Griffin

The griffin is a mythical creature whose mythological origins date back at least to the 3rd millennium BC. It is often depicted with a lion's torso, hind legs and tail, and with an eagle's head, neck, wings and claws. The griffin was the protector of gold treasures and mines in Central Asia. Originally an ancient Scythian deity, it was then adopted by medieval mythology and heraldry. According to the American ethnologist and folklorist Adrienne Mayor, it is even possible that the fossils of horned dinosaurs of the genus Protoceratops from the Mongolian Gobi Desert are involved in the creation of reports about this legendary creature. According to other paleontologists, however, such a connection cannot be proven with certainty. The origin may be more in the local mythology of the ethnic Middle East.

Griffin in heraldry

The figure of the griffin symbolizes determination, tenacity, resilience and perseverance. It is often said that where the griffin settles, where he likes, no one can drive him out. It is therefore of strong importance both in the sense of declaring a claim (eg in the territory) and in terms of expressing a determination to defend oneself. There are more figures, depictions, griffins. The Slavic griffin, for example, is a depiction with the body of a lion (including the front limbs) and with the head, chest and wings of an eagle. In the Anglo-Saxon world, we find depictions where the body is a horse or a donkey (sometimes it is not easily distinguishable). Heraldically, the griffin has another peculiarity. It is customary for a simple figure to be perceived as weaker and feminine (heraldry's attitude towards feminism is very lukewarm). So one-headed is an eagle, one-tailed lioness, etc. On the contrary, doubling is an attribute of the male and emphasizes the power of the sign, ie a double-headed eagle, a two-tailed lion ... This is not the case with griffins. A male griffin is one whose wings are the same color as the feathers on his head and chest. Females, ie griffons, then such images in which the color of the wings is lighter (for example, the head and chest bear black feathers, but the wings are white or gold). The female variant also does not necessarily mean a weakening of the sign, but it can belong, for example, to female members of the genus, so it can refer to who is the "bearer / TV" of the sign ... The griffin emblem on the radiators of its cars was also used by the Szczecin carmaker Stoewer.