由于一角鲸的长牙让人联想到独角兽的传说，因此有好几个世纪，人们相信它具有医疗效果，甚至具有魔力。在长牙价值最高的中世纪，“独角兽的角”价格是同等重量的黄金的十倍。传说英国伊丽莎白女王曾收到一根价值1万英镑的长牙，这笔金额在当时可以买下一座城堡。

People often think the legend of unicorn when they see the horn of narwhal. For centuries, it was believed to have medical value, or even magical. In the middle ages, when the horn of narwhal was valued the most, its price went as high as equal weight in gold. Legend has that Queen Elizabeth received a horn like this, which costs about 10,000 pounds. A fortune that equals to the price of a castle at the time.