The unicorn is a mythical animal that resembles a horse with a long, pointed horn in the middle of its forehead. This mythical creature was already described in antiquity and is said to go back to stories from Indian culture. In the Middle Ages, the unicorn was described as a strong and ferocious beast, but it was also associated with chastity and virginity. According to tradition, the animal could only be controlled by a virgin. Because of these qualities of strength and purity, the unicorn was also used as a symbol for Christ.
That immediately explains why we find the unicorn in a book on Christian symbolism, printed in the Plantin printing house in 1617.
