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The Unicorn is a pure white horse-like creature with a single horn on its brow. The first known mention of Unicorns comes from China in around 3000BC, where it went by the name Ki-Lin and was a sign of good fortune. The creatures was widely regarded as real for a very long time, and even appeared in some translations of the Bible, which only went to reinforce the belief. As such, the creature does not appear anywhere in ancient mythology: rather, it occurs in texts on genuine animals. Marco Polo even wrote of his encounter with a Unicorn, although the animal he actually described was a rhinoceros. It is unclear when it became common knowledge that Unicorns do not exist, but it must be relatively recently, as PT Barnum attempted to pass off a fake Unicorn skeleton as genuine as recently as the 19th century.
In the world of Harry potter, Unicorns are fast and shy, and are rarely seen. They inhabit the forests of Europe, and their horn, hair and blood are all highly magical [FB]. Unicorn foals are born gold. They turn silver at around 2 years of age, grow their horn at 4, and finally become white as they reach maturity at around 7 years [GOF26]. Unicorns of any age are happy to let human females approach them, although they are wary of males [GOF24]. The foals are happy enough to allow both sexes close to them [GOF26].
Harry's Care of Magical Creatures class studied Unicorns in some depth during their fourth year. Professor Grubbly-Plank started them off on this subject when Hagrid was incapacitated following Rita Skeeter's article about his Half-Giant heritage [GOF24]. When Hagrid returned, he dropped his lessons on Blast-Ended Skrewts and continued where Grubbly-Plank had left off [GOF26].
When Harry encountered Lord Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest during his first year, Firenze informed him that Unicorn blood is capable of keeping alive anyone who drinks it, even if they are on the verge of death. This magic comes at a heavy price, however: the Unicorn is a beautiful, gentle and defenceless creature, and to slay such a beast in order to save your own life taints the killer from the moment the blood touches their lips. From that point on, though the blood will keep them alive, their life will be cursed forever [PS/SS15].
Mr Ollivander believes that Unicorn tail hair is one of only three acceptable wand core materials [PS5], although other manufacturers use different cores. Ron [POA4], Neville [HBP7] and Cedric [GOF18] all have wands with Unicorn tail hair at the core [GOF36].
