Monoceros (legendary creature)

The monoceros (above) as pictured in the Bodleian Library, Ashmole Bestiary, Folio 21r.

The monoceros (Greek: μονοκέρως) is a legendary animal with only one horn.

Mythology

It derives from the Greek word Μονόκερως, a compound word from μόνος (monos) which means "only one" / "single" and κέρας (keras) (neuter gender, which means "horn".

The monoceros was first described in Pliny the Elder's Natural History as a creature with the body of a horse, the head of a stag (minus the antlers), the feet of an elephant, and the tail of a wild boar. It has one black horn in the middle of its forehead, which is two cubits in length, and is impossible to capture alive.[1]

In today's English language, the term monoceros typically refers to a unicorn or similar one-horned creature.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ introduction, Pliny the Elder ; translated with an; Healy, notes by John F. (1991). Natural history. London, England: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140444131.
  2. ↑ "monoceros". OED Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.