Duke

The **Duke** is a Seelie gryphon who resides in Paelfort, and holds some position of authority there.

## Appearance

The Duke is a gryphon, and wore armor much like the other gryphons of Paelfort, that 'even plated the bridges of [his] wings'. He had a 'deep voice occasionally punctuated by whistles and short eagle cries. His wings were huge, even larger than Gulvi’s, and his lion’s tail lashed behind him. His golden eyes gleamed behind his helm, and his orange-brown hair grew out like a mane. He was even taller than Gwyn.'

## Personality

He seemed very accommodating towards Gwyn and his group, likely because of Mosk Manytrees' removal of the ice plague and Albion's word that Gwyn was the Dual-King.

## Life

The guards of Paelfort brought Gwyn, Augus Each Uisge, Eran Iliakambar, Mosk, Ash Glashtyn, and Julvia Dubna Vajat through the city, where the Duke waved them into his villa. The party stayed at his villa while they remained in the city for two days.

## 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 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. ↑ "Griffin". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin. Accessed 23 May 2021.