Today, the mythical beast may be associated with fairytale stories and children’s sparkly toys, but evidence of the unicorn’s connection to Scotland dates back as far as the 1300s.
Also, we’re not alone in revering the mythical animal kingdom – Wales celebrates the dragon, the Czech Republic praises a two-tailed lion and over in Bhutan the nation honours the great thunder dragon.
Unicorn and the lion
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American historian Elyse Waters became interested in Scotland’s national animal when she discovered a Scottish medieval cookbook that included a recipe for how best to cook unicorn – people clearly believed it existed so much that you could eat it.
Her research then led her to discover the unicorn was believed to be the natural enemy of the lion – a symbol that the English royals adopted around a hundred years before.
According to folklore, the lion and the unicorn hate each other – a tradition going back to the ancient Babylonians in 3,500 B.C – which has been one reason behind its role as Scotland’s national animal.
Legends & Lore 