Legends:
The Indian Gryphon
The vast majority of gryphons belong to the species Raptopantthera gryphos. There are two main sub-species: the northern, or Hyperborean gryphon, and the Indian gryphon. The northern gryphons live in the hilly forests and mountains of north-eastern Europe and Russia. These forested areas once extended deep into the Ukraine - much further south then they do today. The Indian griffin is found in mountainous regions of north-eastern India and the Middle East. The only other species of the genus is Raptopanthera opinicus, recognizable by its feline, as opposed to aquiline, forelimbs. It was always rare and is now most certainly extinct.
The Gryphon is a fabulous beast with the characteristics of two of the most noble of beasts - the lion and the eagle. It is most easily recognized as an eagle having the hindquarters of a lion. Representations are found in art through many cultures, appearing as heraldic beasts, ancient sculptures, relief's, mosaics, and legends.
The gryphon is a large, fierce looking creature, about 2 ft higher then a large horse. The strong wings sprouting from its back are strong enough to carry it at enormous speeds, and lift it off the ground bearing heavy prey. Long ears, sharp eyes and cruelly hooked beak make the griffon a fearsome beast. The tail functions as a rudder in flight. The heavy rear paws help provide extra thrust during take-off and are used to hold prey down while the beak and claws do their worst. The claws are like massive eagles' feet. As the griffon swoops on its quarry, the rear talon sinks into the flesh first. Then the front claws close to form a deadly cage, firmly gripping the doomed creature. Between their eagle sight, and lion strength, Gryphon are very effective hunters.
The 9th century Irish writer Stephen Scotus asserted that gryphon were highly monogamous. Not only did they mate for life, but if one partner died, the other would never re-mate. The egg-laying habits of the female were first properly described by St. Hildegard of Bingen, a German nun writing in 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 3 eggs (about the size of Ostrich eggs), and stand guard over them, especially protecting them against the mountain lions which then roamed the areas inhabited by the gryphon
Gryphon are the subjects of many legends, especially in ancient cultures. They are allegedly so honest, that falsehood cannot be spoken in their presence. If one had a gryphon feather, he would always know the truth and no lies or illusions would lead him astray. This led to the hunting of gryphon in Medieval Times and the near extinction of the entire species. The remaining individuals were forced to begin hunting at night to hide their presence from humans, and so we have no clear ideas as to their numbers anymore. Gryphons are reputed as being highly intelligent as well as incredibly strong. This legend describes the gryphon's legendary cleverness:
Once upon an ancient time, three mythical creatures engaged in mortal combat in the skies above the world: the dragon, the chimera and the gryphon. The dragon used fire and his ability to fly to crushing effect, while the chimera looked in all directions at once with his many heads, appearing an invincible enemy. The gryphon watched his two foes for a long time, seeking out their strengths and weaknesses. At last he engaged in conflict.
Using his wit and intelligence he lured the dragon into the depths of the ocean where his fire was extinguished forever. Burrowing through the earth beneath the chimera, the gryphon attacked from the one direction the chimera had not expected. The chimera never recovered from the surprise and was easily vanquished. In this way a creature thought much smaller and weaker than its adversaries won a great victory!
This legend is especially pertinent now, as we celebrate Purim.
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A basic to all (Taken by http://www.jerusalemzoo.org.il/english/upload/month/griffon.html )
The vast majority of gryphons belong to the species Raptopantthera gryphos. There are two main sub-species: the northern, or Hyperborean gryphon, and the Indian gryphon. The northern gryphons live in the hilly forests and mountains of north-eastern Europe and Russia. These forested areas once extended deep into the Ukraine - much further south then they do today. The Indian griffin is found in mountainous regions of north-eastern India and the Middle East. The only other species of the genus is Raptopanthera opinicus, recognizable by its feline, as opposed to aquiline, forelimbs. It was always rare and is now most certainly extinct.
