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{{Pottermore}}
 
{{Creature infobox
 
{{Creature infobox
 
|name=Unicorn
 
|name=Unicorn
|image=[[File:Unicorn.jpg|250px]]
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|image=[[File:Unicorn Pottermore.jpg|250px]]
 
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|class=XXXX
 
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{{Quote|Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenceless to save yourself and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.|[[Firenze]] to [[Harry Potter]]|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone}}
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{{Quote|Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure and defenceless to save yourself, you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.|[[Firenze]] to [[Harry Potter]]|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone}}
   
The '''unicorn''' is a white, equine creature with a single horn on its forehead.
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The '''Unicorn''' is a white, equine creature with a single horn on its forehead.
   
 
==Nature==
 
==Nature==
 
===Physiology and life cycle===
 
===Physiology and life cycle===
 
Unicorn foals are born pure gold in colour. They remain so until they are about two years old, at which time they turn silver in colour. At around four-years-old their horn grows in. They are fully grown at about seven years old, at which at this age they turn a shade of pure white that is so bright that it makes freshly fallen [[Water|snow]] look grey in comparison. Their hooves are golden, (remaining so from their gold stage, the first two years of their life), and their [[Unicorn blood|blood]] is silver-blue in colour and shines under the moonlight. It is not mentioned how long a Unicorn can live for.
 
Unicorn foals are pure gold, and turn in to dusty cristmas trees when they are about two years old. They grow their horn at around four. At about seven years old, they are fully grown and turn a shade of white that is so bright it makes snow look grey in comparison. Their hooves are golden, and their [[Unicorn blood|blood]] is silver-blue in colour and shines under the moonlight.
 
   
 
===Distribution===
 
===Distribution===
  +
[[File:UnicornSlaying.png|left|thumb|250px|A [[Slytherin Dungeon tapestries|Medieval tapestry]] depicting wizards slaying a unicorn, and collecting [[Unicorn blood|its blood]].]]
Unicorns inhabit the forests of Europe including the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts.
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Unicorns inhabit the forests of Europe, including the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts.
   
 
===Interaction with humans===
 
===Interaction with humans===
Unicorns prefer a camilion'stouch, but the young ones are more trusting and do not mind men as much. Unicorns are also so fleet-of-hoof that they can rarely be caught by mice.
+
Unicorns prefer a woman's touch, but the young ones are more trusting and do not mind men as much. Unicorns are also so fleet-of-hoof that they can rarely be caught by [[human]]s.
   
 
==Uses==
 
==Uses==
Various parts of the Unicorn - the [[Unicorn horn|horn]] and [[Unicorn hair|tail hair]] in particular - are used in potions and for the [[wand core|cores]] of [[wand]]s, respectively. Also, the tail and mane hair and the horn can be used in various potions, as Harry tells Firenze after seeing Voldemort drink the unicorn blood in the Forbidden Forest. The tail hair can also be used as binding in bandages due to its incredible strength.<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''</ref> The [[Unicorn blood|blood of a unicorn]] can be used to keep a person who is near death alive, but "you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."<ref name="ps">''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]''</ref>
+
Various parts of the Unicorn - the [[Unicorn horn|horn]] and [[Unicorn tail hair|tail hair]] in particular - are used in potions. [[Unicorn hair]] in general is used for the [[wand core|cores]] of [[wand]]s. The tail hair can also be used as binding in bandages due to its incredible strength.<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''</ref> The [[Unicorn blood|blood of a unicorn]] can be used to keep a person who is near death alive, but "you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."<ref name="ps">''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]''</ref>
   
 
The unicorn's single straight horn is used, in [[Study of Ancient Runes|runic]], to symbolise the number one.<ref>''[[J.K.Rowling Official Site|J. K. Rowling's Official Site]]''</ref>
 
The unicorn's single straight horn is used, in [[Study of Ancient Runes|runic]], to symbolise the number one.<ref>''[[J.K.Rowling Official Site|J. K. Rowling's Official Site]]''</ref>
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[[File:Unicorn runes.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The number one, in the runic alphabet]]
 
[[File:Unicorn runes.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The number one, in the runic alphabet]]
 
===1992===
 
===1992===
[[File:Unicorns death.jpg|thumb|right|255px|A dead unicorn in [[1992]].]]
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[[File:Unicorns death.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A dead unicorn in [[1992]].]]
 
