Unicorn

**Overview**MerlinLast UnicornFablehavenTESMythologyWizarding World

## General

**Unicorns** are white horses with spiraling horns on their foreheads. They are exceptionally rare and some considered them extinct. They represent purity and possess great magic. Unicorns grow three horns during their lifetime, much in the same way humans lose their baby teeth and grow new ones. Unicorns have avatars (human forms) just like dragons and some of the more powerful magical creatures do. they are creatures of magic. They are protected by the Keeper of the Unicorns, and appear to possess powerful magic, as legend says a curse will befall anyone who slays one. Unicorns are majestic creatures of light, there are very few unicorns still alive.

## Human Form

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Silver-blue eyes. Tall and muscular. White, thick tousled hair.
Amaranthine or violet eyes. Light silver-blue fine tangled hair. Thin and slender. Delicate bodies.

"*He had thick, longish hair; expressive, silver-blue eyes; and flawless skin. His boyishly charming features would look much more at home on a magazine cover than in a prison.*"
—Kendra Sorenson, about Bracken's appearance[src]

In his natural shape of a unicorn, Bracken was a strong, pure white stallion with a lustrous horn. When assuming his human avatar, he appeared as a tall and lean young man, approximately seventeen or eighteen years old. He had thick, tousled silver-white hair to his shoulders, a handsome, open face, expressive and penetrating silver-blue eyes, and extremely fair and flawless skin. Bracken also had a strong, athletic build with boyishly charming features. He was described by Kendra Sorenson as being "unapproachably attractive". Both as a unicorn and as a human, Bracken had silver-colored blood, and his transformation from human to unicorn produced a burst of light.

During his incarceration in the dungeon of the Living Mirage preserve, Bracken wore ragged, threadbare clothing and improvised moccasins. After his outbreak, however, a couple of fairies attempted to mend his attire. He had dirty feet and grime-streaked skin during his imprisonment as well, which could've been the result of frequently traveling through the secret passages in the dungeon.

In their avatar form, unicorns look just like humans, but with less faults and more perfection.

In the book, Amalthea is a young girl, her skin the color of snow by moonlight, she has fine tangled hair that is white as a waterfall. The hair's length reaches the small of her back. Her face is the most beautiful that Schmendrick had ever seen. It hurt him and warmed him at the same time. On her forehead is a small, raised mark that was darker than the rest of her skin, the shape of it resembled a flower. She shone through Schmendrick's cloak no matter how much it wrapped around, like the sun through leaves. Her eyes are an amaranthine color. They are farther apart than most, deeper set, and dark as the deep sea. But also illuminated, like the sea by strange glimmering creatures that never rise to the surface. She could make no movement that wasn't beautiful, even when stumbling around.

In the movie, Amalthea is similar in appearance to her book counterpart. Her hair is white and goes all the way down her back. She retains her violet eyes and the lavender star symbol on her forehead. As the movie progress and the more human she becomes, the symbol soon fades away. She initially had no clothing, but later wore a light purple dress and matching shoes while staying at Haggard's castle.

## Horse Form

Golden hooves, just like a horse. White horn, white hair. Born golden.
Lion tail, cloven hooves, periwinkle horn, goat beard. Lavender flower/star mark where horn is.
Unicorn horns are supposedly pearly and quite beautiful. Unicorns have also been portrayed with cloven hooves, a goat's beard, and a lion's tail. Slightly curved horn. Wings come in colors of blue, gold, violet, pink, or white. Some have purple bodies.

In heraldry, a unicorn is often depicted as a horse with a goat's cloven hooves and beard, a lion's tail, and a slender, spiral horn on its forehead (non-equine attributes may be replaced with equine ones, as can be seen from the following gallery

Unicorn foals were born pure gold in colour. They remained so until they were about two years old, at which time they turned silver in colour. At around four years old, their horn grew in. They were fully grown at about seven years old, at which at this age they turned a shade of pure white that was so bright that it made freshly fallen snow looked grey in comparison.

Their hooves were golden (remaining so from their gold stage, the first two years of their life), and their blood was silver-blue and shone under the moonlight.

They resemble a white horse with a sharp horn, which curves slightly and has a delicate spiral pattern. It is commonly described as made of pure alabaster ivory, however in some cases, it can be identified as silver.

In the book, the Unicorn is the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. With clear and unwearied eyes, even though she is very old. Her neck is long and slender, making her head appear smaller than it really is. She has pointed ears. Her mane reaches the middle of her back, it has a texture that was as soft as dandelion fluff, and as fine as cirrus. Her legs are thin with feathers of white hair at the ankles, and her long horn shines with a seashell light even in the dark. Her movement is described as a "shadow on the sea".

The movie version of the Unicorn is very similar to the book's description, she is very elegant and is a stark white color. The main differences are that her hair is a very light blue, her horn is a periwinkle color, and she has a lavender star on her head where her horn is. Her eyes are also purple.

In their horse form, unicorns resemble brilliant and beautiful white horses with a single, perfect, gleaming and spiraling white horn that sprouts from the center of their foreheads.

The **unicorn** is a legendary creature that has been described since antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead.

In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years or so been depicted as a white horse-like or goat-like animal with a long straight horn with spiralling grooves, cloven hooves, and sometimes a goat's beard.

## Abilities

As a unicorn, Bracken had great magical potential, and he proved himself to be extremely powerful. Though he for a long time was in possession of none of his horns, he still retained some significant abilities, such as reading minds, enchanting objects, and, to some level, eradicating poison. His powers and abilities increased if he was in possession of any of his horns, at their peak if he had all three.

* **Aura**: Bracken, presumably like most other unicorns, had a distinct aura to those who could perceive it. This was noticeable for some beings, such as the shapeshifter Janan.
* **Connection to his horns**: If Bracken wasn't in possession of his horns, he would still have retained a connection to them, as long as they were not destroyed. Even centuries after parting with his first horn, that connection remained, although severely weakened. When he finally reclaimed his first horn, he was able to re-establish the connection. When Bracken entrusted his horn to Kendra Sorenson, they were able to communicate mentally over great distances using the connection of the horn.
* **Enchanting**: Even without his horns, Bracken still possessed some abilities, including the power to imbue stones or coins with light, as well as making them into communication devices. He could also create tiny, hovering globes of light to help with illumination, magical detection systems that would alert him of intruders, and produce a sudden burst of light.

