Griffin

A griffin, also spelled gryphon, is a mythological creature most often portrayed with the wings and head of an eagle and the body of a lion. Legends of the griffin are believed to have originated in the Middle East or Asia and may have been inspired by fossilized bones of long-extinct dinosaurs. The Persians saw these creatures as protective figures. To the Egyptians, griffins were the steeds that pulled the chariots of the pharaohs. The Greeks portrayed them as ferocious guardians of horded treasure and gold. The image of the griffin became popular in Greek art and endured into the medieval period as a symbol of strength. Griffins were worn on shields carried by knights in battle, and they even became associated with religious figures and the concept of monogamous marriage.

Background

Griffins are an example of a mythological hybrid, a beast that combines body features of two or more animals, which was a common element in ancient legends. Hybrid creatures similar to griffins are found in several cultures. Assyrian art and sculpture from the ninth century BCE features a beast known as a lamassu, a protective deity with the body of a lion or oxen, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a human. In Hindu mythology, the half-eagle, half-human garuda was said to act as a winged mount to the god Vishnu.

The exact origin of the griffin legend is unknown, though it is likely to have developed in the Middle East or India sometime before the second millennium BCE. Some researchers believe the inspiration for the beast may have come from the fossilized remains of a dinosaur called a protoceratops, a creature that lived in the region of central Asia more than seventy-two million years ago. The protoceratops was not a winged dinosaur but had a pronounced beak-shaped snout that may have reminded ancient observers of an eagle's features. Its location in a gold-producing region may also have led to tales that it horded treasure. This theory, however, is not universally accepted. Other researchers believe the griffin's origins may have been simply symbolic or inspired by human archetypal fears of ancient predators.

Overview

Some of the oldest depictions of griffins in art date from about the same period—1600 BCE—and have been found at several ancient sites. Archaeologists discovered painted images of wingless griffins adorning a prominent room of the Minoan palace of Knossos on the Mediterranean island of Crete. Images of griffins have also been found at archaeological sites in Israel, Turkey, and Egypt. In the Persian Empire that ruled the region around modern-day Iran, griffins were seen as protective figures, and they were common elements in sculpture, art, and architecture. The ancient Egyptians portrayed griffins with the heads of falcons and depicted them pulling the chariots of the god-kings known as pharaohs.

The concept of the griffin most likely found its way to ancient Greece from the tales told by merchants when they returned from trading in the East. One of the earliest mention of griffins in Greek literature was by the poet Hesiod, who lived around 700 BCE. The Greeks portrayed griffins as wise creatures who lived in the mountains of a northern land called Scythia—an area corresponding to modern-day Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. It was there that the griffins guarded great quantities of gold from a race of one-eyed people called the Arimaspians. In his tragic drama Prometheus Bound, the writer Aeschylus, who lived in the fifth century BCE, referred to griffins as the "hounds of Zeus that have no bark." In some myths, griffins were dangerous tricksters who would ask travelers a riddle and reward those who could answer it with gold and devour those who failed. Perhaps borrowing from Egyptian myths, griffins were also said to pull the chariot of the sun god Apollo as he made his rounds across the heavens.

Images of griffins battling the Arimaspians or being ridden by Apollo became common in Greek art around the seventh century BCE. The creatures continued to appear in art into the Roman era and the medieval period. In the first century CE, griffins were described as "fabulous" creatures by Roman author Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, a collection of the supposed knowledge of the known world. In medieval bestiaries—illustrated collections detailing what were believed to be real creatures—griffins were described as the mortal enemies of horses. These texts also claimed that griffins would kill any human who ventured too close. A fourteenth-century travelogue rumored to be written by English author Sir John Mandeville claimed that a griffin possessed the strength of eight lions and was capable of carrying off two oxen in its powerful talons.

As the lion was considered the king of beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was associated with regal bearing and power. It was also used as a medieval Christian symbol for Jesus Christ, reflecting his dual nature as both human and divine in its ability to travel both in the sky and on the earth. Some literature of the period portrayed griffins as creatures that mated for life and would refuse to mate again even if their partner died. This aspect of the griffin came to represent fidelity and monogamy in Christian marriage.

In medieval heraldry—the practice of displaying an identifying symbol during battle—griffins were often used to adorn knights' shields and coats of arms. Griffins were usually pictured rearing up on one leg with their claws raised. Since male griffins were not depicted with wings, winged female griffins were predominantly used in these designs. In heraldic tradition, the creatures represented bravery, strength, alertness, and endurance. As medieval heraldry left its battlefield origins behind, crests and coats of arms came to represent hereditary bloodlines, countries, cities, and national and local institutions. Griffins were a popular design on many crests, including those of the Italian city of Genoa and the Baltic nation of Latvia.

Bibliography

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