Science Source Stock Photo - Unicorn, Legendary Creature

Unicorn, Legendary Creature

Description: Woodcut of a kneeling woman petting a unicorn. First mentioned by the ancient Greeks, it became the most important imaginary animal of the Middle Ages and Renaissance when it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could only be seen and/or captured by a virgin. It has been described in European folklore as resembling a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard and cloven hooves. At at other times described as resembling a small horse but with a long, straight horn growing out of its forehead having the legs of a deer and the tail of a lion. In alchemy the unicorn represented the Moon. Many believed that a unicorn's horn had the ability to neutralize poisons. Accounts of unicorns and their magical properties are found in literature, art, and legend.

Credit:

NLM/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2478205

Legacy Identifier: BV3152

Type: Image

Size: 2700px × 3573px (~27 MB)

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