"*I heal fast, and nothing gets infected. If I'm alive, I'll be fine.*"
—Bracken, about his healing ability[src]

* **Healing**: If Bracken ever were to be wounded, he would heal exceptionally quickly. The wound and scar he received from Ronodin during their fight in the Under Realm disappeared in just a few days. He also mentioned that he had some skill with healing injuries on others. During his imprisonment at Living Mirage, he helped fellow prisoner Berrigan heal from injuries sustained at the Dreamstone.
* **Human avatar**: As many of the more powerful magical creatures, Bracken could assume the form of a human. As he surrendered his third horn, Bracken got trapped in his human avatar, unable to revert back into his unicorn-shape. His experience in a mortal shape differed significantly from being a unicorn. By nature, unicorns are solitary, though being trapped as a human for such a long time helped him socialize.
* **Immense vitality supply**: As a unicorn, Bracken inherently had an immense supply of vitality, making him unable to die of old age. This power is also the cause of the unique way unicorns can destroy lectoblixes. If a lectoblix ever gets the chance to drain the life of a unicorn, they can feel the great vitality within, which they ardently crave. None is able to handle it, and they are thus killed, with no lasting effect on the unicorn.
* **Magical energy reception**: Like many other creatures of light, Bracken was receptive to magical energy. Receiving an influx of magical energy boosted his strength and, presumably depending on the quantity of energy, made him glow. This was shown during his fight with Ronodin in the Under Realm, when Kendra, using one of her fairykind abilities, pushed a large amount of magical energy into Bracken, allowing him to rip Ronodin's horn from him.
* **Mind-reading**: Bracken was able to read the minds of other beings if permitted to make physical contact with the said creature. He most often used this ability to detect spies or traitors among supposed allies. Bracken claimed that some of the more powerful magical creatures, like dragons, were hard for him to read.
* **Perception**: Bracken could perceive certain elements that others couldn't, such as the light within Kendra Sorenson, which appeared incredibly bright to him. He could also sense the vicinity of certain magical creatures, like the undead.
* **Purifying**: Bracken had the power to purify poison, venom, and corruption, and was therefore unable to die of sickness. His purifying abilities were most effective if he was in possession of any of his horns, though even hornless, he still retained significant power. With his horns, he could also undo most curses, such as the connection narcoblixes has to their victims, by uttering "begone."
* **Shielding communication**: Bracken could protect himself and those around him from any outside scrutiny, with the exception of the Oculus. He could also shield his own thoughts and mental communication between himself and another.
* **Telepathy**: Bracken had the ability to communicate mentally with many of the magical races. He could also project his thoughts to humans and, if they were in possession of one of his horns or communication coins, they were able to respond.
* **Combat skills**: Bracken was exceptionally skilled in using a sword and shield, even without his horns. When protecting the Eternal Mark, Bracken managed to handle two assailants simultaneously, killing both. Later, while protecting another Eternal, Civia, he slew dozens of minotaurs, almost effortlessly, using his second horn. He also dispatched the Gray Assassin and the wizard Mirav. During the Battle of Zzyzx, he displayed his skill at fighting further when challenging the demon horde.
* **Eyesight**: Bracken appeared to have exceptional eyesight, as shown when he was able to perceive the details of Shipbreaker Fjord's gate from a presumably great distance.

"*For ages, you astrids served as the honor guard for my family. This regiment had a name. Would any of our human companions care to guess what they were called? The Knights of the Dawn. The same name taken by the brotherhood that stands in opposition to the Society of the Evening Star. I believe this name is no accident. I believe this name makes reference to this moment. No star can abide the light of the dawn, nor has evil ever loved light. After their long incarceration in darkness, let our enemies come against us with the sunrise at our backs!*"
—Bracken's leadership skills, during the Battle of Zzyzx[src]

* **Leadership skills**: Bracken was a skilled and capable leader, taking charge of a situation with a calm and collected mind. He possessed a big talent and a dramatic flair for leadership, which he displayed during the Battle of Zzyzx, where he, along with the Fairy Queen, led their allies victory. He was seen leading a strike force against Gorgrog and was holding his own against the Demon King. Along with displaying leadership skills, Bracken also proved himself to be strategic and tactical during the battle. He provided instructions, orders, and commands mentally to the combatants, and successfully executed the plan to lure the demons into the abandoned fairy realm, trapping them inside.
* **Multilingualism**: Bracken was fluent in a number of different languages. It is possible that this skill was inherent, but it also possible that he learned some over the course of his life. The languages Bracken could speak included English and the secret fairy language, though it is very likely that he was also capable of speaking other fairy-related tongues, such as Silvian.

While the Unicorn wields immense agility, they are considered rather powerful, too quick to damage in physical combat, wielding dangerously strong hooves and a piercing horn. However, after the horn is used, it disintegrates, but can be regenerated within moments by the most powerful unicorns. Because of its supernatural nature, the unicorn can only be harmed by magical weapons such as silver, daedric, and the enchanted.

Here is a list of the abilities shown by unicorns with their horns in the Fablehaven series. Unicorns can likely do more than this, but these are the only abilities displayed in the books.

* healing
* purifying
* transforming their horn into weapons (like a sword)
* making light from horn
* keeping darkness at bay
* enter unicorn horse form (this requires the third horn of the unicorn)

Here is a list of the abilities shown by unicorns without their horns in the Fablehaven series. Their power(s) are significantly lessened when they are without their horns but they can still manage some magic. Unicorns may be able to do more than this without their horns, but these are the only gifts demonstrated in the book by Bracken, who was without his horns.

* making small amount of light
* very strong
* creating long-distance, mental communication devices (he uses coins)
* reading others' minds and intentions through physical touch

Unicorns are also so fleet of the hoof that they can rarely be caught by humans. They were also fast enough to outrun werewolves with absurd ease.

It is said that the Unicorn possess great agility, with the ability to jump over nine-feet and fly in the air, despite lacking wings. They are also described as the "brothers of the wind", wielding great speed that is faster than a Dragon.

