The Reality of Unicorns

What is a Unicorn?

Well, to literal, it's a one-horned creature (the horn originating on the creature's head). End of description.

Using that description, any creature with a single horn could be called a unicorn. Rhino's? Single-tusked elephants? Goats?

Yes. According to the literal description, they would all qualify.

The Unicorn of legend is a horse, however. Generally white. Considered beautiful, magical, and extremely shy.

But did you know that God - our God - actually did create a species Adam named Unicorn?

There are no less than nine (9) references in the bible, according to Strong's Concordance.

Here are the references (using the King James Version Bible).

God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Numbers 23:22

God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strenght of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. Numbers 24:8

His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh. Deuteronomy 33:17

Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib? Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave thy labor to him? Wilt though believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn? Job 39:9-12

Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorn. Psalms 22:21

He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. Psalms 29:6

But my horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn: I shall be anointed with fresh oil. Psalms 92:10

And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. Isaiah 34:7

The passages I find most interesting are those in Job and in Psalm 22. Clearly, God is describing a real animal to Job. And David seems to be talking of someone having taken the horn of a unicorn and made it into a sounding horn, such as with shells from dead sea-animals.

There is a difference, however, between the unicorns of the Bible and the unicorns of legend. The unicorns of legend are graceful animals, shy of people. The unicorns of the Bible appear to be powerful animals, unafraid of much of anything.

I found this article about Biblical unicorns which used other research to support unicorn existence. From it, I gather that the real unicorns more resembled a large ox-like animal.

“a little below the elephant in size, and of the appearance, color, and shape of a bull. Their strength and speed are extraordinary; they spare neither man nor wild beast which they have espied . . . . Not even when taken very young can they be rendered familiar to men and tamed. The size, shape, and appearance of their horns differ much from the horns of our oxen. These they anxiously seek after, and bind at the tips with silver, and use as cups at their most sumptuous entertainments.”

This description appears to fit with the unicorns described by God to Job. Unicorns were not creatures to trifle with. Not because of any inherant magical qualities, but because they were quite dangerous.

Suffice to say that, while I accept the likely description of real unicorns (extinct since at least the 1600s), the unicorns of my stories tend more toward the legendary type. Writing stories isn't about being accurate to the real world. Writing stories is about having fun.