Do unicorns really exist?
Naysayers, beware. The BBC has recently published footage of the “elusive” narwhal: an arctic whale with a single, seemingly magical, straight spiral horn/tusk sprouting from its head. Clearly, these Arctic Ocean unicorns must be distant relatives of the actual unicorns that lived on land in days of yore.
Wait-did actual unicorns live on land in days gone by? The King James Version of the Bible refers to unicorns periodically:
And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with their bulls. (Isaiah 34:7)
And as I was considering, behold, a he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. (Daniel 8:5)
Generally, the unicorn is used symbolically in the Bible to represent something untamable and wild yet essentially good. But still, the mythos had to come from somewhere (like the sea, maybe?).
In more modern times, real-but somewhat less magical-unicorns could be found at places like Belmont, California’s Marine World Africa USA (when it existed back in the 1970s). I learned about this from my mother who confirmed it via Twostories’ question about a real unicorn in the 1970s named Lancelot, to which Grendle replied with this grim recollection:
I met Lance, myself, at the Montgomery County Fair back in the 70s…Lance was no mystical being … he was a poor, deformed and basically unhappy goat. I think he suffered headaches…at least his eyes didn’t focus real well. I suspect he died and the corpse was sold, either to Ripley or some other collector of “oddities.”
Whether real unicorns exist on land or in the sea, it seems that even now in these modern and patently un-magical times, people are still fascinated by the notion of unicorns. A search for “unicorns” on Yahoo! Answers returns 7,253 questions to date. Nine months ago, sokrates took a more philosophical tack when asking: How do we know that unicorns do not exist? Because how can we ever know for sure that anything does or doesn’t exist? We only know what we know.
So I leave you with the following to ponder:
1. Does this qualify as a real unicorn? http://www.flickr.com/photos/fondofelves/263486069/
2. Are narwhals really magical creatures that have recently come out of deep sea hibernation to deliver to humans a great and mystical message? And if so…
What is that message?
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I always knew they were real.
The sea, oceans are wide and most of the sea world remains a mystery, so it is possible that they exist
yes i would consider the goat a unicorn ,Narwhals are magical creatures in there own way and there message is things can be hidden right in are earth that are mystical and magical and can show up any time especially a time that we need to believe in the impossible .
very interesting blog
you should do one about the frozen dragon found in romania next!
A unicorn is defined as an animal with one horn. A unicorn is not necessarily a horse, goat, whale, etc. Even a person can be defined as a unicorn if one grows a hornlike structure on his body. Unicorn (one horn) also does not mean forehead. If an animal grew one horn on ANY part of it’s body, well, you’ve got yourself a unicorn.
Magical message? From a narwhal? Er, no. Scientists theorize that the narwhal’s horn is used for sexual status, not for fighting or breaking through arctic ice. I’m not taking magical messages from a horn that’s not much different than a peacock’s feathers.
If you’re going to take a magical/spiritual message from a narwhal, then it’s probably going to be the feeling of witnessing nature. A narwhal is a creature to be admired because it survives harsh weather and can perform some of the deepest dives recorded by mammals.
Oh, and the narwhal is not a “new” animal that has recently made a magical appearance. They’ve been around forever. It’s what you know. Imagine living in a time with no communication, no photographs, etc. Would a giraffe be magical? Just because YOU’VE never seen or heard of one before doesn’t mean it’s new. It’s just new to you.
Unicorn seals but nothing else…
i liked the info about unicorns! heidi ann berg, right on sisterfriend
HI TRAVIS
Did you know? The horn on the narwhal is actually a giant front tooth?!
“Recently”??? I remember seeing footage of the Narwhal in a BBC documentary some 20 years ago. The Narwhal has been known as a horned marine creature since at least 1555 when it was portrayed by one Olaus Magnus (and of, course for much longer by the native Inuit people of the far north). Queen Elizabeth I owned a narwhal tusk and much earlier, the Vikings traded in narwhal tusks.
“Clearly”??? the relationship between a known marine mammal and a mythical horned horse-like creature is not clear at all. The Narwhal has been proved to exist; the Unicorn has not. Until you can prove the existence of a Unicorn, its relationship (if any) with the Narwhal will remain anything but clear.
In short, your assertions and assumptions are entirely without foundation.
omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg
i LOVE UNICORNS GO UNICORNS OMGMGMGMGMGMGMGMG NO DUH THERE REAL
i dont think narwhals are as “Recently discovered” as were saying…. i think they been around for quite some time now.
The BBC always tricks people though, this could be one of those. Once there was a documentary on flying penguins.
I believe they are real, just in hiding. I believe I’ve seen one. Standing in a forest I saw a glimpse of light when I turned my head there was the shape of a pure white horse, it was glistening in the sunlight, as it ran away from me I could have sworn I saw the shape of a horn on it’s head.
