The Unicorn is a mythical horse-like beast, with a horn attached on its forehead. Unicorns can live to be hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years old if left untouched by evil hands. There is little genuine fact known about the animal, due to it being mainly a creature of myth and legend. The elves see in the Unicorn is the symbolic animal of Foiros, God of the Sun, representing in its uniqueness and purity the sun, the Injèrá, and thus the High Goddess Avá the One, She Who Dreameth Forth All Things.

Image description: The Unicorn, symbolic animal of Foiros, God of the Sun. Picture drawn by Enayla.

Appearance. The Unicorn is truly a breath-taking animal as those lucky enough to have encountered one would tell you. It is taller than an average horse, eventually reaching the height of around two peds when fully grown. Its ragged yet magnificent mane and tail is always a translucent silver colour, which can shine so bright under the sun that it can be dangerous to look directly at the beast. The coat of a Unicorn can be in a range of colours, spanning through dark brown, jet-black, moonlight silver, dazzling gold, although commonly it is seen to be pure white. This is thought to be another representation of the purity of the Unicorn, linking it once again to the elven Injèrá. Rumours have told of beasts with red or blue coats, these have never been confirmed though, and many believe the possibility of this colouring to be non-existent.

A Unicorn’s eyes are generally a sky blue, or a purple haze. Their hooves will match the colour of their eyes, and are solid in shape, leaving a distinct mark, but this is only seen on marshy land. It is rare to find the hoof mark of a Unicorn, for they tread very lightly, some even believe that they hover just above the ground, as they will leave few traces of their presence.

The horn of the Unicorn is what truly gives the distinguished air and presence that it carries. Protruding from the forehead of the animal, it appears to have a spiral engraved upon it, which catches the sun and reflects the rays to the area around, giving the impression that the Unicorn has an ever-present aura or shield surrounding its form. The horn can be any colour, some people even believe that the animal can change the shade itself, reflecting the mood of the beast.

Special Abilities. The Unicorn is a highly intelligent creature, as one would expect from a creature of the Gods. Whilst one has never been caught and studied intensively, it is known that the eldest and wisest of the creatures are telepathic, and able to broadcast their thoughts and feelings to whomever they wish. Younger animals have a certain degree of empathy, being able to sense the emotions of people around them, and also able to communicate theirs.

However, despite these abilities, what the Unicorn is truly known for is the amazing power of its horn. Supposed to be able to cure any illness instantly if taken into the body, many of the great beasts have died for the simple greed of the people of Caelereth. For, once the horn is taken, the beast will die almost immediately, robbed of its very identity by the hideous crime that has been committed to it. There are noted exceptions to this however. If a Unicorn judges a person in need to be worthy of its remarkable healing power, it will offer the tip of its horn to the sufferer. To have this happen is indeed a great honour. In this case, the beast will not die.

The final astonishing ability as told in many legends is the power of the Unicorn's blood. For the blood of a Unicorn to be spilt means that something of great evil has happened to it. And so every drop of blood that touches the ground is deadly to whatever encounters the thick, scarlet liquid, should it be an ant on the ground, the grass beneath, or perhaps even a human which might have caused the death of the Unicorn. It is truly an irony for an animal so pure to harbour a weapon so deadly within the very essence of its form.

Territory. The Unicorn has no specific area to which it is confined. However, it is said to prefer woodland, a place where it can live in peacefully, quietly, away from the evils of humanity. However, a large proportion of mentioned sightings in various legends have been at the Cloudforest, which is near Varcopas. The Unicorn rarely strays into big, open spaces.

Habitat/Behaviour. Unicorns a gentle, docile creatures, not aggressive, but that should not fool someone into thinking that they cannot be aggressive. They generally live in groups of four or five, and are as close as any family can be. The group typically consists of an elder unicorn, one that may be hundreds of years old, a lovestruck pair and one or perhaps two of their offspring. Should one group meet another, it is joyful, happy time and the two may travel together for a while before separating and continuing along different paths.

There are never power struggles of any sort between Unicorns as they respect age and the experience that comes with it.

Perhaps the only time that there may be aggression between two of the animals is when a female reaches the age that she may find a partner. This is supposed to take place at around thirty years of age. Males display the trait that is so true amongst many species, the desire to have a mate, this can result sometimes in fatal battles between suitors. Once a female has found a partner, she will stay with him for life.

