Unicorn

In Christian art a symbol of purity, especially of female chastity. Attribute of St. Just in a of Antioch. In Heraldry it is famous as the sinister supporter of the Royal Shield of England. The legend was that its body took the form of a horse and antelope, and it had one horn on its head. It was believed to live solitary in the woods, and could only be caught by a maiden. The property of detecting poison was attributed to its horn, and Hentzner, who visited England in 1598, says:— “We were shown at Windsor the horn of an Unicorn, of about eight spans and a half in length, valued at above 100 l. ” It is frequently mentioned in ancient inventories:— “ 1391. Une manche d’or d’un e ay de lincourne pour at toucher aux viandes de Monseigneur le Dauphin. ” Comptes Royaux , quoted by Mrs. Bury Palliser. In allusion to this property, Alviano, the champion of the Orsini family, adopted as his device a unicorn at a fountain surrounded by snakes, toads, and other reptiles, and stirring up the water with its horn before he drinks, with the motto, “I expel poisons.”