YEP.
wow this is kind of funny. narwhals are not “magical unicorns” and its not a horn. its actually the front left tooth. Its used for sensory and male dominance and breaking the ice if they get stuck under water. Sometimes i hate the news for publishing things like this. Narwhals arent new or magical or anything. they have been around for just about ever people just dont care usually. ugh i really hate the news now.
if you like norwhals check out this rap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mhGgUxH77Y
Right here, baby, you’ve found me.
Lol narwhale the plushie, gaia
Rofl !
xD
Its like reindeer- they’re real, just not the fairy tale reindeer that can fly. Unicorns may be real, just not the fairy tale kind.
the word unicorn is commonly interpreted as being a wild ox relating to the Scripture passages that talk about unicorns, no unicorn skeleton has been found so far …
Yes. Unicorns are real… To a certain extent.
It could’ve been a narwhal (which aren’t exactly a recent discovery =]) or a goat that developed a horn. That’s where the term unicorn came from. It was probably considered “magical” back then.
Haha, that is hilarious. Yeah, people used to believe unicorns cured everything from impotence to gangrene, but then the unicorn horn pieces sold at stores and stuff would just be a poor narwahl’s tooth. Needless to say, narwhals arn’t huge fans of the unicorn…
http://seafoodpunch.com/2009/01/unicorns-are-fierce-and-smarter-than-you/
Narwhales are narwhales, not unicorns.
I thought that the unicorn was derived from looking at an antelope in a way where it looked as if it had one horn. That’s what I learned antway. I don’t think the whale looks like the horse figured thing that people usually refer to.
omg thats so cool
Narwhales have been around for a long time. They were hunted traditionally by the Inuit (and still are). I did a project about them when I was 7 or 8 in school.
ok well the story of the unicorn goes way back and the land unicorns or the horses with horns were soppusevly all exicnt becuase they all ran into the water……..and they might of survived and turned into those :}
i wish they were real but hunny, they aren’t………..
Sorry to puncture your balloon but the narwhal “horn” is not a horn, it is a tooth. It has more similarity with the elephant than the unicorn. Unicorns of “myth” did exist. And they can be made to exist today. They are large male goats that had one horn button removed and the other relocated to the center of its head. One such was shown by Ringling Bros.Circus several years back.
In Ancient Greece, they were used to protect the flocks because they had binocular vision on the horn tip and this made them absolutely lethal. They did not injure when they employed the horn, they killed. A 12″ to 14″ spike driven by 200 pounds of enraged goat at 20 mph could do nothing else.
Yes, Unicorns (as mono-horned ungulates) were real and numerous during the dark ages. They were hunted to extinction for their horns, which were used for various purposes including as for medical usages, protection from sickness, warding off the “evil eye,” enhancing fertility, casting spells, etc.
I suspect that the proliferation of unicorns was due to a genetic mutation that was hereditary. Currently, unicorns appear here and there, probably as a result of chance mutations. It would be interesting to attempt to breed the unicorn back into common existence.
Let’s not confuse reality with fantasy. A narwhale is real and has always been real. Unicorns are like the toothfarie, pure fantasy.
“Clearly, these Arctic Ocean unicorns must be distant relatives of the actual unicorns that lived on land in days of yore.”
Ever heard of convergent evolution? Just because two species (mythical or not) possess similar appendages doesn’t imply they are closely related at all.
Saying they had a common ancestor would imply that they had diverged a few million years ago………..and that’s directly contradictory to the Bible-which many creationists preach that the Earth is only 4000 or so years old.
you guys are so lame!! **believes in unicorns and magic with wide eyes**
way for commenters to ruin everything…..
not magical ones
I always thought they lived in Austraila…
I believe they did at one point. But I don’t think they’re magical… Narwhals aren’t magical, and unicorns don’t have to be either.
Unicorns are real. They are in the bible, though in some translations they have changed the name to rhinos.
u mean the horse with a carrot like horn on it’s head? nope, haven’t seen 1 in real life yet. but i can make 1. just stick a carrot on a horse’s head & it’s ready
I’m claiming bull shit on this one!!!
Umm…like many people here have said, Narwhals have been known by man for a long time. I can’t believe you shamelessly said they were recently uncovered just to spice up your post, how despicable; your whole site is devoted to giving straight knowledge in a relaxed way, if I wanted this kind of crap information I would read gossip magazines.
Actually I think unicorns did exist, but I doubt they were marine animals (although bits of dead narwhal horn washed ashore may have contributed to the legend).
I think they were Elasmotherium – a rhinoceros with a single gigantic horn in the middle of its head. It lived in Russia, China, and may survived into early historical times:
http://www.dinosaurjungle.com/prehistoric_animals_elasmotherium.php
rather than sugest that they are distant cousins, i think it would be more accurate to say that mideival conmen passed off narwhal horns as unicorn horns, when they could get their hands on any.
