Gryphon Information Source
	Table of Contents Main Page News/Updates Gryphon Information Pages General Information Variations History of Gryphons Gryphons found in Literature Email the webmistress Affilates/Links United Empire Forums	I, personally, use the word "Griffon" to describe any creature that is mostly Gryphon-like, but has slightly differing features such as tail-feathers, all four paws/talons, a non-lion feline half, etc. A Gryphon that is half falcon instead of hawk or eagle is a Gryfalcon. Not to be confused with a Gyrfalcon, which is a Northern Falcon Bird. A Gryphon that is half-Horse instead of Lion is a Hippogriff. Some spell it Hippogryph. I switch between the two with no real discrimination. If it is half-dragon, it's a Dracogryph or Drago-Gryph. Some have Dragon wings instead of bird, but retain the head and fore-talons. Other variations I have seen are Wolgryph (Half-wolf); Vulgryph (half-fox); and Cryphons (Half-crow). Of course, a Griffon can have other un-named combonations, I've seen many, Like being part Owl or any non-raptorial bird. But, basically, anything that's part bird, part mammal qualifies as a Griffon. And most things with a combination of three or more things, or a combination that does not resemble a gryphon or other specified mythical being is generally termed "Chimerae." The classic Chimerae was a female with the head of a lion, body of a goat and tail of a snake/serpent. The end of the tail could be a snake's head so it could bite from either end and from the center of the body it was sometimes depicted with a third, goat, head. It also sometimes had leathery wings.