two animals that appear on the British royal arms (= a special royal symbol). The lion represents England, and the unicorn, an imaginary animal like a horse with a long horn on its forehead, represents Scotland. There is a traditional children’s nursery rhyme about the lion and the unicorn, which may have its origin in old conflicts between the two countries:
The lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown;
The lion beat the unicorn
All round about the town.