## Personality

Unicorns are pure of heart

Unicorns preferred a woman's touch, but the young ones were more trusting and do not mind men as much.

She is free-spirited, open-minded and shows concern and compassion to all around her.

Not aggressive without cause, but should be treated with great respect.

Bracken was a very brave and loyal person with strong willpower. His willpower was exemplified when he managed to stay sane inside the Living Mirage dungeon for hundreds of years. Even though he despised his prison, his mind remained clear and he did not seem to have fallen into a state of depression or insanity, though this could've been explained by Bracken being a unicorn, partly because unicorns experience extraordinary clarity. He was also capable of retaining his sanity during his imprisonment in the Under Realm prison, even under the constant, draining influence of the undead.

"*He was cute, brave, protective, smart, sweet, and, maybe best of all, she knew he was for real.*"
—Kendra Sorenson, regarding Bracken's personality and appearance[src]

Kendra Sorenson regarded Bracken as a smart, sweet, caring, and selfless individual. His selflessness was displayed when he gave her his first horn as she was becoming the caretaker of Wyrmroost. The horn would allow them to communicate over long distances, which further reinforced how much Bracken cared about her well-being. She also saw him as a courageous and protective person, possibly because of the many times he risked his life and saved hers.

Bracken was very understanding as well. When Seth Sorenson reached out to him mentally and relayed that Fablehaven had fallen, Graulas had been healed, and Coulter Dixon had perished, all because of him, Bracken sent back saying that he was tricked, used and that nothing could be done about it.

"*Unicorns are generally solitary creatures. Spending all this time in a human form has helped me learn to socialize. At times I even enjoy it! I'm still trying to improve. Old habits die hard.*" */.../* "*It is difficult living as an unchanging being in a temporal world.*"
—Bracken, about his difficulties socializing[src]

As a unicorn, Bracken also had trouble socializing in the mortal world after losing his third horn and becoming trapped in his human avatar. For centuries, he lived alone. The solitude was a hard habit for him to break. In time, Bracken experienced with human society, dabbling with friendship and duty. His social awkwardness was shown when conversing with Kendra Sorenson in the dungeon of Living Mirage. He managed to improve upon this remarkably much after his imprisonment at Living Mirage, however.

## Horn

The **horn** of a unicorn had magical properties that made it a useful ingredient in potions, such as the Antidote to Common Poisons. In classical myths, unicorn horns had purification properties which were used to dissolve poisons. This could be why it was used in the Antidote to Common Poisons.

* Antidote to Common Poisons
* Draught of Peace
* Oculus Potion
* Wiggenweld Potion

All unicorn horns are nearly impossible to steal or take because they fill the thief with so much guilt that they cannot take it. Shadow Charmers are an exception to this enchantment, because they are, to an extent, immune to all magical emotions.

#### First Horn

The first horn of a unicorn is the smallest and least powerful of the three horns. This horn is the first a unicorn grows. This horn is generally given away to someone or place as a gift. Bracken's first horn was given to the centaurs in Grunhold at Fablehaven by Patton Burgess. When Bracken discovered this, he took back his horn from the centaurs but provided them with enchantments to continue to keep darkness at bay. However, none of these enchantments were nearly as powerful or efficient as the first horn had been.

#### Second Horn

The second horn is the middle horn. Once a unicorn loses its first horn, this new horn begins to grow in. This horn is more powerful than the first horn but not nearly as powerful as a unicorn's third horn. Bracken uses his second horn for the majority of his magic in the fifth book, including turning it into a gleaming white-and-silver sword. It is unknown if these abilities are unique to the second horn or if the other horns can also do these things, albeit with different levels of power.

#### Third Horn

The third horn is the largest and easily the most powerful of the three unicorn horns. It is the last horn a unicorn grows and it is the horn that enables unicorns to retain or enter their unicorn form. Without this horn, they are stuck in a human-like avatar, as Bracken was. The reason Bracken is without his third horn, something most unicorns would not normally give up under any circumstances, is because he donated it to the Wizards who created the Demon Prison Zzyzx. Since the horn of Bracken was given up for the Font, he is technically stuck in his human form forever, but he thought keeping the world safe from demons was well worth the price.

**Unicorn Horns** are powerful magical items, wielding potent magic. They are wielded by unicorns, beings of light and purity. They are notoriously rare and nearly impossible to encounter.

An unicorn could use their horns to heal even the most fatal wounds, and to clear away toxins. They can also use their horns to manipulate magic. It is difficult to steal a horn, because it attacks the person with magical guilt. Only those with immunity against magical emotions can retrieve them with no trouble. Horns are so powerful they can even slay an eternal.

Great energy is stored in the horn, even though if not possesed by a unicorn. The magic of a kept horn kept Grunhold protected from the shadow plague.

Horns are capable of purifying. If it makes contact with a toxic lake, the whole body of water would be cleaned. Even though horns, by themselves, clear away toxins, they do not heal. For an example, Graulas had no interest in the horn because disease was such a part of him. Trying to purify him would end his life, in contrast to the Sands of Sanctity, which heals rather than purifies. One horn, empowered by Kendra's fairykind abilities, killed Siletta, a completely poison dragon.

In encyclopedias, its horn was described as having the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness. In medieval and Renaissance times, the tusk of the narwhal was sometimes sold as a unicorn horn.

A **unicorn horn**, also known as an **alicorn**, is a legendary object whose reality was accepted in Europe and Asia from the earliest recorded times. This "horn" comes from the creature known as a unicorn, also known in the Hebrew Bible as a re'em or wild ox. Many healing powers and antidotal virtues were attributed to the alicorn, making it one of the most expensive and reputable remedies during the Renaissance, and justifying its use in the highest circles. Beliefs related to the alicorn influenced alchemy through spagyric medicine. The horn's purificational properties were eventually put to the test in, for example, the book of Ambroise Paré, *Discourse on unicorn*.

Seen as one of the most valuable assets that a person could possess, unicorn horns were given as diplomatic gifts, and chips and dust from them could be purchased at apothecaries as universal antidotes until the 18th century. Sections of horns were later displayed in cabinets of curiosities. The horn was used to create sceptres and other royal objects, such as the unicorn throne of the Danish kings, the sceptre and imperial crown of the Austrian Empire, and the scabbard and the hilt of the sword of Charles the Bold. The legendary unicorn could never be captured alive, but its symbolic association with virginity made it the symbol of innocence and the incarnation of God's Word.