This article is a nice way of stimulating interest in ideas of evolution, mutation and genetics in general. However, I have to agree with a previous answerer: the author’s assertion that the unicorn is “clearly” related to the narwhal (because they share *one* trait), is pretty fallacious. You’d never win a debate with that kind of an argument. Yes, the single horn (or horn-like keratinous protrusion), is a *seemingly* rare physical attribute… but the fact that two animals (whether or not they both exist) have ONE characteristic in common, does NOT render them directly genetically related. Have a look into ‘convergent evolution’… it might help for future reference.
Thanks anyway, it was a thought-provoking subject.
PS. Indian and Javan rhinoceri are other animals with one horn. Why has no one kicked up a fuss about them?
There is no reason to mandate that the unicorn in the KJV refers to a single horned equine creature. The Rhinoceros is rather the creature which is being referenced, as evidenced in Deuteronomy 33:17, where two tribes of Israel are associated with the two horns of the creature, one being larger than the other. Also in the KJV 1611 margin of Isaiah 34:7, the Hebrew “reem”(unicorn) is alternately translated “rhinocerots”. So resorting to the classic definition of the unicorn(one braided horn) is by no means necessary; instead it may defined according to the rhinoceros’ principal feature, its horn.
1- NO. It is a one horned goat. A unicorn would have its “corn” stemming from top of forehead forwards.
2- There is nothing elusive, mythical, magical or rare about the narval whale. Some pajama-wearing rat obviously is not watching much Discovery channel now, is he? If you don’t have cable, Jack Hanna is on in the ams. Cheers!
i believe they are just like giants and dwarfs
Unicorn = one horn. Rhinoceros, duh.
If a hippopatamus is the horse of the water or whatever in greek, I don’t see why a rhinoceros couldn’t be considered a uni-horned horse.
(And yes i do realise some types of rhinoceros have two horns.)
Yes they do i have seen them!!
my previous pet was a bright pink unicorn but it died last week!!
i would like another one know where i could find oue?
there was a news back then where they showed pics of a deer with a unicorn like horn… see the pic below
http://news.sbs.com.au/shared/medialibrary/pjpeg/unicorn_deer_1206_A_aap_1213227764.jpg
this should make it easier to believe that unicorns must have once existed.. Which would be so fascinating!
i have always been in love with unicorns i collect them necklaces rings earrings anything with unicorns i also have a tatto on my right ankle of one they are so magica and beautiful have a nice day everyone.
unicorns!@#$!$@#$
I’m still waiting for the unicorn President Affirmative Action promised me during the campaign. When is he going to deliver them? I bought a lot of Unicorn Chow and it is just sitting in my garage. Deliver them Barry, deliver them.
it must of evolved in to a sea creature
The narval was represented in my school textbooks…
god this is a stupid article… these are NOT EVEN close to the mythos… stop it already, don’t you have any intelligence? are WE confused? why is every single blog on yahoo inabled by some clef minded closet case?
STOP IT ALREADY!
No, Are you retarted!!!!!!!!! they are not real!! soooooooooooooooooo stupid
wow… its just something to think about.!
Whoa…A whale with a left tooth that looks like a horn..
Maybe someday Cat could grow moustache that that looks like horn too. And flying goldfish.
How can they be linked?!?!?!
One is a hairy animal
The other is a slimy whale!
Thats like saying the moon is like the sun.
Both are in space…THATS ABOUT IT!
“Clearly, these Arctic Ocean unicorns must be distant relatives of the actual unicorns that lived on land in days of yore.”
Better check your logical falacies on this one. Ipso facto?
When I was at the Wild Animal Park north of San Diego, the guide told us the okapi was mistaken for a unicorn by Victorian explorers. It has two horns that supposedly look like one if viewed from the side. Sounds to me like the explorers had taken along a bit o’ brandy.
Just to show you I’m not kidding, here’s a website to verify the explorers’ incredible goof.
http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/international/story/437077.html
Isn’t that misleading and jumping to conclusion without DNA analysis or a fossil or body of the unicorn? I thought Y/A contributor could do better than that…
Tsk Tsk.
they cant be real their just made up creatures and the Narwhal cannot be considered as a unicorn because his horn is actually a giant tooth like the elephants
Wow, that creature is just another example of how awesome Mother Nature can be. But I believe in the existence of Unicorns, not as they are portrayed in fairytales but it could simply be some species of an unknown horned horse for all that we know
Got anything on mermaids?????
Let’s face it. Unicorns don’t exist and they never will. They’re only a figure of someone’s imagination. Pure fantasy.
