Griffin

Not to be confused with Dr. Griffin, the human protagonist from H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man.

Griffin

Naming
Others	Gryphon Opinicus
Binomen	N/A
Morphology
Body type	Leonine / Avian
Intelligence
Sentience	Sentient
Sapience	Non-Sapient (usually)
Aggressivity	Varies
Ecology
Place of origin	Egypt
Diet	Carnivorous
Locomotion	Quadrupedal Flight
Reproduction	Oviparous
Subspecies	Opinicus
Related species	Hippogriff
Status	DD
Behind the Scenes
Universe	Real

Griffins (a.k.a. Gryphons) are mythological creatures known in ancient Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamian civilizations and throughout Europe, India and Central Asia. They're represented as having the body and hindlegs of a lion, and the head, wings and forelegs of a huge eagle - giving it six limbs in total. Despite having the head of an eagle, they're very commonly depicted with long ears. Like dragons, they're considered intelligent creatures and are often guardians of gold and other treasures.

Biology[]

In some cases, Griffins portrayed without wings will be referred to as male Griffins (implying a kind of sexual dimorphism in which only the females have wings), also known as Keythongs or Alces. There's also a specific type of Griffin known as the Opinicus, which has the forelegs of a lion rather than an eagle, and a tail like that of a camel rather than a lion.

According to Medieval legends, the Griffins are strictly monogamous, and will remain alone rather than trying to find a new mate if their mate dies. They're said to be oviparous, and their claws and feathers have medicinal properties, with some sources claiming that the feathers can cure blindness. The natural enmity between horses and Griffins is also well documented, although in extremely rare occasions the two may procreate, giving rise to a hybrid known as a Hippogriff.

In Barlowe's Guide to Fantasy, Wayne Barlowe depicts the Griffins as winged, long-tailed mutant relatives of the Protoceratops. This refers to the popular theory that the Griffin legends may have been inspired by Protoceratops fossils. Curiously, it's now commonly believed that at least some ceratopsian dinosaurs had feathers, making their appearance far more Griffin-like than previously thought.

Appearances in Media[]

Literature[]

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
The Feather's and Flames series
"The Griffin", a story collected in Grimm's Fairy Tales, by the Brothers Grimm
The Summer King Chronicles series
The Dragon Star Saga
The Griffon Insurrection series
The Age of Fire series