Jane Onyanga-Omara

USA TODAY

LONDON — Unicorns are real. At least they are in Scotland where the mythical creature is considered the national animal.

Starbucks may have made big headlines in the United States last month for its limited release of the Unicorn Frappuccino blended drink.

But the northern British country went one step further to celebrate National Unicorn Day on April 9 with a 7-foot sculpture made of willow as one of the centerpieces. VisitScotland, the nation’s tourism body, invited the public to spot sculptures and paintings of the mono-horned animals at heritage sites.

The unicorn appeared in artworks from Mesopotamia, an ancient region in the modern day Middle East, and is part of ancient Indian and Chinese mythology. It was written about by Ancient Greeks, Persians and Celts, and appears in the Old Testament of the Bible.

So how did Scotland, a land of myths and legends, come to adopt the creature as one of its two national animals — along with the lion?

In the mythology of the Celts, who lived across Europe in ancient times, the unicorn represented purity, innocence and power, according to VisitScotland.

The organization says the unicorn was first used on the Scottish royal coat of arms in the 12th century by William I.

However Katie Stevenson, keeper of Scottish history and archaeology at National Museum Scotland, said although it may have been used before, the unicorn’s first traceable use was when James I, King of Scots, adopted it as a royal symbol in the 15th century.

“The unicorn is a really popular medieval animal because of its association with purity, virginity and the taming of a wild beast,” Stevenson said. She added the symbol of Scottish kings harnessing the powerful, mythical animals was important to project at that time. The unicorn, with its feminine energy, also counterbalances the masculinity of the lion, Stevenson said.

The two beasts can be seen holding up a shield on the British royal coat of arms today, and appear on many British coins.

From these historic origins, an industry has brewed. Images of multi-colored “unicorn” food and even “unicorn” hair have been prolific on social media in recent months.

The Unicorn Frappuccino garnered mixed reviews — and a lawsuit from a café in New York City during its five-day run last month.

Adeline Waugh, a stylist and photographer from Miami, believes she started the food trend, having never seen any edible items labeled “unicorn” before, although “it’s hard for me to say that definitively.”

Waugh, 27, said that she when posted a picture of toast topped with multi-colored cheese to Instagram and called it “watercolor toast” about a year ago, she never expected the craze to spread. Her followers started calling the snack “unicorn toast” and the name stuck.

“It just blew up and it was all in the press and a lot of people started creating unicorn food and it’s become a crazy phenomenon,” she said. “I think when you create a trend people are going to try and emulate it, that’s part of the territory.”

Meanwhile, Scottish tourism officials say the country’s folklore is helping to attract more Americans. Its figures show 600,000 North Americans visited in 2016, up 18.3% from the previous year.

“From the Loch Ness Monster, to Scotland’s national animal, the unicorn, visitors flock to the country to become immersed and inspired by hundreds of years’ worth of mythology and storytelling,” said Michael McCuish, a spokesman for VisitScotland.

“Scotland’s storied past and legacy of magical folklore has been known to especially capture the imagination of North American visitors, who are visiting in growing numbers,” he added.