When “Unicorn Horns” Were Prescribed As Medicine

During medieval times, Europeans saw unicorns as real animals. People had written about one-horned animals living in parts of Asia. Their logic? Elephants and rhinoceroses existed, so why not another horned animal? Honestly, I don’t blame them for buying into it.

The King James Bible, an older English translation, uses the word ‘unicorn’ nine times. We can now say that the animal was probably an aurochs, but this little mix-up just gave the idea that unicorns were real even more credibility.

The horn of a unicorn was called an alicorn. There was a belief that an alicorn possessed medicinal properties and could heal people, so it became very valuable.

European elites feared poison, so when they found out that a unicorn horn could detect and even neutralize poison, they were all in! I won’t lie, that does sound like a really cool power to have.

When news got to the royals, it was game over. Every wealthy ruler needed to have their hands on objects made of unicorn horns. When the risk of being poisoned was so high, they needed that extra protection. Pieces of alicorn were even incorporated into drinking vessels.

Along with their power to detect poison, unicorn horns could also make contaminated water safe for drinking again. Some stories involved animals gathering around a contaminated water hole, watching as a unicorn dipped its horn into it, purifying the water. Seems too good to be true, honestly.

A unicorn’s horn didn’t have to be in one piece to keep its power. Apothecaries would actually sell powdered alicorn, perfect for medicinal use. Soon enough, remedies involving unicorn horns were recommended for any illness. Funnily, there was no way to determine if the powder you received was ground-up unicorn horn. You just had to trust the seller!

Wouldn’t it have been great to have some magical remedy for the illness that swept the world in 2020? Well, when plague and other epidemic diseases struck, unicorn horns were sold to protect and heal people. When doctors had run out of options, they’d pull out a unicorn horn, and suddenly, there was hope again.

If even the royals wanted their hands on unicorn horns, then you have to imagine how pricey they were. Whole horns were extremely rare to find and became symbols of wealth and power. If you owned a unicorn horn, you were extremely fortunate.

As mentioned, the royals needed to have their unicorn horns, and Elizabeth I was no exception. Her unicorn horn, gifted to her in 1577 by English explorer Martin Frobisher, was one of her many treasures. Too bad it didn’t come from a unicorn at all. (More on that in a moment.)

Okay, enough living in fantasy. It’s time to reveal what those unicorn horns actually were. If you believe in unicorns, maybe stop reading here. For the rest of us, the truth is that many unicorn horns were narwhal tusks. A detached narwhal tusk could definitely give off the appearance of a unicorn horn.

Narwhal tusks had extreme value. I mean, they were posing as a magical creature’s horn after all! Vikings would acquire the tusks through Arctic hunting, and trade networks would carry them to European markets. Since very few people knew where the “horns” came from, it was easy to sell the lie.

Narwhal tusks and the art that portrayed unicorn horns looked eerily similar. Both were long, pale, and twisted into a spiral. Sellers got lucky that there was an existing animal that could help them keep up the ruse.

If you couldn’t get your hands on a narwhal tusk, you had to get creative. So sometimes, other animal horns, teeth, and even bones were presented as unicorn horns. Customers just had to trust that they were getting the real thing. Sadly, more often than not, they were getting scammed.

Unicorn horns were expensive, and because of that, many “fake” horns appeared on the market for a fraction of the cost. To prove that the horns were real, sellers would test them by placing them in water or observing how animals reacted to them. We know that these tests were complete nonsense, especially considering that even the most expensive horns were fake.

You may be wondering: when did the truth finally come to light? Well, in the 17th century, Danish physician Ole Worm took it upon himself to investigate the horns. He helped determine once and for all that the horns were narwhal tusks. Despite his findings, many still believed in unicorn horns.

Narwhal tusks were used to create the Danish coronation throne at Rosenborg Castle. By the time it was built, the king and court actually knew they were using narwhal tusks, not unicorn horns, and had it built as a display of royal wealth and power. Anyone who sat on that throne was sitting on a symbol of power, not magic. It’s a bit sad to think just how far the myth went.

Surprisingly, unicorn horns continued to appear in European pharmaceutical traditions in the early modern period. Despite the truth being out there and people questioning the legitimacy of the horns, there were still many who believed in the old remedies. Eventually, unicorn horn quietly disappeared from official pharmacy listings, but it took until 1741 for it to be fully dropped.

Because there was still so much mystery surrounding unicorns, the myth remained alive for quite some time. I’m sure there are still people out there who believe in unicorns, and well, it’s easy to see why the myth held on so long, even after the truth about narwhal tusks came out.

When you think about it, unicorns took the spotlight from the real star of the show: narwhals. Those horns that people fawned over were actually tusks that came from narwhals, and even though I don’t believe they possess any magical healing powers, they should’ve received more credit than they were given.

This content was created with the help of AI.