The Gryphon of Legend

The Gryphon is a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Gryphon-like creatures occur in art, architecture and mythology of many early civilizations. In Minoan Crete, such creatures were royal animals and guardians of throne rooms. It was considered a sacred bird in Persian mythology.

As a protector of gold and other precious things, it was said to live on the Scythian steppes from the Ukraine to central Asia where gold and precious stones were abundant. When strangers approached to gather the stones, the Gryphons would leap on them and tear them to pieces. Giant, petrified bones found in this area were shown to others as proof of the existence of the powerful beasts to keep outsiders away from the gold and precious stones.

The fossil beds around the Mediterranean and across the steppes to the Gobi Desert may have contributed to the myths of griffins in the Classical world.

Stories of gryphons were written by Herodotus Pliny, and Aeschylus.



Celtic Gryphon

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A 9th-century Irish writer by the name of Stephen Scotus asserted that griffins were strictly monogamous. Not only did they mate for life, but if one partner died, the other would continue throughout the rest of its life alone, never to search for a new mate. The griffin was thus made an emblem of the Church's views on remarriage.

The egg-laying habits of the female were first clearly described by St. Hildegard of Bingen, a German nun author of the 12th century. She outlined how the expectant mother would search out a cave with a very narrow entrance but plenty of room inside, sheltered from the elements. Here she would lay her three eggs (about the size of ostrich eggs), and stand guard over them.

The griffin is often seen as a charge in heraldry. According to the Tractatus de armis of John de Bado Aureo (late fourteenth century), "A griffin borne in arms signifies that the first to bear it was a strong pugnacious man in whom were found two distinct natures and qualities, those of the eagle and the lion." Since the lion and the eagle were both important charges in heraldry, it is perhaps not surprising that their hybrid, the griffin, was also a frequent choice.

"Now the place where the griffins live and the gold is found is a grim and terrible desert. Waiting for a moonless night, the treasure-seekers come with shovels and sacks and dig. If they manage to elude the griffins, the men reap a double reward, for they escape with their lives and bring home a cargo of gold-rich profit for the dangers they face." -Greek author Aelian, c. AD 200

"They very soon came upon a Gryphon, lying fast asleep in the sun. (If you don't know what a Gryphon is, look at the picture.) `Up, lazy thing!' said the Queen, `and take this young lady to see the Mock Turtle, and to hear his history. I must go back and see after some executions I have ordered'; and she walked off, leaving Alice alone with the Gryphon. Alice did not quite like the look of the creature, but on the whole she thought it would be quite as safe to stay with it as to go after that savage Queen: so she waited.

The Gryphon sat up and rubbed its eyes: then it watched the Queen till she was out of sight: then it chuckled. `What fun!' said the Gryphon, half to itself, half to Alice.

`What is the fun?' said Alice.

`Why, she,' said the Gryphon. `It's all her fancy, that: they never executes nobody, you know. Come on!'

`Everybody says "come on!" here,' thought Alice, as she went slowly after it: `I never was so ordered about in all my life, never."

The Griffon Vulture
So named due to its supposed similar appearance to the legendary creature.