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make people invisible
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Correct!
In Europe, people believed that unicorn horns had magical healing properties. It was thought that unicorn horns could cure illnesses, counteract poisons, and even prolong youth.
Distinct characteristic: Long horn protruding from forehead
Other physical features: In Europe, the body of a white horse, beard and cloven hooves of a goat, tail of a lion. In Asia, the body of a deer, head of a wolf, tail of an ox, with scaly, multi-colored coat in blue, black, red, white, and yellow.
Significance: Symbol of power, peace, magic
First stories: About 4,700 years ago (Asia); over 2,000 years ago (Greece)
It was once believed that unicorn horns were magical, able to:
In the Middle Ages, unicorn "horns" were sold in many European markets. These horns were actually:
tusks from African elephants retrieved by explorers
marble rods carved by local craftspeople
tusks from narwhals, a kind of Arctic whale
Correct!
The tusk of the male narwhal is long, pearly white, and spiraled--which is why they're sometimes called "sea unicorns." The tusks were brought to markets by Danish sailors and other merchants from the North.
In Asian mythology, the unicorn has shining, colorful scales like a dragon.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fact
This unicorn varies from the European unicorn in other ways, too. It has the body of a deer, a wolf-like head, and the tail of an ox. Sometimes it's shown with two or three horns.
Unlike the European unicorn, the Asian unicorn is aggressive and dangerous.
Fact
OR
Fiction
?
Fiction
Both the European and Asian unicorns were believed to be kind creatures. The Asian unicorn is said to be so kind, that it walks so softly it will not crush a blade of grass.
“
Marco Polo thought he saw a unicorn in what is now Indonesia. But he was disappointed because it was large and dirty. We know from his description that what he saw was a rhinoceros.
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Laurel Kendall, anthropologist