The "basic idea" of the unicorn can be found in many different forms. For example, "Bukephalos", the horse of Alexander the Great was described as "an incredible huge horse with the great ivory horn of a unicorn and the tail of a peacock".

Besides Alexander himself who had gotten this creature as a present from the Egyptian queen on the day of his birth, no one was able to ride Bukephalos.

In the following years Alexander had become one of the greatest conquerors of human history and it is written that as Bukephalos finally died he build a whole city to the honor of his loyal horse.

Alexander himself died a few months later and his former huge empire shattered.

The eale or yale lived in South India. It was said to have two horns facing in opposite directions so that it could attack and protect itself better when fighting in different directions.

The Indians are supposed to have kept it as a guardian against evil spirits.

It was described as a creature that looked somewhat like an antelope yet with a single horn on its forehead. This horn had hollow ends which created the most beautiful and tempting melodies when the wind was blowing through them.

Other animals who heard these melodies were lured out of their hiding places by the sound and killed by the shadhahvar at the very moment they had come too near to it.