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Because of the Unicom's purity, its horn (known as alicorn) was considered magical and became a popular ingredient in medieval medicines. Its mere presence was considered a strong protection against poison in food, and when worn in jewellery, it protected the wearer from evil.
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Alicorn was often worth more than its weight in gold, so kings, emperors, and popes were among the few people able to pay the high prices demanded. They were eager to acquire the precious horn to "guarantee" long and healthy lives. With such a lucrative trade, false alicorn was rampant, made from bull horn, goat horn, or in some cases from the horns of exotic animals or from ordinary dog bones. |
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Complete Unicom horns were very rare. For example, a complete Unicom horn owned by Queen Elizabeth I of England was valued at the time at £10,000 - the equivalent of about 3,000 ounces of gold and enough money to buy a large country estate complete with a castle. Rather than coming from unicorns, these complete horns often turned out to be the long spirally twisted tusks of the male narwhal, a large marine animal. |
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Kings often placed alicorn on the table to protect themselves against poisonous food and drink, and until the revolution toppled the monarchy in 1789, the eating utensils used by French kings were made of Unicom horn to counteract any poison in the food. |
Artwork above is © Manon Yapari.
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Medieval pharmacists believed in the power of the Unicorn as a medicine, and the Unicorn even became the apothecaries' symbol. |
Artwork above is © Sherry Shipley.
Artwork above is © Jessica Galbraith.
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Ground Unicorn horn was said to cure fever, plague, epilepsy, rabies, gout, and a host of other ailments. Unicorn liver was a cure for leprosy. Shoes made of Unicorn leather assured healthy feet and legs, and a belt of Unicorn leather worn around the body warded off plague and fever. Belief in the power of the Unicorn was widely held in England until the mid 1700s. |
Elaborate tests to distinguish "real" alicorn from false alicorn were devised such as:
Place scorpions under a dish with a piece of horn.
If the scorpions die in a matter of hours, the horn is real.
Feed arsenic to pigeons, followed by a dose of Unicorn horn.
If the pigeons live, the horn is genuine.
Draw a ring on the floor with the horn.
If the horn is real, a spider will not be able to cross the ring.
Place the horn in cold water.
If the water bubbles but remains cold, the horn came from a Unicorn. |
Beautiful handmade lampwork bead.
More Unicorns
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