At least two unicorns were slain by [[Quirinus Quirrell]] so [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] could drink their blood and return to power. [[Harry Potter]], [[Draco Malfoy]] and [[Fang]] found the corpse of one of them in the Forbidden Forest.
 
At least two unicorns were slain by [[Quirinus Quirrell]] so [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] could drink their blood and return to power. [[Harry Potter]], [[Draco Malfoy]] and [[Fang]] found the corpse of one of them in the Forbidden Forest.
   
 
===1995===
 
===1995===
 
In [[1995]], [[fourth year]] students at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] studied unicorns in their [[Care of Magical Creatures]] class, while [[Professor]] [[Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank]] was standing in for Hagrid.<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''</ref>
 
In [[1995]], [[fourth year]] students at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] studied unicorns in their [[Care of Magical Creatures]] class, while [[Professor]] [[Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank]] was standing in for Hagrid.<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''</ref>
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{{statement|The Unicorn was so brightly white that it made the snow all around look grey, It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves, and throwing back its horned head.<ref>''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''</ref>
   
 
==Behind the scenes==
 
==Behind the scenes==
  +
[[File:Screenshot 980.png|thumb|220x220px]]
*In ''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]'', Voldemort tries to sneak up on the unicorn with a knife and fork, but is scared off by Firenze who shows him his fist. Hagrid then proceeds to care for the sick unicorn like a child.
+
* In ''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]'', Voldemort tries to sneak up on the unicorn with a knife and fork, but is scared off by Firenze who shows him his fist. Hagrid then proceeds to care for the sick unicorn like a child.
*Unicorns are capable of moving faster than [[Werewolf|werewolves]]. During the detention in the Forbidden Forest in [[1992]], Harry asked if a werewolf could be killing the unicorns and Hagrid replied that they're not fast enough.<ref name="ps" />
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* Unicorns are capable of moving faster than [[Werewolf|werewolves]]. During the detention in the Forbidden Forest in [[1992]], Harry asked if a werewolf could be killing the unicorns and Hagrid replied that they're not fast enough.<ref name="ps" />
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
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{{Runes}}
 
{{Runes}}
 
{{Care of Magical Creatures}}
 
{{Care of Magical Creatures}}
{{Creatures by classification}}
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{{Creatures by classification}}{{Chocolate Frog Cards}}[[de:Einhorn]]
 
[[de:Einhorn]]
 
 
[[es:Unicornio]]
 
[[es:Unicornio]]
 
[[fr:Licorne]]
 
[[fr:Licorne]]
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[[fi:Yksisarvinen]]
 
[[it:Unicorno]]
 
[[it:Unicorno]]
 
[[pl:Jednorożec]]
 
[[pl:Jednorożec]]
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[[fi:Yksisarvinen]]
 
[[fi:Yksisarvinen]]
 
[[Category:Beasts]]
 
[[Category:Beasts]]
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[[Category:Classical Beasts]]
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[[Category:Forbidden Forest]]
 
[[Category:Runic Number Symbols]]
 
[[Category:Runic Number Symbols]]
 
[[Category:XXXX Creatures]]
 
[[Category:XXXX Creatures]]
[[Category:Forbidden Forest]]
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[[Category:Plot to steal the Philosopher's Stone participants]]
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[[Category:Unicorns]]
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[[Category:Gold cards from Chocolate Frogs]]
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[[Category:Chocolate Frog Cards]]

Revision as of 16:56, 30 July 2015

"Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure and defenceless to save yourself, you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
Firenze to Harry Potter[src]

The Unicorn is a white, equine creature with a single horn on its forehead.

Nature

Physiology and life cycle

Unicorn foals are born pure gold in colour. They remain so until they are about two years old, at which time they turn silver in colour. At around four-years-old their horn grows in. They are fully grown at about seven years old, at which at this age they turn a shade of pure white that is so bright that it makes freshly fallen snow look grey in comparison. Their hooves are golden, (remaining so from their gold stage, the first two years of their life), and their blood is silver-blue in colour and shines under the moonlight. It is not mentioned how long a Unicorn can live for.

