Griffins & Hippogriffs

The main topic of my clay creations are the griffins. The exact way how they those little, critters look like, is my own design. I'm never using any stronger reference, than the general idea of how does the griffin look like in legends and mythology.

Griffin
(Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) According to definition, the griffin or gryphon  is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. Sometimes you can see them pictured with pointy ears. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin was also thought of as king of all creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions.

Hippogriff
The word hippogriff (or hippogryph) is derived from the ancient Greek hippo, meaning horse, and the Italian grifo, meaning: griffin. Basically hipogriff is a winged creature, with eagle's head and back legs and tail of a horse. The first recorded mention of the hipogriff was made by the Latin poet Virgil in his Ecloques. Though sometimes depicted during the Classical Era and during the rule of the Merovingians, it was used by Ludovico Ariosto in his Orlando Furioso (early XVI century). Within the poem, hippogriff is a steed born of a mare and a griffin. It is extremely fast and it is presented as being able to fly around the world and to the Moon. Because hippogriffs are strongly related to griffins, they are going to appear among my creations as well.


Hope this helped a bit to those who are totally new to Griffin's Realm!
- Agnieszka

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