Unicorns in Prehistory

A prehistoric cave painting in Lascaux, France depicts an animal with two straight horns emerging from its forhead. The drawing's simple perspective makes the two horns appear to be a single, straight horn. Because the species of the figure is otherwise unknown, it has received the nickname "the Unicorn." Richard Leakey suggest that, like "the Sorcerer" found at Trois-Freres, is a therianthorpe, a blend of animal and human, and that its head is that of a bearded man.

There have been unconfirmed reports of aboriginal unicorn paintings at Namaqualand in southern Africa. A passage of Bruce Chatwin's travel journal In Patagonia (1977) relates his meeting with a South American scientist who believed that unicorns were among South America's extinct species, and that they were hunted to extinction by man in 5000 or 6000 B.C. He told Chatwin about two aboriginal cave paintings of unicorns at Lago Posadas (Cerro de los Indios).

One Western legend also speaks of a beautiful young woman named Elly being found by a unicorn, who cried its tears for her and healed the wounds of her heart.