## Nature and properties

Around 400 BCE, the unicorn was described by Ctesias, according to Photius, as carrying a horn which princes would use to make hanaps to protect against poison. Claudius Aelianus said that drinking from this horn protects against diseases and poisons. These writings influenced authors from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance: the unicorn becomes the most important and frequently mentioned fantastic animal in the West, but it was considered real. Other parts of its body were alleged to have medicinal properties, and in the 12th century abbess Hildegard of Bingen recommended an ointment against leprosy made from unicorn liver and egg yolk. Wearing a unicorn leather belt was supposed to protect a person from the plague and fevers, while leather shoes of this animal prevented diseases of the feet, legs and loins.

The medicinal efficacy linked to its horn and its alexipharmic powers were assumed to be true in antiquity, but were not explicitly mentioned in the West again until the 14th century. Legends about these properties were the stimulus for a flourishing trade in these chips and dust up to the mid-17th century, when their true origin became widely known. The alicorn never existed as such; it was most often narwhal teeth that were known as "unicorn horns".

### Water purification

Left panel of *The Garden of Earthly Delights* by Hieronymus Bosch (1503-1504), showing unicorns purifying water.

The first post-classical reference to the cleansing power of the unicorn appears in an interpretation of the *Physiologus* (dated perhaps to the 14th century), when reference is made to a large lake where animals congregate to drink:

> But before they are assembled, the serpent comes and casts his poison into the water. Now the animals mark well the poison and do not dare to drink, and they wait for the unicorn. It comes and immediately goes into the lake, and making with his horn the sign of the cross, renders the power of the poison harmless Freeman 1983, p. 27
>
>

This theme became very popular, and in 1389 Father Johann van Hesse claimed to have seen a unicorn emerge at sunrise to decontaminate the contaminated water of the River Marah, so that the good animals could drink. Freeman 1983, p. 27 Symbolically, the snake that poisons the water is the devil and the unicorn represents Christ the Redeemer. The origin of this legend seems Indian, and Greek texts report that Indian nobles drank out of unicorn horns to protect themselves from diseases and poisons.

The unicorn is most often represented beside a river, lake or fountain, while animals wait for him to finish his work before drinking. This scene is common in the art of the 16th and 17th centuries. Studies and translations of these drawings and stories popularized the belief that the power of the animal came from its horn, which could neutralize the poison as soon as the liquid or solid touched the alicorn piece.

### Medicinal properties

Ainkhürn, "unicorn horn", offered to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I in 1540, exhibited at Wiener Schatzkammer.
The alleged properties of the alicorn may be compared with those of the bezoar stone, another object of animal origin known to Renaissance medicine and exposed as a rarity in the cabinets of curiosities.

The alicorn was assigned many medicinal properties and, over time, in addition to the purification of polluted water in nature, its use was recommended against rubella, measles, fevers and pains. The monks of the Parisian monasteries used to soak it in the drinking water given to lepers. It was thought to act as an antidote and, in a powder form, was known to facilitate wound healing, help neutralize poisons (such as scorpion or viper venom) or against the plague. The horn was prepared in several ways, in solid form, or by infusion

Its prophylactic function and magical power were assumed for centuries; as its trade increased, «fake» horns and false powders appeared. The astronomical prices paid for alicorn reflected the belief that their imaginary virtues could cause real healing.

Many works are devoted to the explanation and defence of the medicinal properties of the alicorn, including *The Treaty of the Unicorn, its wonderful properties and its use* (1573) by Andrea Bacci and *Natural History, Hunting, Virtues, and Use of Lycorn* (1624) by apothecary Laurent Catelan. Bacci probably wrote his book at the request of his patients, who were major investors in the unicorn horn trade.

### Display and use as antipoison

Three unicorn horns from the Mariakerk in Utrecht, now on display at the Rijksmuseum.
Of a twisted configuration, alicorns were traded as valuable items for many centuries: according to legend, the "horn" on display at the Musée national du Moyen Âge was a gift from the Caliph of Baghdad, Harun al-Rashid, to Charlemagne in 807. It measures almost three meters. An eight-foot long horn is exhibited in Bruges, Flanders. In the Middle Ages, the alicorn was the most valuable asset that a prince could possess. Its medicinal use was attested and revived possibly in the 13th century, when pharmacists incorporated narwhal teeth (presented as unicorn horns) in their treatments; they displayed large pieces in order to distinguish it from products of other animals, such as the ox. These objects would have been exchanged up to eleven times their weight in gold. Depictions of unicorns in a religious context were discouraged indirectly by the Council of Trent in 1563, despite their display in the Saint-Denis Cathedral in Paris, and St Mark's Basilica in Venice. They were often mounted on silver socles and presented as trophies that were only be shown for important ceremonies.

Ambroise Paré explains that alicorns were used in the court of the King of France to detect the presence of poison in food and drink: if the comestible became hot and started to smoke, then the dish was poisoned. Pope Clement VII offered a unicorn horn two cubits long to King Francis I of France at the wedding of his niece Catherine de' Medici in Marseille in October 1533, and the king did not ever move without a bag filled with unicorn powder. Also, the Grand Inquisitor Torquemada always carried unicorn horn to protect himself from poison and murderers.

The horn itself and the substance it was made of was called **alicorn**, and it was believed that the horn holds magical and medicinal properties. The Danish physician Ole Worm determined in 1638 that the alleged alicorns were the tusks of narwhals. Such beliefs were examined wittily and at length in 1646 by Sir Thomas Browne in his *Pseudodoxia Epidemica*.

False alicorn powder, made from the tusks of narwhals or horns of various animals, was sold in Europe for medicinal purposes as late as 1741. The alicorn was thought to cure many diseases and have the ability to detect poisons, and many physicians would make "cures" and sell them. Cups were made from alicorn for kings and given as a gift; these were usually made of ivory or walrus ivory. Entire horns were very precious in the Middle Ages and were often really the tusks of narwhals.

