Bremen Book Nook: Mythical Creature Mondays: Unicorns!

Who doesn't love Unicorns? How could you resist such a majestic animal with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead! The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity. The first written account of a unicorn in Western literature came from the Greek doctor Ctesias in the 4th century BCE. Thousands of years later, the unicorn continues to hold a place in popular culture, often used as a symbol of fantasy or rarity. Rumors vary as to what powers unicorns have. In most mythology, unicorns' horns (alicorns) could purify water, heal any wounds, grant wishes, and indicate the presence of poison. Drinking out of a cup made from an alicorn could cure any disease. In the Harry Potter stories, "The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death."