History Literature / TheLastUnicorn

''The Last Unicorn'' is an 1968 novel by Creator/PeterSBeagle.

''The Last Unicorn'' is an 1968 novel by PeterSBeagle.

[[Film/TheLastUnicorn An animated film adaptation]], with a script by the author, was produced by RankinBassProductions in the 1980s.

** Lír starts off as a lazy schmuck, but eventually [[spoiler:fights the Red Bull, [[HeroicSacrifice lays down his life to save the unicorn,]] and becomes King.]] [[spoiler:Not to mention eventually giving his life to save a small girl from a griffin in the sequel.]]

* FisherKing: King Haggard's kingdom. Also, the unicorn's forest is believed to be one in-story.

* FisherKing: King Haggard's kingdom.

* {{Unicorn}}: One of the most famous. She's the size of a large pony, is often [[HumansAreMorons mistaken for one]] despite looking as much like a goat or deer as a horse (albeit more ethereal than any of the above), and has a leonine tail. Males of her species have beards.

* {{Unicorn}}: One of the most famous. She's the size of a large pony, is often [[HumansAreMorons mistaken for one]] despite looking just as much like a goat or deer as a horse (albeit more ethereal than any of the above), and has a leonine tail. Males of her species have beards.

* {{Unicorn}}: One of the most famous.

** The Harpy is called Celaeno[[hottip:*:"The Dark One"]] both as a ShoutOut to the harpy of the same name from Greek mythology, and because she is the dark and twisted yang to the Unicorn's light and pure yin.

** The Harpy is called "Celaeno" because she is the dark and twisted yang to the Unicorn's light and pure yin.
*** The harpy was named Celaeno after the harpy of the same name from Greek mythology.

** In the book, Schmendrick tells of an incident where his own teacher Nikos turned another unicorn into a human man when it and a maiden watching over it were ambushed by bandits, and the (now human) unicorn killed them. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Nikos could not turn the unicorn back because of the blood on the unicorn's head. The unicorn-turned-human settled with the maiden, both living to old age and dying without children. The unicorn thinks this would be worse than dying at the horns of the Red Bull.]]

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass / TookALevelInBadass:

* TheBeautifulPeople: Unicorns "are a little vain, knowing themselves to be the most beautiful creatures in all the world, and magic besides."

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:That would be Lír.]] [[IGotBetter He gets better.]]

* OlderThanTheyLook: Schmendrick. He was [[CursedWithAwesome cursed to stop aging]] by Nikos, under the condition that he find out who and what he was.

The Last Unicorn is an 1968 novel by PeterSBeagle.

* FountainOfYouth: At the end of the book, Haggard's four aged watchmen become young men because they once told the human unicorn that they would become young again if that what was she wanted.
** Schmendrick is older than he looks.

A novel by PeterSBeagle.

* ThoroughlyMistakenIdentity
**
-->'''Unicorn:''' ''Mare''? Mare?! I, a horse? Is that what you take me for? Is that what you see?
** Captain Cully is convinced that Schmendrick is "Mr. Child" of the {{Child Ballad}}s, no matter how many times he insists otherwise.

A graphic novel version of the story was recently released.