Which unified countries, are symbolically represented in the nursery rhyme ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’?

The nursery rhyme titled ‘The Lion and the Unicorn’ begins: “The lion and the unicorn / Were fighting for the crown / The lion beat the unicorn / All around the town.”

It is a traditional nursery rhyme telling the story of the enmity and the fight of suzerainty of the two kingdoms- of power and dominance.

The unicorn is a legendary creature, sometimes depicted in art and in cultural artifacts as a white horse with a horn in the middle of its forehead. Legends describe its horn as having miraculous powers to eliminate diseases, rid the land of evil, as well as giving life.

The lion is a respected, valued and even deified animal in many cultures. As a symbol of power, the lion dates back nearly 5,000 years. Additionally, the lion’s mane is a royal symbol often compared to the rays of the sun.

The second stanza continues the story: “Some gave them white bread, / And some gave them brown; / Some gave them plum cake / and drummed then out of town.”

Each of these animals have been embedded in the history of both the United Kingdom since 1603 when Scotland and England were unified. Even before James I of England unified the two kingdoms, they were already symbols in the Royal Arms- two lions being the emblem of England while two unicorns were representing Scotland.

The third and final stanza brings the story to a conclusion: “And when he had beat him out, / He beat him in again; / He beat him three times over, / His power to maintain.”