The Griffin

     Most majestic of all the beasts of the imagination, the griffin is a fusion of the two mightiest of earth and sky – the lion and the eagle. Over the centuries and from one land to another, this wonder beast has taken on so many shapes and characteristics that it is often difficult to recognize.
     This master of two worlds has been the vigilant guardian of treasure and of kings. It has pulled the chariots of Pharaoh, Apollo, Nemesis, and Alexander the Great. A major heraldic animal, it has been emblazoned on the shield of knights and on the coats of arms of royalty. It has been watchful and loyal, graceful and swift, rapacious and vengeful, monstrous and divine. While the griffin is a mortal enemy of horses, its magic talons have detected poison and its feathers have cured blindness.
     It has been the forefeet of a lion or a bird of prey and the body of a lion, panther, or dog. On its head, it has worn a decorative knob, ram’s horns, crests, crowns, and ringlets. Winged lions are not true griffins, nor is the winged lion of the sea, with a serpent’s tail, nor the Dragon of Wales, with its reptilian wings. All of them, though – along with countless other hybrid variations – are “gryphonic.”
     Once you recognize the basic eagle-lion shape of the powerful beast, you will see it all around you: on business signs and coats of arms, in paint, stone, metal, wood, and stained glass.

The Griffin Around The World
The Griffin From The Past
The Griffin Today



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