## Blood

**Unicorn blood** was a thick, silvery magical substance that ran within a unicorn's veins.

## Hair

Unicorn tail hairs were also used in potions, though their exact uses and properties were unknown, although the Beautification Potion was known to contain them.

Rubeus Hagrid found that unicorn hairs could be used to bind bandages.

A recommended remedy for skin contact with Armadillo Bile Mixture was to wash the affected area with unicorn hair.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could be captured only by a virgin.

A bovine type of unicorn is thought by some scholars to have been depicted in seals of the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization, the interpretation remaining controversial. An equine form of the unicorn was mentioned by the ancient Greeks in accounts of natural history by various writers, including Ctesias, Strabo, Pliny the Younger, Aelian and Cosmas Indicopleustes. The Bible also describes an animal, the re'em, which some translations render as *unicorn*.

The unicorn continues to hold a place in popular culture. It is often used as a symbol of fantasy or rarity.

## History

Indus stamp seal and modern impression; unicorn and incense burner or manger (?), 2600–1900 BC.

### Indus Valley civilization

A creature with a single horn, conventionally called a unicorn, is the most common image on the soapstone stamp seals of the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization ("IVC"), from the centuries around 2000 BC. It has a body more like a cow than a horse, and a curved horn that goes forward, then up at the tip.[*citation needed*] The mysterious feature depicted coming down from the front of the back is usually shown; it may represent a harness or other covering. Typically the unicorn faces a vertical object with at least two stages; this is variously described as a "ritual offering stand", an incense burner, or a manger. The animal is always in profile on Indus seals, but the theory that it represents animals with two horns, one hiding the other, is disproved by a (much smaller) number of small terracotta unicorns, probably toys, and the profile depictions of bulls, where both horns are clearly shown. It is thought that the unicorn was the symbol of a powerful "clan or merchant community", but may also have had some religious significance.

In South Asia the unicorn is only seen during the IVC period — it disappears in South Asian art ever since. Jonathan Mark Kenoyer notes the IVC unicorn to not have any "direct connection" with later unicorn motifs observed in other parts of world; nonetheless it remains possible that the IVC unicorn had contributed to later myths of fantastical one-horned creatures in West Asia.

### Classical antiquity

Unicorns are not found in Greek mythology, but rather in the accounts of natural history, for Greek writers of natural history were convinced of the reality of unicorns, which they believed lived in India, a distant and fabulous realm for them. The earliest description is from Ctesias, who in his book *Indika* ("On India") described them as wild asses, fleet of foot, having a horn a cubit and a half (700 mm, 28 inches) in length, and colored white, red and black. Unicorn meat was said to be too bitter to eat.

Unicorn in Apadana, Susa, Iran Ctesias got his information while living in Persia. Unicorns on a relief sculpture have been found at the ancient Persian capital of Persepolis in Iran. Aristotle must be following Ctesias when he mentions two one-horned animals, the oryx (a kind of antelope) and the so-called "Indian ass" (ἰνδικὸς ὄνος). Antigonus of Carystus also wrote about the one-horned "Indian ass". Strabo says that in the Caucasus there were one-horned horses with stag-like heads. Pliny the Elder mentions the oryx and an Indian ox (perhaps a Greater one-horned rhinoceros) as one-horned beasts, as well as "a very fierce animal called the monoceros which has the head of the stag, the feet of the elephant, and the tail of the boar, while the rest of the body is like that of the horse; it makes a deep lowing noise, and has a single black horn, which projects from the middle of its forehead, two cubits [900 mm, 35 inches] in length." In *On the Nature of Animals* (*Περὶ Ζῴων Ἰδιότητος*, *De natura animalium*), Aelian, quoting Ctesias, adds that India produces also a one-horned horse (iii. 41; iv. 52), and says (xvi. 20) that the *monoceros* (Greek: μονόκερως) was sometimes called *cartazonos* (Greek: καρτάζωνος), which may be a form of the Arabic *karkadann*, meaning "rhinoceros".

Cosmas Indicopleustes, a merchant of Alexandria who lived in the 6th century, made a voyage to India and subsequently wrote works on cosmography. He gives a description of a unicorn based on four brass figures in the palace of the King of Ethiopia. He states, from report, that "it is impossible to take this ferocious beast alive; and that all its strength lies in its horn. When it finds itself pursued and in danger of capture, it throws itself from a precipice, and turns so aptly in falling, that it receives all the shock upon the horn, and so escapes safe and sound".

### Middle Ages and Renaissance

*Wild woman with unicorn,* tapestry, c. 1500–1510 (Basel Historical Museum) Medieval knowledge of the fabulous beast stemmed from biblical and ancient sources, and the creature was variously represented as a kind of wild ass, goat, or horse.

The predecessor of the medieval bestiary, compiled in Late Antiquity and known as *Physiologus* (*Φυσιολόγος*), popularized an elaborate allegory in which a unicorn, trapped by a maiden (representing the Virgin Mary), stood for the Incarnation. As soon as the unicorn sees her, it lays its head on her lap and falls asleep. This became a basic emblematic tag that underlies medieval notions of the unicorn, justifying its appearance in both secular and religious art. The unicorn is often shown hunted, raising parallels both with vulnerable virgins and sometimes the Passion of Christ. The myths refer to a beast with one horn that can only be tamed by a virgin; subsequently, some writers translated this into an allegory for Christ's relationship with the Virgin Mary.

The unicorn also figured in courtly terms: for some 13th-century French authors such as Thibaut of Champagne and Richard de Fournival, the lover is attracted to his lady as the unicorn is to the virgin. With the rise of humanism, the unicorn also acquired more orthodox secular meanings, emblematic of chaste love and faithful marriage. It plays this role in Petrarch's *Triumph of Chastity*, and on the reverse of Piero della Francesca's portrait of Battista Strozzi, paired with that of her husband Federico da Montefeltro (painted c. 1472–74), Bianca's triumphal car is drawn by a pair of unicorns.

However, when the unicorn appears in the medieval legend of *Barlaam and Josaphat*, ultimately derived from the life of the Buddha, it represents death, as the *Golden Legend* explains. Unicorns in religious art largely disappeared after they were condemned by Molanus after the Council of Trent.

