The Chinese name for the unicorn is Kilin (chee-lin). Ki the male unicorn and Lin the female unicorn. It is a gentle animal careful never to tread on any living thing and eating only dead vegetation.Kilin is said to have come from the earth and is revered as on of the 4 superior animals of good omens, foretelling of future events. The appearance of the unicorn was interpreted as a sign of good times.One sighting said to have to Emperor Fu His, so that he may receive the secrets of the written language, almost 5,000 years ago. It is also said the unicorns lived during the reign of Emperor Yao, the 4th of 5 emperors who shaped the world 4,000 years ago.
The Chinese also believe that unicorns can also foretell the birth and death of great men. In 551 B.C. a pregnant woman met a unicorn in the woods. It laid its head in her lap and gave her a piece of Jade. On the Jade was an inscription which foretold of the great wisdom her son would possess. This man was Confucius. In his old age, Confucius is said to have seen the unicorn and knew that he was soon to die.In Japan the unicorn is sometimes known as �Kirin� and also as �ikkakujuu�; I - is a contraction of ichi which means �one�; kaku means �horn� and juu means �beast�. It has a shaggy mane and the body of a bull. The Japanese unicorn was a beast to be feared, especially by criminals. It was able to detect guilt. Judges were said to call upon the unicorn to determine the guilt in legal disputes. The Unicorn would fix his/her eyes upon the guilty party, and then pierce him through the heart with his horn
Catching a Unicorn
It is said that in order to catch a unicorn, you need a maiden pure of heart. The maiden must sit quietly in a meadow or forest. The unicorn will come to her and lay his head in her lap. While he is resting you slip a rope around his neck and hope he doesn�t kill the maiden for her treachery.
Unicorns in the Sky
In 1624, Jacob Bartsh was the first to mention the constellation Monoceros, the unicorn. The catalog Hevelius (in 1690) gives the details of the 146 stars, visible to the naked eye, in Monoceros. The Milky Way runs through the middle of this constellation.
The Royals
In the late 1300s, King Richard III of Scotland used the inspiration of the unicorn�s strength and purity to rebuild his nation. The unicorn became part of the royal seal.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth I, in 1603, Scotland�s King James VI became England�s King James I. Since he was the king of both countries he drew up a new coat-of-arms. It included the traditional Lion of England and the Unicorn of Scotland.