The Gryphon is a fabulous beast with the characteristics of two of the most noble of beasts - the lion and the eagle. It is most easily recognized as an eagle having the hindquarters of a lion. Representations are found in art through many cultures, appearing as heraldic beasts, ancient sculptures, relief's, mosaics, and legends.
The gryphon is a large, fierce looking creature, about 2 ft higher then a large horse. The strong wings sprouting from its back are strong enough to carry it at enormous speeds, and lift it off the ground bearing heavy prey. Long ears, sharp eyes and cruelly hooked beak make the griffon a fearsome beast. The tail functions as a rudder in flight. The heavy rear paws help provide extra thrust during take-off and are used to hold prey down while the beak and claws do their worst. The claws are like massive eagles' feet. As the griffon swoops on its quarry, the rear talon sinks into the flesh first. Then the front claws close to form a deadly cage, firmly gripping the doomed creature. Between their eagle sight, and lion strength, Gryphon are very effective hunters.
The 9th century Irish writer Stephen Scotus asserted that gryphon were highly monogamous. Not only did they mate for life, but if one partner died, the other would never re-mate. The egg-laying habits of the female were first properly described by St. Hildegard of Bingen, a German nun writing in 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 3 eggs (about the size of Ostrich eggs), and stand guard over them, especially protecting them against the mountain lions which then roamed the areas inhabited by the gryphon.
Gryphon are the subjects of many legends, especially in ancient cultures. They are allegedly so honest, that falsehood cannot be spoken in their presence. If one had a gryphon feather, he would always know the truth and no lies or illusions would lead him astray. This led to the hunting of gryphon in Medieval Times and the near extinction of the entire species. The remaining individuals were forced to begin hunting at night to hide their presence from humans, and so we have no clear ideas as to their numbers anymore. Gryphons are reputed as being highly intelligent as well as incredibly strong. This legend describes the gryphon’s legendary cleverness:
Once upon an ancient time, three mythical creatures engaged in mortal combat in the skies above the world: the dragon, the chimera and the gryphon. The dragon used fire and his ability to fly to crushing effect, while the chimera looked in all directions at once with his many heads, appearing an invincible enemy. The gryphon watched his two foes for a long time, seeking out their strengths and weaknesses. At last he engaged in conflict.
Using his wit and intelligence he lured the dragon into the depths of the ocean where his fire was extinguished forever. Burrowing through the earth beneath the chimera, the gryphon attacked from the one direction the chimera had not expected. The chimera never recovered from the surprise and was easily vanquished. In this way a creature thought much smaller and weaker than its adversaries won a great victory!
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GRIFFIN
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Griffon)
For other uses of this term, see Griffin (disambiguation).
Golden-winged griffins adorning Bank Bridge in St Petersburg, Russia.The griffin (also spelled gryphon and, less commonly, gryphen, griffon, griffen, or gryphin) is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Often, griffins are depicted with a pair of prominent ears, traditionally termed "ass's ears". Since the lion was considered the "King of the Beasts" and the eagle the "King of the Air", the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Some traditions say that only female griffins have wings. The griffin is generally represented with four legs, wings and a beak, with eagle-like talons in place of a lion's forelegs and equine ears jutting from its skull. Some writers describe the tail as a serpent. See the entry European dragon for a 19th century painting of St George and the dragon, showing a dragon very like a classically-conceived griffin.
Classical and heraldic griffins are male and female. A so-called "male" griffin, called a keythong in a single 15th century English heraldic manuscript, is an anomaly that belongs strictly to a late phase of English heraldry: see below.
NATURE OF GRIFFINS
Golden Cup depicting Griffin on top band. Excavated at Marlik, Gilan, Iran. First half of first millenium BC. National Museum of Iran.