The unicorn, tamable only by a virgin woman, was well established in medieval lore by the time Marco Polo described them as "scarcely smaller than elephants. They have the hair of a buffalo and feet like an elephant's. They have a single large black horn in the middle of the forehead... They have a head like a wild boar's… They spend their time by preference wallowing in mud and slime. They are very ugly brutes to look at. They are not at all such as we describe them when we relate that they let themselves be captured by virgins, but clean contrary to our notions." It is clear that Marco Polo was describing a rhinoceros.

## Entrapment

One traditional method of hunting unicorns involved entrapment by a virgin.

In one of his notebooks Leonardo da Vinci wrote:

> The unicorn, through its intemperance and not knowing how to control itself, for the love it bears to fair maidens forgets its ferocity and wildness; and laying aside all fear it will go up to a seated damsel and go to sleep in her lap, and thus the hunters take it.
>
>

The famous late Gothic series of seven tapestry hangings *The Hunt of the Unicorn* are a high point in European tapestry manufacture, combining both secular and religious themes. The tapestries now hang in the Cloisters division of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In the series, richly dressed noblemen, accompanied by huntsmen and hounds, pursue a unicorn against *mille-fleur* backgrounds or settings of buildings and gardens. They bring the animal to bay with the help of a maiden who traps it with her charms, appear to kill it, and bring it back to a castle; in the last and most famous panel, "The Unicorn in Captivity", the unicorn is shown alive again and happy, chained to a pomegranate tree surrounded by a fence, in a field of flowers. Scholars conjecture that the red stains on its flanks are not blood but rather the juice from pomegranates, which were a symbol of fertility. However, the true meaning of the mysterious resurrected unicorn in the last panel is unclear. The series was woven about 1500 in the Low Countries, probably Brussels or Liège, for an unknown patron. A set of six engravings on the same theme, treated rather differently, were engraved by the French artist Jean Duvet in the 1540s.

Another famous set of six tapestries of *Dame à la licorne* ("Lady with the unicorn") in the Musée de Cluny, Paris, were also woven in the Southern Netherlands before 1500, and show the five senses (the gateways to temptation) and finally Love ("A mon seul desir" the legend reads), with unicorns featured in each piece. Facsimiles of these unicorn tapestries were woven for permanent display in Stirling Castle, Scotland, to take the place of a set recorded in the castle in a 16th-century inventory.

A rather rare, late-15th-century, variant depiction of the *hortus conclusus* in religious art combined the Annunciation to Mary with the themes of the *Hunt of the Unicorn* and *Virgin and Unicorn*, so popular in secular art. The unicorn already functioned as a symbol of the Incarnation and whether this meaning is intended in many *prima facie* secular depictions can be a difficult matter of scholarly interpretation. There is no such ambiguity in the scenes where the archangel Gabriel is shown blowing a horn, as hounds chase the unicorn into the Virgin's arms, and a little Christ Child descends on rays of light from God the Father. The Council of Trent finally banned this somewhat over-elaborated, if charming, depiction, partly on the grounds of realism, as no one now believed the unicorn to be a real animal.

Shakespeare scholars describe unicorns being captured by a hunter standing in front of a tree, the unicorn goaded into charging; the hunter would step aside the last moment and the unicorn would embed its horn deeply into the tree (See annotations of Timon of Athens, Act 4, scene 3, c. line 341: "wert thou the unicorn, pride and wrath would confound thee and make thine own self the conquest of thy fury".)

## Heraldry

Whether because it was an emblem of the Incarnation or of the fearsome animal passions of raw nature, the unicorn was not widely used in early heraldry, but became popular from the 15th century. Though sometimes shown collared and chained, which may be taken as an indication that it has been tamed or tempered, it is more usually shown collared with a broken chain attached, showing that it has broken free from its bondage.

### Scotland

In heraldry the unicorn is best known as a symbol of Scotland: the unicorn was believed to be the natural enemy of the lion – a symbol that the English royals had adopted around a hundred years before Two unicorns supported the royal arms of the King of Scots and Duke of Rothesay, and since the 1707 union of England and Scotland, the royal arms of the United Kingdom have been supported by a unicorn along with an English lion. Two versions of the royal arms exist: that used in Scotland gives more emphasis to the Scottish elements, placing the unicorn on the left and giving it a crown, whereas the version used in England and elsewhere gives the English elements more prominence. John Guillim, in his book; *A Display of Heraldry*, has illustrated the unicorn as a symbol of power, honor and respect.

Golden coins known as the unicorn and half-unicorn, both with a unicorn on the obverse, were used in Scotland in the 15th and 16th century. In the same realm, carved unicorns were often used as finials on the pillars of Mercat crosses, and denoted that the settlement was a royal burgh. Certain noblemen such as the Earl of Kinnoull were given special permission to use the unicorn in their arms, as an augmentation of honour. The crest for Clan Cunningham bears a unicorn head.

The **Unicorn** was a legendary creature featured in folklore around the world. In British mythology, it was often depicted as a white horse or goat-like creature with a single long, spiraling horn protruding from its forehead. This horn was said to possess the power to heal sickness and purify water.

Though Unicorns were said to be very shy creatures, they were also known to be wild and fierce and could only be captured by virgin women. Because of this, hunters would often use virgins to lure Unicorns into their traps.

Another method of capture, as described in Shakespeare's play *Timon of Athens*, was for a hunter to goad the Unicorn into charging. They would step aside at the last moment so the Unicorn would embed its horn deeply into a tree, leaving it defenseless.

Despite its mythical status, the Unicorn was adopted as the national symbol of Scotland during the 12th century. It was chosen because it was believed to be the natural enemy of the lion, which English nobles had adopted as a symbol around one hundred years before

**Firenze**: "*Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?*"
**Harry Potter**: "*No. We’ve only used the horn and tail hair in Potions.*"
— An important discussion regarding unicorn parts[src]
## History

There was a lively Muggle trade in unicorn horn, which they believed to have medicinal properties. However, most of these supposed horns were fake, and the few real ones that did pass into Muggle possession were useless to non-wizards.

In 1991, unicorn horns were sold at the Apothecary in Diagon Alley for twenty-one Galleons each.

