World’s 5 most unusual national animals
The United States takes a lot of pride in
having a bald eagle as its national animal. But many countries don’t want to go
with the status quo. They want to do things differently, and these five nations
have some really cool mythical creatures to represent them in some fashion.
1. Unicorn – Scotland
Unicorns aren’t just for stickers to go on your old-school
Trapper Keeper. The mythical beast has been a Scottish symbol
since William I used it on his coat of arms in the 12th century. While many
look it as a cute little pony, local folklore says a free unicorn is actually a
dangerous beast. So maybe that one scene in Cabin in the Woods was pretty
accurate after all. Want to see a statue of one in Scotland? Check out the
Mercat Cross at Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
2. Dragon – China, Vietnam, Bhutan, and
many more
You’ve no doubt seen dragons used as national symbols in a lot
of places, mainly in Asia. But the one that really sticks out is the Druk (“The
Thunder Dragon”) of Bhutan. If you were
to speak the national language of Bhutan, you’d find out that the country is
called Druk-yul, aka Land of Druk. And the leaders of the country? Yeah,
they’re called Druk Gyalpo – Dragon Kings. You’ve got to wonder if somewhere in
the family tree there’s a Daenerys Targaryen.
3. Turul – Hungary
There’s no shortage of cool mythical birds, but Hungary might
have one of the better ones in the Turul. This creature is known as a divine
messenger and perches atop the tree of life, but not before delivering some
powerful dreams to the Princess Emese that showed she would give birth to a
line of great rulers. Another legend has the Turul showing the leader of the
Hungarian tribes the path to safety, and putting a beat down on eagles that
attacked their horses. Forgive the indelicacy, but this might be the first
Angry Bird. And you can see it on many statues around Hungary.
4. Garuda – Indonesia
Indonesia may
use the Komodo dragon for a national animal nowadays, but the Garuda is where
the country’s roots for a symbol reside. The Garuda is a chimera, which boasts
the beak, feet and wings of the golden eagle with the arms and chest of a man.
Pretty boss, and shows up on the nation’s coat of arms. Now you can easily see
this beast in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, but you’ll not see it in anything
as cool as the photo above of Vishnu taking on the Garuda. A statue you can see
in Bali.
5. Chollima – North Korea
North Korea and Scotland have something in common? No, this is
not the start of a joke. They both have a mythical animal as its emblem. North
Korea’s symbol is the winged horse called Chollima. The nation’s first
president, Kim il Sun, wanted his country to rebuild at Chollima speed after
the cease-fire agreement was signed with South Korea. The bronze statue you see
above stands in Pyongyang, but you probably won’t be seeing it in person
anytime soon.
