Scotland is renowned for its fascination with myths, which range from enormous water monsters to ghosts and witches. However, how did the magical unicorn end up being their national animal? You might be able to name a few of Scotland’s most recognizable wildlife species if we asked, “What’s Scotland’s national animal?” Most likely, you wouldn’t associate a magical horned creature with lunchboxes for kids!
However, it is true that Scotland officially recognizes unicorns as its national animal. And we have been enamored with this well-known mythological creature for many centuries.
Why is The Unicorn Scotland’s National Animal?
Since the classical era, unicorns have been a part of numerous cultures, including the Indus and ancient Babylonians. The unicorn, with its solitary spiraling horn and white horse-like body, represents power, innocence, and purity in Celtic mythology. Because of their extraordinary healing ability, legend also states that their horns can purify tainted water.
Anyone familiar with Scottish history will recognize these proud, untamed creatures as fiercely independent and renownedly difficult to capture or conquer. Despite being a myth, Scots have always been drawn to unicorns.
When did Scotland adopt the Unicorn?
The ancient custom of creating and exhibiting coats of arms or crests to identify particular social classes, armed forces, or establishments is known as heraldry, which holds the key to the answer to that query. Using heraldry as a guide, we can determine that the unicorn was first added to the Scottish royal coat of arms sometime in the mid-fifteenth century.
Two unicorns stood astride our coat of arms before the Union of the Crowns in 1603. But as a sign of the two nations’ unity, King James VI of Scotland, who later became King James I of England, swapped out one of the unicorns for the lion, England’s national animal. Folklore enthusiasts are undoubtedly aware that unicorns and lions have long been rivals, engaged in a war for the title of “king of beasts.”
One noteworthy observation is that Scottish unicorns are invariably depicted with golden chains encircling them in heraldry. Why? It’s thought that this was done to demonstrate the power of Scottish kings, who were the only ones able to tame the wild, though we can’t be sure.
Where can you find unicorns in Scotland?
People worldwide believed that unicorns had existed for thousands of years. A well-known French naturalist named Georges Cuvier, who also opposed evolutionary theories, sought to debunk the myth in 1825 by asserting that an animal with split hooves could never develop a single horn from its head. However, the unicorn’s spirit has persisted ever since; people commemorate National Unicorn Day on April 9 every year.
Thus, are unicorns real in Scotland? They do, of course! All you need to do is know where to look. The following locations in Scotland are home to our nation’s symbolic animal:
There are a lot of unicorns in Edinburgh, all different sizes and shapes. A few examples can be found among the Victorian woodcarvings at St. Giles’ Cathedral, located near Gladstone’s Land, and on a heraldic shield by the Palace of Holyroodhouse gates. Another example can be found in the Royal Apartments at Edinburgh Castle.
Look for a unicorn atop the tower whenever you come across a mercat cross, a Scottish market cross that has long been used to symbolize trade and prosperity in many of our towns and cities, from the simple to the elaborate, countless examples spread throughout the nation in places like Edinburgh, Culross, Prestonpans, Dunfermline, and Falkland.
Interesting examples of Scottish unicorns can be found a little further north at Stirling Castle, the location of the ‘Hunt of the Unicorn’ tapestries, and Dundee, where the oldest warship in the world, HMS Unicorn, proudly shows off a unicorn as its figurehead.
Where Can you see Unicorns in Scottland?
- A gatepost located at the gatehouse of the Queen’s Gallery by the Palace of Holyroodhouse, which is Her Majesty the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.
- In front of St. Margaret’s Chapel and the National War Museum at Edinburgh Castle, a medieval stronghold that commands the city’s skyline.
- The Kings Fountain at Linlithgow Palace is the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots and was once a magnificent Renaissance palace.
- The first university in Scotland was established in the fifteenth century, and its building is adorned with a stone carving.
Final Words and Unicorn in The History of Scotland
Scotland has long been associated with unicorns. The unicorn represented masculinity, power, innocence, and purity in Celtic mythology. The unicorn’s reputation for chivalry and dominance may have contributed to its selection as Scotland’s national animal. Despite its mythological origins, the animal’s ideals make it an ideal choice for Scotland’s national animal. After all, like this proud beast, Scots would fight to stay unconquered.
William I, originally used the unicorn on the Scottish royal coat of arms in the twelfth century. Gold coins with the unicorn on them first appeared during the reign of King James III in the fifteenth century. The Scottish Royal Arms featured two unicorns holding a shield when Scotland and England united under James VI of Scotland in 1603. To demonstrate that the two nations were united, James VI, as James I of England and Ireland, substituted the lion, the national animal of England, for the unicorn on the shield’s left side.