Did you know that the national animal of Scotland is unicorn?
How do you think a country chooses its national animal? Mostly, it is a consequence of its natural history or geography. For example, the national animal of India is the Royal Bengal tiger because of its large population as well as its grace, strength and agility, the features just right to represent our country.
Similarly, Australia celebrates the red kangaroo, Canada the North American beaver and Russia the Eurasian brown bear. While Indonesia’s national animal is The Komodo dragon, Afghanistan’s is the snow leopard. What about Scotland?
Well, you would be amazed to know that Scotland’s national animal is entirely fictional, yet incredibly popular—it’s the unicorn. The country is so much in love with this pure-white, mythical horse of fairy tales that you would see them across all of Scotland.
Why unicorn become Scotland’s national animal
Though we all know that unicorn is not real, Scots always felt drawn to what it represents and therefore unicorn was chosen as the national animal. According to many legends, these proud, untameable creatures were fiercely independent and difficult to capture or conquer. In fact, unicorns were believed to be so strong that only kings could control them.
With its white horse-like body and single spiralling horn, the unicorn has been regarded as a symbol of purity, innocence and power in Celtic mythology. They have featured in many cultures going as far back as the classical age, including the ancient Babylonians and the Indus civilisation.
When did unicorn become Scotland’s national animal?
The unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms (official coat of arms for British monarchs) by William I, the king of England, in the 12th century. In the 15th century, when King James III was in power, even gold coins appeared with the unicorn on them. Then when Scotland and England unified under the reign of James VI of Scotland in 1603, the coat of arms got two unicorns supporting a shield. When James VI became the king of England and Ireland, he replaced the unicorn on the left of the shield with the national animal of England, the lion, to show that the countries were indeed united.
Why is the unicorn chained?
An interesting thing for you to note is that Scottish unicorns in heraldry are always shown with gold chains wrapped around them. Can you guess why?
Well, it is believed that this was a way of showing the power of Scottish kings – that only they had the strength to tame the untameable.
Unicorns in Scotland
If you ever visit this beautiful country, you can spot a unicorn almost everywhere. The unicorns’ distinctive appearance left a lasting legacy on the country’s cities and towns. Some of Scotland’s most important historic buildings and statues feature the unicorn.