The Plot Bunny Farm

Unicorns — and other magical beasts — are hallmarks of fantasy. They do not, often cannot, exist within our world, so their mere presence tells us that we are elsewhere and elsewhen, even if we see no overt magic. Unicorns are traditionally precious, pure, and innocent, and only attracted to others who share these virtues. In Harry Potter, their blood can be used to extend life. In The Last Unicorn, they are hunted and trapped because of what they are (and a unicorn is the main character of the book — you have to love that!). I think the most unusual treatment I’ve seen of unicorns is in Alethea Kontis’s short story, “The Unicorn Hunter.”

Do you like unicorns? What’s your favorite magical creature? What’s the most unusual way you’ve seen a magical creature used?

This is a post for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. My theme is epic fantasy, and blog posts will cover authors, books, tropes, themes, or anything else I can think of to fill the alphabet. Check out some of the other bloggers participating or follow my blog by e-mail if you like what you’ve read.

Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.