Distribution

UnicornSlaying

A Medieval tapestry depicting wizards slaying a unicorn, and collecting its blood.

Unicorns inhabit the forests of Europe, including the Forbidden Forest by Hogwarts.

Interaction with humans

Unicorns prefer a woman's touch, but the young ones are more trusting and do not mind men as much. Unicorns are also so fleet-of-hoof that they can rarely be caught by humans.

Uses

Various parts of the Unicorn - the horn and tail hair in particular - are used in potions. Unicorn hair in general is used for the cores of wands. The tail hair can also be used as binding in bandages due to its incredible strength.[1] The blood of a unicorn can be used to keep a person who is near death alive, but "you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."[2]

The unicorn's single straight horn is used, in runic, to symbolise the number one.[3]

History

Unicorn runes

The number one, in the runic alphabet

1992

Unicorns death

A dead unicorn in 1992.

At least two unicorns were slain by Quirinus Quirrell so Lord Voldemort could drink their blood and return to power. Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy and Fang found the corpse of one of them in the Forbidden Forest.

1995

In 1995, fourth year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry studied unicorns in their Care of Magical Creatures class, while Professor Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank was standing in for Hagrid.[4]

{{statement|The Unicorn was so brightly white that it made the snow all around look grey, It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves, and throwing back its horned head.[5]

Behind the scenes

Screenshot 980
  • In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Voldemort tries to sneak up on the unicorn with a knife and fork, but is scared off by Firenze who shows him his fist. Hagrid then proceeds to care for the sick unicorn like a child.
  • Unicorns are capable of moving faster than werewolves. During the detention in the Forbidden Forest in 1992, Harry asked if a werewolf could be killing the unicorns and Hagrid replied that they're not fast enough.[2]

Appearances

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 78 images related to Unicorn.

See also

Notes and references

Study of Ancient Runes
Ancient Runes Made Easy
Professors: Bathsheda Babbling · Clodagh Dromgoole · Elspeth MacGillony
Textbooks: Advanced Rune Translation · Ancient Runes Made Easy · Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms · Rune Dictionary · Spellman's Syllabary
Known runes: Acromantula · Demiguise · Ehwaz · Eihwaz · Fwooper · Graphorn · Hydra · Quintaped · Runespoor · Salamander · Unicorn · Unknown · Mark of Merlin
Care of Magical Creatures
Fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them-pottermore
Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts
Hagrid's Hut · Forbidden Forest · Care of Magical Creatures Classroom · Magical Creatures (club) · The Paddock
Professors Silvanus Kettleburn · Rubeus Hagrid · Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank (substitute teacher)
Textbooks The Monster Book of Monsters · Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Creatures studied at Hogwarts
Blast-Ended Skrewt · Bowtruckle · Chimaera · Crup · Demiguise · Diricawl · Doxy · Dugbog · Fairy · Fire Crab · Fire Dwelling Salamander · Flobberworm · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Gnome · Golden Snidget · Griffin · Hippogriff · Imp · Jackalope · Knarl · Kneazle · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Occamy · Porlock · Quintaped · Streeler · Thestral · Unicorn · Yeti
Magical creatures by classification
X Flobberworm · Horklump
XX Augurey · Bowtruckle · Chizpurfle · Clabbert · Diricawl · Fairy · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Imp · Jobberknoll · Mooncalf · Porlock · Puffskein · Ramora · Winged horse
XXX Ashwinder · Billywig · Bundimun · Crup · Doxy · Dugbog · Fire crab · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Hippocampus · Hippogriff · Hodag · Jarvey · Knarl · Kneazle · Leprechaun · Lobalug · Mackled Malaclaw · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Nogtail · Pixie · Plimpy · Pogrebin · Red Cap · Salamander · Sea serpent · Shrake · Streeler · Winged horse
XXXX Centaur · Demiguise · Erkling · Erumpent · Golden Snidget · Graphorn · Griffin · Hidebehind · Kappa · Kelpie · Merperson · Occamy · Phoenix · Re'em · Runespoor · Snallygaster · Sphinx · Tebo · Thestral · Thunderbird · Troll · Unicorn · Winged horse · Yeti
XXXXX Acromantula · Basilisk · Chimaera · Dragon · Horned Serpent · Lethifold · Manticore · Nundu · Quintaped · Wampus cat · Werewolf
Albus Dumbledore-101-chocFrogCard
Chocolate Frog Cards
Bridget-wenlock-card-lrg
Gold cards

