Watch for low-flying mythologies

Sleeping Gryphon from Alice in Wonderland This site is dedicated to gryphons - mythological beasts commonly depicted as having the head, forelegs and wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters, tail and occasionally ears of a lion. They have been known for centuries as symbols of strength and vigilance, and have been called "The Hounds of Zeus". In some mythologies, they represent the wealth of the sun. In others, they are said to have hoardes of fabulous treasure, which they guard endlessly. The Dictionary of Symbolism quotes Boeckler as offering the following interpretation of this fabulous animal:

Griffins are portrayed with a lion's body, an eagle's head, long ears, and an eagle's claws, to indicate that one must combine intelligence and strength.

The above illustration is from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, and is my personal favorite. Other illustrations from Alice can be found in the Literature section.

One of the most popular heraldic creatures, the gryphon has a long history in heraldry. Julian Franklyn's work, Shield and Crest: An account of the Art and Science of Heraldry, includes a detailed heraldic definition of the griffin.

There are several spellings for this animal, with the three most common being gryphon, griffin and griffon. My preferred spelling is 'gryphon', but all are interchangeable, so you will see many variations here.

Please bear with me!

I am in process of moving and re-organizing these pages as quickly as possible. The areas under construction should be available shortly.

The Gryphon's Gate

I'm pleased to announce that the Eyrie has grown wonderfully in the past year (my failings notwithstanding). In fact, it has outgrown its original page! To help remedy this, the Eyrie has been divided into several areas:

Gryphon History and Symbolism: A sampling of the gryphon's place in history, mythology, heraldry and folklore.
Gryphons in Literature: Gryphons continue to appear in the literature of today, from Mercedes Lackey and Nick O'Donohoe to Piers Anthony and Choose Your Own Adventure.
Gryphons in Art and Architecture under construction: Since Egyptian times, the gryphon has been depicted in tombs and at portals as guardian and protector for those within.
Gryphon Gallery under construction: Coming soon - a collection of gryphon images from around the world. In the mean time, feel free to peruse my directory of Griffin images.
All images are copyright their original owners and are offered here for informational purposes only.
Other Gryphons on the Internet: Several companies, schools and individuals have adopted the gryphon as their symbol. To tour these other online gryphons, start here.
Gryphon Submissions under construction: ASCII art and original artwork from gryphon enthusiasts on the Internet.
Gryphon Merchandise under construction: For those who (like me) can never get enough of this fabulous animal, a small but growing list of places to find gryphon-related merchandise. I have had several requests to finish this, so in the interim, please feel free to view the original Eyrie (images may be missing)

Since February 10, 1997 visitors have come by the new Eyrie.
Many thanks to the over 8000 visitors since March 4, 1996!

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