Where did the unicorn myth come from?

[Still Waters]

The unicorn is one of the most famous mythical creatures, often depicted as a white horse with a spiraling horn erupting from its forehead. It's not hard to imagine a horse with a horn, and for much of the mythical creature's history, people thought it actually existed. But where did this myth come from?

https://www.livescience.com/origins-of-unicorns

[onlookerofmayhem]

Rhinoceros.

[XenoFish]

[+Hammerclaw]

There may very well have been an extinct species, so magnificent and rare, with a truly massive and remarkable horn, that it left its indelible mark on the collective memory of mankind.

 

[Abramelin]

On 4/12/2022 at 5:42 PM, Still Waters said:

The unicorn is one of the most famous mythical creatures, often depicted as a white horse with a spiraling horn erupting from its forehead. It's not hard to imagine a horse with a horn, and for much of the mythical creature's history, people thought it actually existed. But where did this myth come from?

https://www.livescience.com/origins-of-unicorns

Here's a possible origin of the myth:

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/356979-could-whale-genitalia-explain-sea-monster-sightings/

[Coyote Speaks]

Lore of the Unicorn by Odell Shepherd might be of interest to you if you're curious about how the legend has changed over time...

[psyche101]

Narwhal horns were touted as unicorn proof once upon a time.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22372187/#:~:text=Physicians quickly ascribed outlandish healing,narwhal from the Arctic seas.

[Nobu]

Likely fossils of bones or horns that our ancestors mistakenly identified. Cave art misidentified.

also could have been a mutation in an animal that was misidentified as a viable but rare species.

[the13bats]

On 4/27/2022 at 8:44 PM, psyche101 said:

Narwhal horns were touted as unicorn proof once upon a time.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22372187/#:~:text=Physicians quickly ascribed outlandish healing,narwhal from the Arctic seas.

My dad was a machinist by trade but in the 80s won a few awards for his taxidermy skills,

He had several fakes or gaffs in his collection one was a narwhal tusk that was on a rustic old board with a little plaque calling it a unicorn horn.

[+DieChecker]

Indian rhino. Only has the one horn. I believe the older legends had the unicorn living in the far east. 

I seem to remember the older legends also stated it was stocky and had flat feet.

the horse/goat like unicorn with a spiraling horn only showed up, like knightly romance stories, much later. AFAIK. 

Edited June 27, 2022 by DieChecker