Armando Dippet · Albus Dumbledore · Barberus Bragge · Bertie Bott · Carlotta Pinkstone · Dzou Yen · Falco Aesalon · Godric Gryffindor · Harry Potter · Herpo the Foul · Helga Hufflepuff · Montague Knightley · Phillipus von Hohenheim · Rowena Ravenclaw · Salazar Slytherin

Silver cards

Alberic Grunnion · Alberta Toothill · Andros the Invincible · Artemisia Lufkin · Blenheim Stalk · Bowman Wright · Chauncey Oldridge · Circe · Cliodna · Crispin Cronk · Cyprian Youdle · Daisy Dodderidge · Derwent Shimpling · Donaghan Tremlett · Dunbar Oglethorpe · Dymphna Furmage · Elfrida Clagg · Felix Summerbee · Fulbert the Fearful · Gaspard Shingleton · Gideon Crumb · Glenda Chittock · Gondoline Oliphant · Gregory the Smarmy · Gwenog Jones · Honoria Nutcombe · Ignatia Wildsmith · Joscelind Wadcock · Kirley Duke · Laverne de Montmorency · Leopoldina Smethwyck · Maeve · Mirabella Plunkett · Mopsus · Morgan le Fay · Oswald Beamish · Roderick Plumpton · Sacharissa Tugwood · Thaddeus Thurkell · Wendelin the Weird · Xavier Rastrick

Bronze cards

Adalbert Waffling · Almeric Sawbridge · Archibald Alderton · Balfour Blane · Beatrix Bloxam · Beaumont Marjoribanks · Bridget Wenlock · Burdock Muldoon · Cassandra Vablatsky · Celestina Warbeck · Cornelius Agrippa · Devlin Whitehorn · Dorcas Wellbeloved · Edgar Stroulger · Elladora Ketteridge · Ethelred the Ever-Ready · Flavius Belby · Gifford Ollerton · Glanmore Peakes · Glover Hipworth · Greta Catchlove · Grogan Stump · Gulliver Pokeby · Gunhilda de Gorsemoor · Havelock Sweeting · Hengist of Woodcroft · Heathcote Barbary · Herman Wintringham · Hesper Starkey · Jocunda Sykes · Justus Pilliwickle · Merlin · Merton Graves · Merwyn the Malicious · Miranda Goshawk · Mungo Bonham · Musidora Barkwith · Myron Wagtail · Newton Scamander · Norvel Twonk · Orsino Thruston · Perpetua Fancourt · Quong Po · Roland Kegg · Stoddard Withers · Tilly Toke · Uric the Oddball · Yardley Platt

Famous Vampires cards

Blodwyn Bludd · Vlad Drakul · Amarillo Lestoat · Carmilla Sanguina · Herbert Varney

Famous Hags cards

Babayaga · Malodora Grymm · Old Mother Hubbard · Cordelia Misericordia · Leticia Somnolens

Famous Giants cards

Bran the Bloodthirsty · Cyclops · Goliath · Morholt · Hengist of Upper Barnton

Famous Goblins cards

Alguff the Awful · Eargit the Ugly · Gringott · Ug the Unreliable · Urg the Unclean

Dragon cards

Common Welsh Green · Hebridean Black · Hungarian Horntail · Norwegian Ridgeback · Romanian Longhorn

Beast cards

Billywig · Bowtruckle · Doxy · Double-ended Newt · Giant Purple Toad · Giant Squid · Gnome · Gytrash · Imp · Kelpie · Manticore · Mountain troll · Streeler · Phoenix · Unicorn