Gryphon

**Gryphons** are a species of fae. The former fort and now city of Paelfort is home to Seelie gryphons, while a number of gryphons also reside in the Unseelie city Winterwest and some reside in the Seelie city of Arkhel.

## Physical Description

The gryphons of Paelfort have large wings, at least some are even bigger than swan shifters like Gulvi Dubna Vajat, as well as a lion's tail, golden eyes, and hair that grows like a mane. They can be taller than Gwyn ap Nudd, and some guards wander around in hybrid-form. They can speak in a deep voice 'occasionally punctuated by whistles and short eagle cries.' They also tend to wear armor, even over their wings, and carry spears.

## Characteristics (culture, habits)

The gryphons of Paelfort make devas of animals they share characteristics with, and leave them in the surrounding area and even in their homes. Since the town was once a fort that became a city, they are still a very warlike culture, and 'sank a lot of their identity into their military prowess.'

Gryphons were Albion's allies, and they trust his word. 'He always paid them handsomely when he contracted them to shoreline ocean skirmishes, and they’re practiced at dealing with sirens.'

Augus Each Uisge once said: 'They’re prone to arrogance . . . I never did any diplomatic work with them because they refused to lower themselves to work with water fae of any kind. They’d only work with the Raven Prince, and they considered the raven a lesser animal.' However, they 'somewhat like swans, which [Augus believes] is confusing for them, since [swans] live on the water. But of course swans are regal and have Princess and Princesses. Even Kings like Innokenti.'

Gryphons fly while they hunt. They also seem to simply enjoy flying.

## Trivia

* Gryphons speak their own language, which Gwyn also speaks.
* The Nain Rouge mentioned that 'griffins' also exist in the fae realm: 'You’ve never asked the question about why we get pegasus and unicorns and griffins and more but not…dragons?' It's unclear if, given the context, 'griffins' are a beast fae species separate from 'gryphons', or if this is simply another term for gryphons.

## Folklore/Mythology

'The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: γρύψ, *grū́ps*; Classical Latin: *grȳps* or *grȳpus*; Late and Medieval Latin: *gryphes*, *grypho* etc.; Old French: *griffon*) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds, by the Middle Ages, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Since classical antiquity, griffins were known for guarding treasures and priceless possessions.

. . . Representations of griffin-like hybrids with four legs and a beaked head appeared in Ancient Iranian and Ancient Egyptian art dating back to before 3000 BC. In Egypt, a griffin-like animal can be seen in a cosmetic palette from Hierakonpolis, known as the "Two Dog Palette", which is dated to c. 3300–3100 BC.

In Iranian mythology, the griffin is called Shirdal, which means "Lion-Eagle". The Shirdal has appeared in ancient art of Iran since the late 2nd millennium BC. Shirdals appeared on cylinder seals from Susa as early as 3000 BC. Shirdals also are common motifs in the art of Luristan, the North and North West region of Iran in the Iron Age, and Achaemenid art.

Griffin-type creatures combining raptor heads and mammalian bodies were depicted in the Levant, Syria, and Anatolia in the Middle Bronze Age, dated at about 1950–1550 BCE. Early depictions of griffin-types in Minoan art are found in the 15th century BCE frescoes in the Throne Room of the Bronze Age Palace of Knossos, as restored by Sir Arthur Evans. Bird-mammal composites were a decorative theme in Archaic and Classical Greek art, but became quite popular in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, when the Greeks first began to record accounts of the "gryps" creature from travelers to Asia, such as Aristeas of Proconnesus. In Central Asia, the griffin image was included in Scythian "animal style" artifacts of the 6th–4th centuries BCE, but no writings explain their meaning.

. . . Several ancient mythological creatures are similar to the griffin. These include the Lamassu, an Assyrian protective deity, often depicted with a bull or lion's body, eagle's wings, and human's head.

Sumerian and Akkadian mythology feature the demon Anzu, half man and half bird, associated with the chief sky god Enlil. This was a divine storm-bird linked with the southern wind and the thunder clouds.'

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 5 November 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/66966274. Chapter 6: Intrusions.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 21 October 2017. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/28296177. Chapter 5: Animosity.
3. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 2 September 2021. https://archiveofourown.org/chapters/83586277. Chapter 14: The King and the Hybrid.
4. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 3 - The Ice Plague.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 3 September 2020. https://archiveofourown.org/works/26266345/chapters/63940123. Chapter 1: The Ice and the Dryad.
5. ↑ *The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire*, Chapter 28: Like Batteries. Accessed 12 June 2021.
6. ↑ "Griffin". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin. Accessed 23 May 2021.