The Unicorn: Scotland's National Animal

Each major claim carries one of three labels. established means supported by primary records, official bodies or several independent reliable sources. shared means the core fact is sound but sources disagree on details, dates or interpretation. traditional means widely repeated but not traceable to a primary or independent source.

The heraldic and coin evidence is strong. The weak points are dates and meanings. Some sources say the unicorn entered Scottish heraldry in the 12th century; the documented evidence begins in the 15th. The meaning of the chains and the exact legal standing of "national animal" are not settled by any document found.

An ancient, international creature

established The unicorn is far older than Scotland. Around 400 BC Ctesias, a Greek physician at the Persian court, described a one-horned wild ass in India, possibly a garbled account of the Indian rhinoceros. Aristotle accepted the single-horned "Indian ass", and in the 1st century AD Pliny the Elder described the monoceros with elephant's feet and a boar's tail. Seals from the Indus Valley show an animal some scholars call a unicorn, though many historians think it is a two-horned animal drawn in profile.

established The unicorn reached the Bible by translation. Greek translators of the Old Testament rendered a Hebrew word for a wild ox as monoceros, "one-horned", and so "unicorn" appears in some English Bibles, including the King James Version. Early Christian writers used the unicorn as a symbol of Christ, and medieval bestiaries spread it across Europe. Traders sold narwhal tusks as unicorn horns for large sums.

The unicorn in Scotland

established By the 15th century the unicorn was a Scottish royal symbol. A Scottish officer of arms, the Unicorn Pursuivant, is first recorded with John Fraser's appointment in 1426. In 1484 James III issued a gold coin called the unicorn, showing a crowned unicorn; it was worth 18 shillings Scots and was struck until 1525.

shared Two unicorns supported the Scottish royal arms by the 16th century. The National Trust for Scotland dates the unicorn's introduction to the royal coat of arms to about the mid-1500s; other accounts claim it goes back to William I in the 12th century, but that early date is not documented.

The lion and the unicorn

established In 1603 James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. To show the union of the two crowns, one of the Scottish unicorns on the royal arms was replaced by the English lion. The lion and the unicorn have supported the royal arms ever since.

Why is the unicorn chained?

traditional Scottish heraldic unicorns are shown with gold chains. The usual explanation is that the unicorn was believed to be untameable, and that only the King of Scots was strong enough to tame it. The National Trust for Scotland notes that the real reason is not known for sure.

Is the unicorn officially Scotland's national animal?

shared The unicorn is universally described as Scotland's national animal, and the National Trust for Scotland says it "really is the official national animal of Scotland". But no Act of Parliament, government order or other formal designation has been found. Its official role is heraldic: as a supporter of the royal arms and a royal badge. Its national status rests on long custom.

Where to see unicorns

established Unicorns top the mercat crosses of many Scottish towns, including Edinburgh, Culross, Prestonpans, Dunfermline and Falkland. HMS Unicorn, one of the oldest warships afloat, has a unicorn figurehead and is preserved in Dundee. At Stirling Castle, seven tapestries based on the late medieval Unicorn Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art were woven over 14 years by West Dean Tapestry Studio for Historic Scotland, recreating the palace interiors of the 1540s. James V's inventories record that he owned more than 100 tapestries.

• The earliest written unicorn, around 400 BC, was a one-horned wild ass from India.
• Pliny the Elder gave the unicorn elephant's feet and a boar's tail.
• The "unicorn" in the King James Bible comes from a translation of a word for wild ox.
• Narwhal tusks were sold in the Middle Ages as unicorn horns.
• Scotland had a gold coin called the unicorn from 1484.
• Before 1603 the Scottish royal arms had two unicorns.
• The Stirling Castle unicorn tapestries took 14 years to weave.
• Unicorns top mercat crosses in towns across Scotland.

• Do not say Scotland invented the unicorn.
• Do not date the unicorn in Scottish heraldry to the 12th century as fact.
• Do not present the "only a Scottish king could tame it" explanation of the chains as documented.
• Do not say a law makes the unicorn Scotland's national animal unless a source is found.
• Do not say the Bible originally described a unicorn; the word comes from translation.