In the 1991–1992 school year, first-year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry used unicorn horn in their Potions classes.

They were also used as food additives, since Honeydukes Liquorice Wands were advertised as being free from them.

## Behind the scenes

* It is likely that under normal circumstances, horns are only taken from unicorns that have already died, since Firenze remarks that "it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn". It may also be possible that the horn can be taken without killing the unicorn, perhaps if they shed and regrow them much like deer do antlers, or that only a small part of the horn is taken from a living unicorn.
* During Medieval Times, Narwhal tusks, a single long, spiral tooth, predominantly grown by males, were believed by Europeans to be the horn of a unicorn. In addition to their value as curiosities, they were often made into cups in an attempt to take advantage of a unicorn horn's believed anti-poison properties. Because of this, northern traders like Norsemen could sell such tusks for many times their weight in gold.

**Firenze**: "*Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?*"
**Harry Potter**: "*No. We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions.*"
— A very serious question[src]
**Unicorn hair** was a powerful magical substance with a variety of uses, originating on the body of a unicorn. It could be used as the core of wands. It was frequently shed from the creature.

## Wandlore

Unicorn hair could be used in wand-making, as wand cores. Wands with these cores produced the most consistent magic, were least subject to fluctuations and blockages, were most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts, and were the most faithful of wands. However, they did not make the most powerful of wands (unless the wand wood compensated) and were prone to melancholy if mishandled. The wandmaker Garrick Ollivander made wands with unicorn hairs.

## Behind the scenes

* Unicorn hair is worth ten Galleons for each hair, according to Horace Slughorn. However, this may be inaccurate as he was drunk at the time, and a wand (which may contain such a hair) only costs seven. Although, as this seven Galleon price for a wand was established in *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone* and unicorn hairs being ten Galleons was mentioned during *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*, it is possible that there was an inflation in the price of unicorn hair during the intervening years. It is also possible the price difference between selling unicorn hair as raw material in comparison to an altered material as wand cores, and/or that a single hair may be long enough to be cut in two for use as two wand cores (most wands are 9 to 14 inches long, and obviously a core is always shorter than the whole wand).

"*The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenceless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.*"
— Firenze informing Harry Potter about the nature of unicorn blood[src]
## Description

The blood of a unicorn could be drunk in order to keep a person alive. However, the act of slaying a unicorn would cause the drinker to suffer a cursed life, though the specifics of what this actually entailed were not well known. It was probably non-tradeable, since the sale of this substance was controlled by the British Ministry of Magic, making it strictly forbidden. Firenze and Harry Potter both believed that only those who had nothing to lose and everything to gain would dare drink unicorn blood.

Unicorn blood was an ingredient for a potion that creates a rudimentary body for a disembodied soul.
==History==:"*Wormtail's body, of course, was ill adapted for possession, as all assumed him dead, and would attract far too much attention if noticed. However, he was the able-bodied servant I needed, and, poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own, a body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting the essential ingredients for true rebirth... a spell or two of my own invention... a little help from my dear Nagini, a potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided... I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel.*"

— Voldemort describes the rudimentary body potion[src]

In 1992, Lord Voldemort used unicorn blood to sustain his life, until he could steal the Philosopher's Stone in order to regain his true body. As he was possessing Quirinus Quirrell and inhabiting his body at the time, Quirrell drank the blood on Voldemort's behalf. This was because Quirrell's body was dying as it is from sharing it with Voldemort's fragmented soul.

Late in the 1991–1992 school year, when Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Draco Malfoy were caught out of bounds, they were punished with detention in the Forbidden Forest. At the edge of the forest, they joined Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, who told them that a unicorn had been injured and that they were to search for it. Prior to splitting up the group, Hagrid pointed out the unicorn blood on the ground.

In 1994, Peter Pettigrew used unicorn blood along with Nagini's venom to create a potion which would create a temporary body for Voldemort, until he could regain his true body. It is unknown if producing such a potion and proceeding to use it (orally or otherwise) creates a similar curse upon the user's life. In Voldemort's case, his re-usage of unicorn blood (having indirectly consumed some two years prior) may have had a cumulative effect on the curse's potency. Voldemort's questionable degree of humanity, however, may have diluted, or even negated entirely, the efficacy of the curse.\*The unicorn was a creature that the ancient Greeks believed resided in India. Though commonly depicted in modern fantasy (as in *Harry Potter*) as being a horse with a single horn, unicorns in antiquity were also described as goats, wild donkeys, or some form of a hybrid creature. The concept of them being more comfortable with witches than wizards possibly stems from medieval beliefs that only a maiden could tame a unicorn. It also likely stems from how unicorns are often made to appeal to young girls.

* In *LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4*, Voldemort tries to sneak up on the unicorn with a knife and fork, but is scared off by Firenze who shows him his fist. Hagrid then proceeds to care for the sick unicorn like a child.
* It is possible the author was inspired to place Unicorns within the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, based on the fact that the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland, where Hogwarts is located.
* The unicorn is one of the nine possible Patronus forms for Jacob's sibling. It can be achieved by having a higher Empathy stat or choosing the option "protect friends" and later, choosing "Equine" as the Patronus form.:"*Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure and defenceless to save yourself, you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.*"

— The properties of unicorn blood[src]

These majestic equines possessed potent magical properties, with their tail hairs being used as the core of a wand and were designated by Garrick Ollivander as one of the "Supreme Cores", which was a distinction shared by only two other beasts.

A unicorn was one rare possible corporeal form of the Patronus Charm. Constance Pickering's Patronus took the form of a unicorn.

## Description

Unicorns inhabited the forests of Europe, including the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Wandmakers such as the Ollivander family also plucked hairs from the tails of the creatures to use in wands as cores.

Unicorns were capable of moving faster than werewolves.

Unicorns were considered pure and sacred creatures. Drinking their blood to preserve one’s life was considered a heinous and immoral crime.

## Uses

Various parts of the Unicorn — the horn and tail hair in particular — were used in potions. Unicorn hair in general was used for the cores of wands to wandmaking; they produce the most consistent magic, least subject to fluctuations and blockages, most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts and the most faithful of wands. However, they did not make the most powerful of wands and were prone to melancholy if mishandled, although the wand wood could compensate this. The Wandmaker Garrick Ollivander made wands with unicorn hair cores.

