Monoceros (legendary creature)

This article is about the legendary creature. For the constellation, see Monoceros.

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

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

Mythology

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

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

See also

• Elasmotherium
• Rhinoceros
• Unicorn