A real live unicorn!

Press, 2 June 1981, Page 18

A real live unicorn!

With cloven hooves, a flowing mane and a single horn growing from the middle of his head, “Lancelot” is the first living unicorn in modern times. There is a lot of excitement about the unique animal. He is the creation of two naturalists who live in Northern California, in the United States. They have devoted years to the study of legendary animals, looking at the history and lore surrounding unicorns. These two naturalists claim to have rediscovered the lost secret behind the creation of the unicorn. Over the years, the unicorn has become a .myth, implying that the animal never existed. Unicorns are a legend

with origins going back more than 4000 years. The unicorn has been shown in old sculpture, drawings arid described in stories as a bull (in the Bronze Age), ram (Iron Age), goat (Middle Ages) and even a rhinoceros, antelope and horse. The qualities of royalty, supremacy and even divinity given to the unicorn come from his position of power in his herd. With a single straight horn, unlike the sideswept. or backwards curving horns of other animals, the unicorn carries his own unbeatable weapon. The unicorn has also always been a male, and is said to have been larger, more intelligent and more

sensitive than other animals in his stock. The medieval unicorn was last seen in the sixteenth century, when the secret behind his creation was lost and the animal became a legend.

By piecing together information from folklore, art and literature however, the creators of “Lancelot” have recently rediscovered this lost secret. But they are not telling what it is!