Difference between revisions of "Griffin" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Herb Gryf1.jpg|thumb|left|180px| Coat of Arms for Polish ''Herb'' (clan) Gryf]]
 
[[Image:Herb Gryf1.jpg|thumb|left|180px| Coat of Arms for Polish ''Herb'' (clan) Gryf]]
 
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.
 
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.
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==Literature==
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The griffin has appeared in various types of literature. Echoing the classicl depictions, in [[Dante]]'s ''Purgatorio'' a griffin pulled the chariot that brought Beatrice to Dante in Canto XXIX. For a young generation in 19th century [[England]], [[Sir John Tenniel]]'s illustration for [[Lewis Carroll]]'s classic '''Alice in Wonderland''' brought into popular culture the new idea of the griffin as part of a childlike fantasy world, akin to [[unicorn]]s or [[elves|elf]]. In the story, the tyrannical Queen of Hearts commands the griffin to take Alice to see the Mock Turtle and hear its story. A griffin like creature appears in [[Maurice Sendak]]'s  classic ''Where the Wild Things Are''. In [[J.K. Rowling]]'s ''Harry Potter'' series, there is a hippogriff named '''buckbeak''' that plays a critical role in the plot of book 3 ''The Prisoner of Azkaban''. Many [[pop culture]] publications that incorporate classical elements in some fashion, such as ''Dungeons and Dragons'' use representations of griffins in some way or the other.
  
 
==Footnotes==
 
==Footnotes==

Revision as of 22:39, 12 February 2007


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File:Saena.jpg
Persian silver plate of a Simurgh (Sēnmurw), fourth - sixth century C.E.

The Griffin, sometimes spelled gryphon,griffen, gryphos in Ancient Greek or شیردال‌ shirdal in Persian is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Seen as guardians of secretly buried wealth, the griffin evolved from a ferocious animal of antiquity to become a symbol of strength and valor. It is one of the most common mythical creatures to appear in heraldic images

Overview

File:Griffioen,Kasteel de Haar.JPG
Heraldic guardian griffin at Kasteel de Haar, Netherlands

Griffins are one of the few mythical creatures who have a rather consistent physiology throughout the ages. It is generally depicted with four legs, wings and a beak, with eagle-like talons in place of a lion's forelegs and feathered, equine-like ears jutting from its skull. Of the few variations that exist are the traditions that claim only the females had wings, while others indicate that the griffin's tales are serpent like.

Origins

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 similarities that exist between the Protoceratops (b.c.e. millions of years) skulls of the steppes leading to the Gobi Desert, and the legends of the gold-hoarding griffin told by nomadic Scythians of the region (less ancient). [1]

Griffin (Homa) in Persepolis, Iran

While it is probable that ancient cultures devised griffin legends from the fossils of actual animals, it is more likely that the griffins were seen as creations of myth and symbolism. The earliest references of griffins comes out of Ancient Persia. 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. In Ancient Egypt, griffins were depicted with a slender, feline body and the head of a falcon. Early statuary depicts them with wings that are horizontal and parallel along the back of the body. During the New Kingdom, depictions of griffins included hunting scenes. Several figures in Egyptian mythology were depicted as griffins, including Sefer, Sefert, and Axex. Griffins were also sometimes seen as pulling the chariot of the pharaohs. [2]

Tales 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. Griffins were 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.

Elsewhere in Ancient Greek myth, the griffins were said to be "the hounds of Zeus", but were also associated with Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, as well as the god Apollo. [3].

Ancient Elamites used griffin symbol extensively in their architecture. In Elam legends, a Griffin was presented to Elamite Gods.

European Cultural depictions

Detail of fifteenth century tapestry

The griffin continued to be largely represented in the fine arts in Europe, such as tapestries and illustrations, but later on also began to take on Christian symbolism as well. The dual nature of the griffin was often mirrored to the dual nature of Christ, particularly because a griffin flew in the sky as easily as it walked on the ground, complementing Christ's divine and human qualities. In English literature, the griffin became seen as a symbol of fidelity, thanks to the Irish writer Stephen Scotus, who used the griffin to represent the church's views on remarriage; griffins had one mate for life, and if one died, the other never mated again.

File:Gryphon.gif
Gryphon illustration by Sir John Tenniel for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland

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.

A 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.

Heraldic Griffins

Medieval figure of a heraldic griffin

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. 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.

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 "sergeant", a word uniquely applied to griffins, and which is the exact equivalent of the description of lions and other creatures in heraldry as "rampant".

File:Citylondonarms.jpg
Arms of the City of London flanked by the dragons popularly referred to as griffins

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.

File:Herb Gryf1.jpg
Coat of Arms for Polish Herb (clan) Gryf

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.

Literature

The griffin has appeared in various types of literature. Echoing the classicl depictions, in Dante's Purgatorio a griffin pulled the chariot that brought Beatrice to Dante in Canto XXIX. For a young generation in 19th century England, Sir John Tenniel's illustration for Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland brought into popular culture the new idea of the griffin as part of a childlike fantasy world, akin to unicorns or elf. In the story, the tyrannical Queen of Hearts commands the griffin to take Alice to see the Mock Turtle and hear its story. A griffin like creature appears in Maurice Sendak's classic Where the Wild Things Are. In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, there is a hippogriff named buckbeak that plays a critical role in the plot of book 3 The Prisoner of Azkaban. Many pop culture publications that incorporate classical elements in some fashion, such as Dungeons and Dragons use representations of griffins in some way or the other.

Footnotes

  1. Mayor, Adrienne. "Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times" Princeton University Press, 2000.
  2. Crystal, Ellie. "Griffins: The Eagle and the Lion" http://www.crystalinks.com/griffins.html Retrieved February 9, 2007
  3. Hamilton, Edith "Mythology" Little Brown: New York, 1942

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