The Lion and the Unicorn

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-lion-and-the-unicorn

1. What is the heraldic designation?
2. What is the symbolic representation?
3. What do the lion and the unicorn stand for on the United Kingdom's coat of arms?
4. Why were the lion and the unicorn chosen as supporters for the royal coat of arms?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the heraldic designation?Supporters on the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom
2. What is the symbolic representation?Lion for England, Unicorn for Scotland
3. What do the lion and the unicorn stand for on the United Kingdom's coat of arms?The lion represents England and shows strength, courage, and royalty. The unicorn represents Scotland and shows purity, innocence, and power. Together they show that England and Scotland are united.
4. Why were the lion and the unicorn chosen as supporters for the royal coat of arms?They were chosen after James VI of Scotland became king of England in 1603. The pair was used to show that one king ruled both kingdoms.

Heraldic Supporters: Figures flanking a coat of arms, typically animals or mythical creatures, signifying status or territory.
Union of the Crowns: The accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne in 1603, uniting the crowns but not the parliaments.
Mythological Symbolism: The use of creatures from myth and legend, like the unicorn, to represent abstract qualities such as purity and power.