The unicorn: a mystical beast, representing both purity and innocence, power and ferocity, adopted as the national animal of Scotland in the 1300s. The unicorn is also the natural enemy of the lion, adopted by English royalty some 100 years before… You can most prominently see the unicorn on Scotland’s coat of arms. This is because the unicorn has been Scotland’s national animal for over 600 years. Let’s find out why and how this came to be. Straight To. Notions of Unicorns; Unicorns in Religion and Folklore; Unicorns – Fact or Fiction? How Did the Unicorn Become a Scottish Symbol? The unicorn is Scotland’s national animal (Credit: StockImages/Alamy) From Edinburgh to St Andrews and Glasgow to Dundee, the one-horned mythological horse is real in Scotland. QiGR.