Unknown artist, A Salamander; France (formerly Flanders); (circa 1270 CE); tempera colors, gold leaf, and ink on parchment; Leaf: 7 1/2 × 5 5/8 in.; Ms. Ludwig XV 3, fol. 95v; A Franco-Flemish ...

Unicorns may be magical, majestic, beautiful, etc., but they have a serious weakness: virgin women. Indeed, ancient lore says that using a maiden as bait is the only way to snag yourself one of these ...

While dragons and unicorns have long topped the A-list of mythical animals, medieval bestiaries are filled with an assortment of bizarre creatures that are scarcely remembered today. Ever heard of a ...

The medieval illuminated manuscript known as the Aberdeen Bestiary is one of the most lavish of its kind. Heavily encrusted in gold leaf and filled with paintings of beasts that illustrate lengthy ...

The lion, king of the beasts, gives birth to dead pups. After three days, during which the young are licked into shape, the father breathes life into his offspring with a terrifying roar. Or so we're ...

In the past several years, unicorns have become ubiquitous. Evoking radiant rainbows and beguiling dreams, these elusive and magical beings have been used to sell cuddly toys, movies, makeup, pajamas, ...

When Marco Polo headed off from Venice, Italy, for the sprawl of Asia in 1271, the inquisitive teenager was on the lookout for wondrous things. One that he found surprised him mightily. The unicorn he ...