The Origins of Scotland's National Animal

The fact that Scotland’s national animal is a Unicorn has become a quirky little slice of uncommon knowledge that people like to share and laugh together about. However, why this mythical creature was chosen to represent the Scots is far less talked about.

The idea of an animal representing a country may confuse any unaware readers, but every country has a national animal; some have more than one! These national animals represent the country in some way, whether the animal is a common feature of a country’s terrain or has symbolic meaning to the culture.

The idea of a white horse-like creature with a lion’s tuft for a tail and a spiralling horn emerging from its forehead has been depicted in various different cultures since the classical period, despite being a mythical beast.

Unicorns in Antiquity:

The first instance of a unicorn being depicted is believed to be on seals found from the Indus Valley Civilization that existed during the Bronze Age in north-western regions of South Asia until 1300 BCE. Although historians question whether this depiction is of a unicorn or an Auroch – an extinct type of wild cattle – because the seal depicts a unicorn or auroch from its profile, it is unclear whether it has one or two horns.

Although unicorns are not found in Greek mythology, Greek writers were aware of a unicorn and believed it existed in India. These Greek writers had envisioned India being a distant and wonderful realm just for them. A particular writer named Ctesias had written a book named “Indika” (“On India”) that described unicorns as wild asses that were incredibly swift, had a horn a “cubit and a half” long (70 cm) and was white, red and black. But having never even been to India, Ctesias obtained his knowledge while living in Persia, where a sculpture of a unicorn had been found at the ancient Persian capital Persepolis in modern-day Iran.

Unicorns in Celtic folklore:

Unicorns are associated with purity, nobility, masculinity, power, courage, and an unrivalled feeling of strength in Celtic mythology and folklore. They also have incredible healing abilities. According to tradition, a unicorn's horn has the power to cleanse waterways polluted and poisoned by the sly serpent.

According to legend, these powerful creatures could only be trapped by virgins whose purity struck a chord with the similarly pure unicorns, lulling them to sleep on their laps. Many people interpret this as a metaphor for Christ's relationship with the Virgin Mary.

Scottish heraldry relates to the unicorn and its holy relationship with Scotland. This magnificent beast was depicted on an early illustration of a royal Scottish coat of arms by William I in the 12th century and was praised for its pride and power. The unicorn was imprinted on gold coins in the 15th and 16th centuries. As a result, the Scottish royal coat of arms included two unicorns guarding the shield until 1707 when Scotland and England unified, and a lion was added in place of one unicorn.

According to legend, these two creatures were archrivals in a never-ending fight for the title of king of beasts, with the unicorn ruling with harmony and the lion ruling with valour.

Interestingly, Scottish unicorns are always shown with golden chains wrapping around their necks and bodies. Some compare them to the unicorn's ferocious strength, untamed nature, and unwavering determination, while others see it as a symbol of Scottish monarchs and their incredible strength, indicating that the old kings were strong enough to tame a unicorn!

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