Realms of Fantasy and Myth: Week 17 - Griffin

Sep 29, 200917 min read

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Published: Sep 29, 2009

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Realms of Fantasy and Myth: Week 17 - Griffin

Welcome to the seventeenth issue of my weekly news article! I hope you enjoy it, and please, show the featured artists some love and recognition through pageviews,

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This week's creature feature is: Griffin

From Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin :

The griffin (griffon or gryphon) is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Griffins are normally known for guarding treasure. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine.
Most contemporary illustrations give the griffin legs like an eagle's legs with talons, although in some older illustrations it has a lion's forelimbs; it generally has a lion's hindquarters. Its eagle's head is conventionally given prominent ears; these are sometimes described as the lion's ears, but are often elongated (more like a horse's), and are sometimes feathered.
Scholar Adrienne Mayor argues that the griffin was inspired by protoceratops fossils in Central Asia. Mayor noted that, like griffins, protoceratops had beaked faces, protected eggs in nests, and were associated with gold due to their fossils often being located in or near gold-bearing ores.
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.
In heraldry, the griffin's amalgamation of lion and eagle gains in courage and boldness, and it is always drawn as a powerful fierce monster. It is used to denote strength and military courage and leadership. Griffins are portrayed with a lion's body, an eagle's head, long ears, and an eagle's claws, to indicate that one must combine intelligence and strength.

Now, for the features! Works are featured from various categories, in no particular order:

A Gryphon Family Portrait by BloodhoundOmega

Needle Felted Griffin Gryphon by The-GoblinQueen

Gryphon -- Pipe Cleaners by kalicothekat

Warning - Gryphon Crossing by vergeofsanity

Gryphon jack-o-lantern by Ryaskgoldengryph

Plush Hawk Griffin-Left Side by stephanielynn

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Soccer Gryphon 3 of 3 by BlackUniGryphon

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Griffin with Crystal Ball by The-GoblinQueen

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Thank you so much for viewing, and come back next week for a different inhabitant of the Realms of Fantasy and Myth!