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Unicorn Day
"Untamed and untamable."
Unicorns have galloped through Scottish history not just as creatures of myth, but as powerful national symbols. As early as the 12th century, the unicorn appeared on Scottish coats of arms, chosen for its legendary strength, purity, and fierce independence—qualities that mirrored the spirit of Scotland itself. By the 15th century, King James III had minted gold coins bearing the unicorn, and by the 16th century, two unicorns proudly flanked the Scottish royal arms. Even after the 1707 union with England, when one unicorn was replaced by the English lion, the mystical beast remained a proud emblem of the Scottish crown.
Unicorns in Scottish lore were said to possess healing magic beyond compare—their horns, known as alicorns, could purify poisoned wells and cure deadly ailments with a single touch. So rare and powerful was their magic that kings sought them not to ride, but to protect and preserve their realms with unseen strength!
Today, unicorns can still be spotted on everything from royal seals to castle carvings, a reminder that Scotland's love affair with magic—and rebellion—runs deep. This tartan's colourways utilize: white for the unicorn itself; gold and forest green to reflect ancient forests, and a hint of blue to represent its stomping grounds in Scotland, Alba. 🤍 💛 💚 💙 🏴 🦄 🦄 🦄
The unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms by William I in the 12th century and began to increasingly appear in representations of Scotland's sovereignty and nationhood.
In the 15th century, when King James III came to power, gold coins were minted with the unicorn on them. After Scotland and England unified under the reign of James VI of Scotland in 1603, the Scottish Royal Arms used two unicorns supporting a shield.
However, after James VI became James I of England and Ireland, he replaced the unicorn on the left of the shield with the national animal of England, the lion, to show that the countries were indeed united.
This historic and ongoing rivalry between the nations was represented in the nursery rhyme "The Lion and the Unicorn":
"The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown
The lion beat the unicorn
All around the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum cake
and drummed them out of town.
And when he had beat him out,
He beat him in again;
He beat him three times over,
His power to maintain."
This tartan, by Steven Patrick Sim, represents the Monoceros, the Latin word for unicorn.
Register notes:
The tartan was created to represent Monoceros, a faint star constellation lying to the east of Orion in the northern sky on the celestial equator, 700 light years from Earth. Derived from Latin – the name meaning ‘the Unicorn’ – the star formation was first recorded in 1612 by Dutch astronomer and clergyman Pertrus Plancius. The tartan is intended to visibly portray the pure white and grey shades of the Unicorn; the yellow pivot, a single gold stripe, represents the horn; the white pivot, and cluster of fine grey stripes, represents the Monoceros star chart. The Unicorn (a fabled creature being described since antiquity) appears in many cultures throughout the ages – importantly being linked to Scottish mythology for centuries. A symbol of masculinity and power, purity and innocence – the Unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms by William I in the 12th century.
For a list of places to travel in Scotland and see a unicorn, including the gatepost at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, click the unicorn and lady titled, A Virgin with a Unicorn, c. 1604–05, fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, after a design by Annibale Carracci