KBR is delighted to welcome Aleesah Darlison on her with this wonderful guest post on the mysteries of unicorns. Aleesah is on tour with her gorgeous new series - Unicorn Riders - a fun and feisty action-adventure series for girls aged seven and over. Make sure you check out the rest of her 'We Ride as One!' tour at the end of this post, and look out for our series review this Wednesday!
Fun Facts About Unicorns
Fact 1:
Unicorns are one-horned mythical creatures said to resemble a white horse with a long, spiralled, horn projecting from its forehead.
Fact 2:
A unicorn’s horn, and the substance it’s made from, is called alicorn. It’s long been believed that alicorn has magical properties capable of healing wounds, neutralising poison and purifying stagnant water. The perfect addition to any household medicine cabinet!
Fact 3:
The unicorn is a symbol of purity and faithfulness. It was believed to be incredibly fast and strong, but untameable. Kind of like a Rottweiler puppy.
Fact 4:
There are seven famous Gothic tapestries depicting the hunt and capture of unicorns. A must for any family rumpus room. Not.
Fact 5:
In the 13th century, Marco Polo claimed to have seen a unicorn in Java. It’s now thought that what he actually saw was a rhinoceros. That must have been one ugly unicorn!
Fact 6:
Other famous people to claim they saw a unicorn include Alexander the Great; Julius Caesar; Confucius (and his mother); Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor; Ctesias, a Greek physician and historian; and Julia Gillard, Australia’s first female prime minister. Wait a minute, that last one’s a joke. But the others definitely saw a unicorn. Really and truly.
Fact 7:
Possessing a complete unicorn horn was a mark of wealth and power. Queen Elizabeth I supposedly owned one, however, it is now known that her ‘unicorn horn’ was really a narwhal tusk.
Fact 8:
Legend states that Noah excluded unicorns from the ark, thereby making them extinct today. Here’s a quote from a Ukranian Folk Tale about the incident:
All the beasts obeyed Noah when he admitted them into the ark....
All but the unicorn.
Confident of his own strength, he boasted,
"I shall swim."
I guess he wasn’t such a great swimmer after all.
Fact 9:
An exquisite, carved 'unicorn horn' was auctioned at Christie's in London for half a million pounds in 1994.
Fact 10:
Well-known books that include unicorns are:
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
- Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- The Dragon and the Unicorn by Lynne Cherry
And here’s a perfectly apt quote from Through the Looking Glass:
(Alice says) “Do you know, I always thought unicorns were fabulous monsters, too? I never saw one alive before!"
“Well, now that we have seen each other," said the unicorn, "if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you.”
Awww, isn’t that lovely? And let’s finish off with a unicorn joke:
What do you call a daddy unicorn?
Pop Corn.
Follow the 'We Ride as One' Tour!
Monday 24 October:
Kids Book Review, Fun Unicorn Facts
Wednesday 26 October:
Running With Pens by Kerri Lane, Marketing Your Book
Thursday 27 October:
Books for Little Hands by Renee Taprell, Inspiration & Setting
Friday 28 October:
Running With Pens by Kerri Lane, Author Interview
Monday 31 October:
Be a Fun Mum with Kelly Burstow, How to Make Your Own Unicorn Horn
Wednesday 2 November:
Bug In A Book with Ang Hall, Meet the Unicorn Riders
Thursday 3 November:
Read Plus with Pat Pledger, Series Review
Monday 7 November:
My Book Corner with Emma, Take the Unicorn Riders Quick Quiz
Tuesday 8 November:
Need to Read This with Sally Hall, Author Interview
Wednesday 9 November:
The Book Chook with Susan Stephenson, The Importance of Strong Female Leads in Kids Literature
Thursday 10 November:
Free As a Word with Oliver Phommavanh, Heroes & Villains
Friday 11 November:
Kids' Book Capers with Dee White, Author Interview
See more at her website.
