Griffin (Gryphon)

The Griffin or Gryphon was a giant creature with the head and wings of an eagle, but the body and hindquarters of a lion.

There are only a few references to griffins in Greek mythology. The Greek historian Herodotus claimed they came from the land of the Hyperboreans. The griffins were most likely of Asiatic origin.

In his play Prometheus Bound, Aeschylus mentioned the griffins with their sharp beaks. Aeschylus said that the griffins lived around the river rolling gold alongside the hounds of Zeus and the mounted, one-eyed Arimaspians. The geographer Pausanias reported that the griffins were seen guarding their hoards of gold from the thieving one-eyed Arimaspians, their neighbours.

There are many depictions of griffins in paintings, both in Bronze Age Crete and Greece, as well as in classical Greece. In the Minoan civilisation (Bronze Age), seals have been found where a naked woman or goddess held a griffin by the ear. This goddess was known as the Mistress of Animals, who was later identified with Artemis, goddess of hunting and wild creatures.

The Griffin reappeared in medieval legends; they were often used on heraldic banners and coats of arms.