C’mon, you mean to say a Goat can be distant relative of the unicorn? Hahahhahaahah BBC has been watching to many Disney films
I totally believe that the actual unicorn, being the horse with one horn, did exist. The other more modern ones, such as the Narwhal and any other animal with a deformed horn or something to that extent, prove that nature can bring anything into this world.
Magical or not, unicorns are real. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist, or an expert in fossils to figure this out.
Just my two cents.
Okay.
1. Rebekah and Didi, seek professional help.
2. From National Geographic
The narwhal is the “unicorn of the sea,” a pale-colored porpoise found in Arctic coastal waters and rivers. These legendary animals have two teeth. In males, the more prominent tooth grows into a sword-like, spiral tusk up to 8.75 feet (2.7 meters) long. The ivory tusk tooth grows right through the narwhal’s upper lip. Scientists are not certain of the tusk’s purpose, but some believe it is prominent in mating rituals, perhaps used to impress females or to battle rival suitors. Females sometimes grow a small tusk of their own, but it does not become as prominent as the male’s.
Narwhals are related to bottlenose dolphins, belugas, harbor porpoises, and orcas. Like some other porpoises, they travel in groups and feed on fish, shrimp, squid, and other aquatic fare. They are often sighted swimming in groups of 15 to 20, but gatherings of hundreds—or even several thousand—narwhals have been reported. Sometimes these groups become trapped by shifting pack ice and fall victim to Inuit hunters, polar bears, or walruses.
Inuit people hunt the narwhal for their long tusks and their skin, an important source of vitamin C in the traditional Arctic diet. Orcas also prey on narwhals in open waters.
That’s a very nice picture of narwhals.
Good lord, I can’t believe this blog post was even written.
1. Unicorns are horses with a horn, narwhals are big seals with a horn.
2. Narwhals have been known about for hundreds of years.
3. NO, unicorns do not exist, they are a figment of an author’s imagination.
unicorns probably existed in the past, there were supposed sightings many years ago.but i highly doubt they had any magical powers whatsoever
Read.
I really hope unicorns are real.
yes unicorns deffinetly exist or existed in magical forests. haha
i love unicorns
in harry potter they do utt jag dont think so in real liv utt there is some that do belive there is unicorns
unicorns are the best infact i used to have one
No. They don’t
wow. this is news? The real unicorn is elusive. I have only seen one once, there are exactly 3 in america by official werewolf last count, and we have a strange thing about attracting unicorns (Yes, I am a werewolf)
JEE WHIZ MISTER NARWHALS!
Okay first of all that was sarcasm.
Second narwhals are NOT new people have seen them before plenty of times.
To answer your questions:
1.) That’s a goat.
2.) Unicorns are real, I have three.
hey you people are saying you think unicorns are real i know unicorns are real i have been saved my one when i was riding in the pines on my horse and i fell of because a snake sceared my baby and she bolted i then a unicorn a white horse as white as snow nearly so butterful i couldn’t see it stood infront of me the snake fleed and my horse came running back then i looked at her the unicorn ran off back in to the trees i have had sightings but nothing like that since im not lieing it is true
I know this has been said some where. If it exists in your mind. Then technically, it does exist some where. End of question
I believe in all mythical creatures. No affence but they aren’t called magical either its MYTHICAL…I know a lot about unicorns. It’s possible for it to be mistaken by a horse. but FYI:: the Horn is almost a foot long. So if you see a horse by a chance running in the wild look at its head and it can’t be mistaken by a horse. They also have a goatee looks like a goats one. thats why people think they are part goat. Have any of you heard of a griffin?? (another mythical creature) no…it doesn’t look like the one on Harry Potter that looks more like a pheonix. Unicorns are supposely a mix of deer thats where their hooves are from. Not horses. their tail are from griffins. Not all unicorns have a coiled horn either. Only unicorns with coiled horns is a sign saying soon after birth. Once they grow older then its more of a staright and smooth and coiled at the tip. Strange but fascinating huh? When it shreaks….or most of you think…that its nae like a horse….no it shreakes. I’ve read that when its shreaks the unicorn can kill an aggressor who is trying to capture them. Unicorns.. in the olden days they used to scamper around,not afraid to show them selves. Until, people started to capture them and rip off their horn for magic (they thought Its horn was powerful enough to make them wizards) And people who dont believe in unicorns well, thats their choice. But you can’t just expect ONLY the animals we have seen and know of and us are tthe only creature and mammals in this whole world! there has got to be something hidding. So, to my opinion they exist. Its all what you think of them. Don’t ask us for things that you don’t know physically or you think something totally different than us and ask it. Just read about them and then make up your mind. I gave you some info.
good luck
OH! and also when people rip off their horns they die. so thats probly why they keep hiding all these years