Unicorns in Ancient Greek Mythology

Ever wonder why Unicorns don't turn up in Greek Mythology? The Greek Myths & Legends include every other form of fantasy creature & monster - so why not the unicorn?

That's because the Ancient Greeks believed unicorns were real.

Yep.

Various well respected Ancient Greek scholars claimed to have spotted a Unicorn with their own eyes. As a result, everyone believed that they were real.

So they don't turn up in Greek Mythology because you can't write a myth about a creature that isn't mythical!

They did have a winged horse called Pegasus though. Pegasus popped out of Medusa's body (when Perseus chopped off her head) then went on to help Bellerophon to defeat the Chimera. So I'd say that makes up for the lack of unicorns, don't you?

Further Reading:

Mythical Monsters from Ancient Greece

Ancient Greek Hero Profiles

A Beginner's Guide to the Ancient Greek Gods