Griffin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Griffin Griffin A very early appearance of gryphons, dating from before 2000 BCE, two of them shown in company with the Sumerian deity Ningishzida. 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. Infrequently, a griffin is portrayed without wings (or a wingless eagle-headed lion is identified as a griffin); in 15th-century and later heraldry such a beast may be called an alce or a keythong. In heraldry, a griffin always has forelegs like an eagle’s hind legs; the beast with forelimbs like a lion’s forelegs was distinguished by perhaps only one English herald of later heraldry as the opinicus; the word "opinicus" escaped the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary. The modern generalist calls it the liongriffin, as for example, Robin Lane Fox, in Alexander the Great, 1973:31 and notes p. 506, who remarks a liongriffin attacking a stag in a pebble mosaic at Pella, perhaps as an emblem of the kingdom of Macedon or a personal one of Alexander’s successor Antipater. After "griffin", the spelling gryphon is the most common variant in English, gaining popularity following the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland as can be observed from usage in The Times and elsewhere. Less common variants include gryphen, griffen, and gryphin.; from Latin grȳphus, from Greek γρύψ gryps, from γρύπος grypos hooked. The spelling "griffon" (from Middle English and Middle French) was previously frequent but is now rare, probably to avoid confusion with the griffon dog breed. Statue of a griffin at St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Griffin misericord, Ripon Cathedral, alleged inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland The griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and often 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.[1] In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine.[2] 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 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Griffin 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.[5] In British heraldry a male griffin is shown with wings, its body covered in tufts of formidable spikes. The male griffin is more usually shown, as in the Bevan family crest (illustration).[6] The griffin is the mascot of Rocky Mount High School located in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. During the era of segregation, Rocky Mount High School was an allwhite school while African Americans attended Booker T. Washington High School. In 1969, the two schools merged when segregation ended. During that time, the mascot of Rocky Mount High School was the blackbird and the lion was the mascot of Booker T. Washington. In an attempt to create a new mascot for the newly merged school and at the same time maintaining the history of the two schools, the griffin (or gryphon as it is spelled) became the obvious choice. Medieval lore A 9th-century Irish writer by the name of Griffin Neal 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. The griffin was thus made an emblem of the Church’s views on remarriage. Being a union of a terrestrial beast and an aerial bird, it was seen in Christianity to be a symbol of Jesus, who was both human and divine. As such it can be found sculpted on churches.[1] According to Stephen Friar, a griffin’s claw was believed to have medicinal properties and one of its feathers could restore sight to the blind.[1] Goblets fashioned from griffin claws (actually antelope horns) and griffin eggs (actually ostrich eggs) were highly prized in medieval European courts.[3] Since its emergence as a major seafaring power in the Middle Ages and Renaissance griffins have been depicted as part of the Republic of Genoa’s coat of arms, rearing at the sides of the shield bearing the Cross of St. George. By the 12th century the appearance of the griffin was substantially fixed: "All its bodily members are like a lion’s, but its wings and mask are like an eagle’s."[4] It is not yet clear if its forelimbs are those of an eagle or of a lion. Although the description implies the latter, the accompanying illustration is ambiguous. It was left to the heralds to clarify that. In architecture Heraldic significance A modernist, Egyptianized guardian griffin, Washington, D.C. The Bevan family Crest 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 Heraldic guardian griffin at Kasteel de Haar, Netherlands 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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. The griffin is the symbol of the Philadelphia Museum of Art; bronze castings of them perched on each corner of the museum’s roof, protecting its collection.[7][8] The Griffon is the Mascot of Missouri Western State University in St, Joseoph, MO. It was chosen in 1918 as the mascot of St. Joseph Junior College, the institution which later became Missouri Western State University. The Griffon was selected because it was considered a guardian of riches, and education is viewed as a precious treasure. Griffin example, in The Essential Rumi, translated from Persian by Coleman Barks, p 257). In Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, a griffin pulls the chariot which brings Beatrice to Dante in Canto XXIX of the Purgatory. In Voltaire’s La Princesse de Babylone (The Princess of Babylon; 1768), two griffins transport princess Formosante. Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), the Queen of Hearts orders the Gryphon to take Alice to see the Mock Turtle and hear its story. In T. H. White’s The Once and Future King (1958), young Arthur and his stepbrother Kay battle a fierce griffin with aid from Robin Wood a.k.a. Robin Hood soon after freeing captives of Morgan le Fay. In Geoff Ryman’s The Warrior Who Carried Life (1980), a huge, white griffin known as "The Beast Who Talks to God" is one of the major characters. In Frank R. Stockton’s The Griffin and the Minor Canon (~1875), a savage Griffin befriends the minor canon of a church near the Dreadful Wilds, much to the consternation and fear of the local townsfolk. In the Dragonlance series (1984 onwards), griffins are under the command of Silvanesti Elves. In Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comic book series (1988-1996), a griffin is one of three guardians of Morpheus’s palace in The Dreaming. In Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon’s The Mage Wars Trilogy - The Black Gryphon (1994), The White Gryphon (1995), and The Silver Gryphon (1996) - gryphons known as Skandranon, and, later, his son Tadrith are among the lead characters. In this series gryphons have human level intelligence and can use magic. Griffins are among the magical creatures in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series (1997-2007). Harry Potter’s house at Hogwarts is called Gryffindor after its founder Godric Gryffindor. Fans have speculated that "Gryffindor" may come from the French gryffon d’or (golden griffin), but, oddly, its emblem is not a griffin, but a lion - which represents the supposed courageous nature of a true Gryffindor. In the movie versions, the gargoyle guarding the headmaster’s office is depicted as a half-phoenix, half-lion griffin and the door-knocker is a griffin. In Tamora Pierce’s Squire, part of the Protector of the Small quartet, the main character Kel stumbles upon a baby griffin kidnapped from his parents and is forced to care for him until they can be found. In Patricia A. McKillip’s Song for the Basilisk (1998), a griffin is one of the book’s main characters and appears as a symbol of the ruling house. In Bruce Coville’s Song of the Wanderer (1999), the second book of The Unicorn Chronicles series, a gryphon named Medafil is a character. In one section of Ellen Kushner’s 1986 Choose Your Own Adventure gamebook Mystery of the Secret Room, • • • • • • • • • • The heraldic griffin rampant of Perugia wears the mural crown suited to a city beast In literature • In "The JROTC Essay", Alejandro Herrera, the main character, was described as a griffin. • John Milton, in Book II of Paradise Lost, refers to the legend of the griffin in describing Satan: “ As when a Gryfon through the Wilderness ” With winged course ore Hill or moarie Dale, Pursues the ARIMASPIAN, who by stelth Had from his wakeful custody purloind The guarded Gold [...] • • • • Griffins are used widely in Persian poetry. Rumi is one such poet who writes in reference to griffins (for • 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia the protagonist encounters a griffin after opening a box. [3] [4] Griffin Bedingfeld, Henry; Gwynn-Jones, Peter (1993). Heraldry. Wigston: Magna Books. pp. 80–81. ISBN 1854224336. White, T. H. (1992 (1954)). The Book of Beasts: Being a Translation From a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth Century. Stroud: Alan Sutton. pp. 22–24. ISBN 075090206X. Stefan Oliver. Introduction to Heraldry (David & Charles) 2002. p.44. For a recent use of a griffin in heraldry see the Baty Griffin and millstone Philadelphia Museum of Art - Giving : Giving to the Museum : Specialty License Plates Philadelphia Museum of Art :: Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States :: Glass Steel and Stone In natural history Some large species of Old World vultures are called gryphons, including the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), as are some breeds of dog (griffons). The scientific species name for the Andean Condor is Vultur gryphus; Latin for "griffin-vulture". The name of an oviraptoran dinosaur Hagryphus giganteus is Latin for "gigantic Ha’s Griffin". [5] [6] [7] [8] As a first name and surname In the mid-1990s, "Griffin" steadily became more popular as a baby name for boys in the U.S. In 1990, it was ranked 629th. In 2006, it was ranked 254th. Also rising in popularity is the various other spellings of the name such as Griffen or Gryphon. "Griffin" occurs as a surname in English-speaking countries. It has its origins as an anglicised form of the Irish "Ó Gríobhtha", "O’ Griffin", and "Ó Griffey". Welsh people who were anglicised, changed the name to "Griffith" and similar names. This shift is reinforced where the family has taken canting arms charged with a griffin. "Griffin" (and variants in other languages) may also have been adopted as a surname by other families who used arms charged with a griffin or a griffin’s head (just as the House of Plantagenet took its name from the badge of a sprig of broom or planta genista). This is ostensibly the origin of the Swedish surname "Grip" (see main article). See also • • • • • • • Flags with Griffins Griffin (surname) Griffon (Dungeons & Dragons) Hippogriff Homa JAS 39 Gripen, a fighter aircraft built by Saab SAAB Automobile Badge/Logo built by SAAB/General Motors Saab Automobile • Simurgh • Sphinx • Hieracosphinx External links • The Gryphon Pages, a repository of griffin lore and information • The Medieval Bestiary: Griffin • Dave’s Mythical Creatures and Places: Griffin Notes and references [1] [2] ^ Friar, Stephen (1987). A New Dictionary of Heraldry. London: Alphabooks/A & C Black. p. 173. ISBN 0906670446. von Volborth, Carl-Alexander (1981). Heraldry: Customs, Rules and Styles. Poole: New Orchard Editions. pp. 44–45. ISBN 185079037X. Further reading • Bisi, Anna Maria, Il grifone: Storia di un motivo iconografico nell’antico Oriente mediterraneo (Rome:Università) 1965. • This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin" Categories: Griffins, Mythological hybrids, Heraldic beasts, Greek legendary creatures, European legendary creatures, Egyptian legendary creatures, Legendary birds This page was last modified on 14 May 2009, at 14:42 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers 4