Diet. The diet of a Unicorn can only be speculated upon. There are two conflicting theories as to what one eats, or what it does not eat, as you will see.

The first hypothesis is that it eats as a normal horse would, grass, oats, hay and the like. There have been sightings reported in legends in forests, head to the floor, cropping intently at the grass. This behaviour could also be interpreted perhaps that the animal eats just because it is expected to be seen doing so, or perhaps there is some other purpose. It is not known.

The second, although seeming far-fetched and wild, is widely accepted. It is believed that the animal does not need to eat at all, being an animal of the Gods. It simply absorbs the solar power of the sun, drawing the energy directly from it. Many believe that the horn plays a major role in this process.

Mating. Once again, there are two conflicting theories on the birth of a Unicorn. The more devout of people believe in a method that would befit a creature of Foiros, however many believe in a more traditional way of reproducing, which has its sources in myths as well.

The first is as follows: Females mature at thirty years of age, whilst males are fully mature at around forty. It is then that they will leave the group where they have spent all of their childhood to wander alone, searching for a partner to spend their life with. This search can take an infinite amount of time, the average time taken being around four years.

When the female eventually has a partner, the two Unicorns spend a year together, wandering alone before eventually mating. This process itself is spread between three days, the pair couple roughly sixty times throughout this period.

Gestation is long, around two and a half years, but yet the female does not swell with the pregnancy as you would expect, until the very last days.

Birth is quick, and the young can stand within hours. Then, the pair begins to travel once more, and will rarely have other young until their offspring has matured.

The second theory is generally believed by followers of Foiros, but also by some of the common people. The Unicorn, being the animal of a God, cannot be conceived is an earth-bound way. Instead, once the female has found a male, they have no way of producing a young Unicorn, and instead go to find one. For this belief says that the High Goddess Avá the One dreams a Unicorn when one is needed, or that the Gods would let one appear in a time that it may be needed. So, the Unicorn couple will search for a newly "dreamt" Unicorn, to take into their care, and to teach the ways of the world.

Myth/Lore. There are countless tales and myths relating to the Unicorn. Even down to the actual existence of the animal itself, some believe that to be a myth.

A well known tale is that of the Purest Unicorn, one that is pure white from hoof to nose, and is able to bring eternal happiness to one who touches it. It is a favourite amongst children, who long to see the animal, to touch the dazzling white coat and be forever joyful.

Another is of he First Unicorn, the beast that Foiros first sent into the world. A passage in one of the ancient histories describes this:

"I looked, and it was unlike anything I had ever witnessed before. The blaze of the mane and tail lit up the sky, filling the area around it with a sense of radiant gloriousness. They were pure fire, unruly, wild, truly not of this world. The pure coat dazzled my eyes, so intense that I had to shield my face. And the eyes... I shall never see such a wonder again. Deep blue, the deepest that could never be remade, deeper than the ocean, deeper than the love between a man and a woman. And then, the horn. The magnificence of the beauty can not be described, for our language does not have words to do justice to such a thing.

Then, it was gone, and I knew that in those few seconds I had seen something that no mortal would ever seen again. The First Unicorn."

-- "The First Unicorn" (Anonymous)

Also, there are many stories that describe a foolproof way to catch, or meet a Unicorn. However, it is widely accepted that it is not possible to do so, unless you are truly pure in mind, heart, body and spirit, and this purity matches or is greater than that of the animal. If you are not as such, a nearby Unicorn will sense this, and keep well out of your way. It is therefore a common saying that only a virgin may look upon and touch a Unicorn. This is not true however, as purity can be taken two ways, not only to be pure in good and truth, but wholly pure in evil also.

Researchers. A Unicorn has never been in a position to be researched, sightings are rare enough in Caelereth, and, being an animal of the Gods, to catch one would be greatly frowned upon. Due to this inability to study the animal extensively, most of what is known about it is due to theories and sightings, which can lead to unreliable evidence, and many different trails of thought concerning the truth about the beasts.

	"The Unicorn", composed and performed by Vladeptus Format: MP3, Length: 5:50 from the album "Music to Watch Unicorns By", Track #4. Click here to download the song, use right-click and "Save as..." (5.35 MB).
	Song #2: "The Unicorn (Adagio for Piano)", composed and performed by Vladeptus Format: MP3, Length: 2:48 from the album "Fate Takes Your Hand", Track #16. Click here to download the song, use right-click and "Save as..." (2.56 MB).