Unicorns: Myth and Real Medicine

Unicorns aren't just sparkly horses with horns. Medieval scholars believed their horns

could purify poisoned water and cure deadly diseases. Kings paid fortunes for what they thought

were real unicorn horns, which were actually narwhal tusks smuggled from the Arctic.

The twist? These tusks did have antibacterial properties. So while unicorns

never existed, the magic attributed to them was accidentally real. Ancient merchants

were selling legitimate medicine disguised as mythology. That's why unicorn lore persisted for

centuries. People weren't just chasing fantasy, they were experiencing actual healing.

The line between myth and reality was thinner than anyone imagined, and sometimes believing