The tail hair could also be used as binding in bandages due to its incredible strength. The blood of a unicorn could be used to keep a person who was near death alive, thus granting the drinker immortality, but "*you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips*." Unicorn horn was often used as a common potion ingredient, in potions such as the Antidote to Common Poisons, Draught of Peace and Wiggenweld Potion.
==History==:"*The Unicorn was so brightly white that it made the snow all around look grey. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves, and throwing back its horned head.*"

— Description of a majestic Unicorn in a 1995 Care of Magical Creatures lesson[src]

At some point before or during the 1986–1987 school year, Jacob's sibling met a unicorn at the Magical Creatures Reserve, and would often bond with and feed it.

Merula Snyde's mother owned a unicorn for a short period.

During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Silvanus Kettleburn taught fifth-year students in Care of Magical Creatures class how to handle unicorns.

During the 1989–1990 school year, Liz Tuttle was found keenly petting a unicorn in the Care of Magical Creatures paddock by Jacob's sibling. Professor Kettleburn remarked to Rubeus Hagrid that Liz was so focused on the unicorn that she would not overhear their conversation.

At least two unicorns were slain by Quirinus Quirrell so Lord Voldemort could drink their blood and return to power. Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and Fang found the corpse of one of them in the Forbidden Forest.

In 1995, fourth-year students at Hogwarts studied unicorns in their Care of Magical Creatures class, while Professor Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank was standing in for Hagrid.

Later, in the 1995–1996 school year, as part of the Ordinary Wizarding Level Care of Magical Creatures practical examination, students were required to choose from a wide selection of food the diet they would give a sick unicorn.

During the Calamity in the 2010s, several baby unicorn Foundables were being guarded by large, aggressive red snakes Confoundables, which appeared throughout the wizarding world. Volunteer members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force had to repel the giant serpents with the Exploding Charm to stun them and liberate the baby unicorns, allowing the Foundables to return to their rightful place.

## Biography

Merlin encountered a Unicorn while on a hunting trip. He tried to send it away, but Arthur shot the unicorn and took its horn back to Camelot as a trophy.

Gaius warned Uther and Arthur that a curse would befall anyone who slayed a unicorn, but they both dismissed the legend as nonsense. Within a few days, however, Camelot's crops began to die and its water supply turned to sand.

Arthur was later visited by Anhora, who told him that the curse would only be lifted if he made amends for the unicorn's death by passing a series of tests. When he passed the final test and proved himself pure of heart, the curse was lifted and Camelot's crops and water were restored.

Later, Arthur and Merlin returned to the forest to lay the unicorn's horn to rest and discovered that lifting the curse had also restored the creature to life (*The Labyrinth of Gedref*).

The **Curse of the Unicorn** is a powerful enchantment triggered by the death of a Unicorn. It is known to destroy a kingdom's food supply and turn its water to sand, and can only be lifted by the perpetrator proving themselves pure of heart.

The Unicorn is a mythical creature that is native prey to the Hunting Grounds, the Daedric Prince Hircine's plane of Oblivion. Although they can be found in the Hunting Grounds, an aspect of Hircine known as Alrabeg the Hunter brings these creatures into the mortal plane of Nirn, to hunt them in new forests. The Unicorn is a very rare creature whose very existence is constantly doubted. Hircine has described the creatures as the first named, but last tamed. In a sense, creatures like this are considered the antithesis of the Daedra. It is believed that the death of a unicorn strengthens the elements of darkness, while the death of Fire Daedra strengthens the aspects of light.

History[edit] In 3E 405, the Dowager-Queen of Daggerfall, Nulfaga was in possession of the Great Unicorn's Horn, which was later used to free Medora Direnni from her prison on the Isle of Balfiera. During the Oblivion Crisis in 3E 433, one of the last unicorns was hunted by the Champion of Cyrodiil who sought the favor of Hircine. It was last sighted at Harcane Grove in the Great Forest of Cyrodiil, guarded by a pack of Minotaurs. The Champion claimed the unicorn's horn and offered it to Hircine, who in turn, gifted them with the Savior's Hide. By 4E 201, the Unicorn were thought to have gone extinct on Nirn and were shrouded in legend, but they would remain a favorite subjects for poets and artists.. A Dunmeri Dark Brotherhood assassin claims to have met a Unicorn on a moonlit night, and proceeded to "stab [it] in the throat with a crochet needle," though this statement was likely in jest. That same year, there were reportedly sightings of a Unicorn had begun to circulate in the province of Skyrim, in the fall forest of the Rift. It was theorized by Tolfdir, Master of Alteration at the College of Winterhold, that the Psijic Order had transported one of the very last unicorns into the future, to prevent their utter extinction. It was later discovered by the Last Dragonborn near the Lost Prospect, who managed to tame the beast as their own mount and bring it to the College of Winterhold.

## Personality

Unicorns are referenced in the first book when Seth makes fun of Kendra only wanting to see a unicorn. Actual evidence of a unicorn is first mentioned in the third book, *Grip of the Shadow Plague*, where the horn of a unicorn protects Grunhold from evil and darkness.

In *Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary*, the same unicorn horn must be obtained from the centaurs of Grunhold in order to open the gates of Wyrmroost, the Dragon preserve.

However, it is not until the fifth and final book, *Keys to the Demon Prison*, that unicorns are actually involved within the story. Bracken is a unicorn trapped in avatar form ever since he gave up his third horn to be made into the Font of Immortality. The horn held in reverence by the centaurs at Fablehaven is Bracken's first horn. Towards the end of the fifth book, it is revealed that Bracken is the son of the Fairy Queen and King, both of whom are unicorns like their son and not actual fairies. For the centaurs' misdeeds after Fablehaven fell, Agad and Bracken limited their domain and Bracken took his horn back though Agad did provide them with another means of mystical protection, albeit not as powerful as the Horn.

In *Master of the Phantom Isle*, Bracken's Third Horn is somehow no longer the Font of Immortality, returned to being his Horn, and was recovered from the Underking by Kendra and returned to Bracken, thus restoring his ability to return to his unicorn form at will.

Unicorns are well-respected among among the magical community.