Unicorn, Legendary Creature
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.
Size: 2700px × 3573px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, 1491, 15th, ages, animal, art, artwork, beast, bw, century, chaste, chastity, creature, drawing, fabled, famous, female, fictional, folk, folklore, folkloric, folktale, goodness, historic, historical, history, illustration, imaginary, important, innocence, legend, legendary, lore, magic, magical, medieval, middle, myth, mythic, mythical, mythological, notable, petting, purity, renaissance, tale, unicorn, unicornus, varius, woman, woodblock, woodcut