Griffin (Homa) in Persepolis, IranTales of griffins and the Arimaspi of distant Scythia near the cave of Boreas, the North Wind (Geskleithron) were elaborated in the lost archaic poem of Aristeas of Proconnesus, Arimaspea, and eagerly reported by Herodotus and in Pliny's Natural History. The griffin was said to build a nest, like an eagle. Instead of eggs, it lays agates. The animal was supposed to watch over gold mines and hidden treasures, and to be the enemy of the horse. The incredibly rare offspring of griffin and horse would be called hippogriff. Griffin was consecrated to the Sun; and ancient painters represented the chariot of the Sun as drawn by griffins. The griffin was a common feature of "animal style" Scythian gold; it was said to inhabit the Scythia steppes that reached from the modern Ukraine to central Asia; there gold and precious stones were abundant; and when strangers approached to gather the stones, the creatures would leap on them and tear them to pieces. The Scythians used giant petrified bones found in this area as proof of the existence of griffins and to keep outsiders away from the gold and precious stones. It has recently been suggested that these "griffin bones" were actually dinosaur fossils, which are common in this part of the world.
Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist, has made tentative connections, in Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times, between the rich fossil beds around the Mediterranean and across the steppes to the Gobi Desert and the myths of griffins, centaurs and archaic giants originating in the classical world. Mayor draws upon striking similarities that exist between the Protoceratops skulls of the steppes leading to the Gobi Desert, and the legends of the gold-hoarding griffin told by nomadic Scythians of the region; among the artistic evidence, the 6th century Greek vase on the book's cover is incontrovertible. The size of that fossil skull may be the source of the claim that a griffin is eight times the size of a lion.
In Persian mythology, in particular during the Achaemenid dynasty, griffins called Homa were used widely as statues and symbols in palaces. Homa also had a special place in Persian literature as guardians of light.
A 9th century Irish writer by the name of Stephen Scotus asserted that griffins were highly 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 out 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 3 eggs (about the size of Ostrich eggs), and stand guard over them.
In architectural decoration the griffin is usually represented as a four-footed beast with wings and the head of a leopard or tiger with horns, or with the head and beak of an eagle. The griffin is the symbol of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and you can see bronze castings of them perched on each corner of the museum's roof, protecting its collection.
Griffin (spelled "gryphon" is featured in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland in which the Queen of Hearts' orders the gryphon to take Alice to see the Mock Turtle and hear its story. The original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel depict the gryphon in an unusually naturalistic style (pictured to the left).
Some large species of Old World vultures are called gryphons, including the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), as are some breeds of dog (griffons).
HERALDIC GRIFFINS
The griffin is often seen as a charge in heraldry.
A heraldic griffin (or gryphon) has the hind parts (including legs and tail) of a lion, the upper parts (including feathered neck, wings, claws, and head with beak) of an eagle and also ears. It is the ears which distinguish the griffin's head from an eagle's head in heraldry, which is important because, as well as the full griffin, the griffin's head is also often found in heraldry and would otherwise be identical to the head of the eagle.
According to 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”. This is clearly fanciful, but 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. The symbolism of the lion-eagle combination was also the subject of a quotation attributed to Chassaneus by Alexander Nisbet in his System of Heraldry (1722; p 343 of Vol I of the 1816 edn): "Gryphus significat sapientiam jungendam fortitudini, sed sapientiam debere praeire, fortitudinem sequi.". This translates as: “The griffin represents wisdom joined to fortitude, but wisdom should lead, and fortitude follow".
Heraldic griffins are usually shown rearing up, facing left, and standing on one hind leg with the other leg and the claws raised: this posture is described in the Norman-French language of heraldry as "segreant", a word uniquely applied to griffins, and which is the exact equivalent of the description of lions and other creatures in heraldry as "rampant".
A heraldic griffin was included as one of the ten Queen's Beasts sculpted for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 (following the model of the King’s Beasts at Hampton Court) and this is now on display at Kew Gardens.
The City of London adopted what are usually described as griffins as supporters for its coat of arms, and it marks its boundaries with statues of a single "griffin" carrying the City coat of arms at each road leading into the City of London. However, the City of London griffins are, in fact, heraldic dragons, with scaly bodies and wings, no feathers, and no eagle's beak.