In Europe, for centuries almost everyone believed that unicorns
really existed. They were described in detail in the books of that time,
along with elephants and giraffes - creatures far more preposterous than
the sublime unicorn. Most Europeans never saw any of these extraordinary
animals. But some cathedrals in Europe had, among their treasures, the horn
of a unicorn: a beautiful ivory spiral, often six or seven feet long. The
horns were real; they existed. They were sometimes displayed in public.
Why not, then, believe in the unicorn that grew them? Why not believe in
strength, purity, beauty, rarity?
It almost seems, even now, that unicorns must be real. Perhaps,
in a remote and quiet part of the world, a traveler is stopping at the
edge of a calm pool...
In the pearly light of an evening, a white creature with delicate
hooves steps silently down to the water, gently dips its slender spiral
horn, and drinks.
A dream? A wish? A legend? All these, and more: the unicorn."