn. Instead, they were the tusk of a narwhal, an Atlantic whale that his a long spiral tusk projecting from the front of its head. Learn more in the audio below.
If you’re interested in a unicorn hunting permit, you can get one here: https://www.lssu.edu/resources/about-lssu/traditions/unicornhunters/