Narwhal
Latin name: | Monocheros |
Other names: | Monoceros, Monotheros, Sea Unicorn |
Category: | Fish |
A fish with a single long horn on its head
General Attributes
The monocheros is found in some medieval encyclopedias. It is most probably the narwhal of the northern oceans, a marine mammal with a single spiral-shaped tusk. It is said of the narwhal that it has a terrible horn in front, with which it can pierce and sink ships. It is a slow animal, so ships can escape when one is seen.
Reality
Narwhal were known in medieval Europe from Greenland and the north seas around Russia. Their spiral tusks were usually said to be horns from a unicorn. They were traded by Vikings and other northerners, and were sold in Europe as whole "horns" or as a powder, sometimes for enormous prices. In modern taxonomy, the narwhal's Latin name is Monodon monoceros.