Why Has the Majestic Griffin Been Forgotten? | Monstrum

The Griffin is a half-lion, half-eagle creature that is commonly seen adorning royal crests and perched menacingly atop buildings. Why is this ancient creature that many of us see every day largely forgotten?

The world is full of monsters, myths, and legends and Monstrum isn’t afraid to take a closer look. The show, hosted by Emily Zarka, Ph.D., takes us on a journey to discover a new monster in each new episode. Monstrum looks at humans' unique drive to create and shape monster mythology through oral storytelling, literature, and film and digs deep into the history of those mythologies.

Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka
Director: David Schulte
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Producer: Thomas Fernandes
Editor/Animator: Jordyn Buckland
Illustrator: Samuel Allen
Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing
Additional Footage: Shutterstock
Music: APM Music

Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

A Companion to Ancient Near Eastern Art. Ed. Ann C. Gunter. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2018.

Albertz, Rainer, and Schmitt, Rüdiger. Family and Household Religion in Ancient Israel and the Levant. Penn State University Press, 2012.

Asma, Stephen. T. On Monsters: A Natural History of Our Worst Fears. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Beagon, Mary. The Elder Pliny on the Human Animal: Natural History, Book 7. Oxford University Press, 2005.

Ctesias. Ancient India as Described by Ktêsias the Knidian; Being a Translation of the Abridgement of His “Indika” by Photios, and of the Fragments of That Work Preserved in Other Writers. By J.W. McCrindle. With Introduction, Notes and Index. Thacker, Spink & co. etc., 1882.

“Griffin.” Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Encyclopædia Britannica Inc, 2020.

Herodotus. The Histories. Trans. A.D. Godley. Harvard University Press, 1920.

Lehner, Ernst and Johanna. A Fantastic Beastiary: Beasts and Monsters in Myth and Folklore. Tudor Publishing Company, 1969.

Mandeville, John. The Travels of Sir John Mandeville. Project Gutenberg.

Mayor, Adrienne. The First Fossil Hunters: Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and Myth in Greek and Roman Times. Princeton University Press, 2011.

Murgatroyd, Paul. Mythical Monsters in Classical Literature. Bloomsbury Academic, 2007.

Norman, David. Dinosaurs: a Very Short Introduction. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2017.

Rose, Carol. Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth. ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2000.

Sax, Boria. Imaginary Animals: The Monstrous, the Wondrous and the Human. Reaktion Books, 2013.

Vinycomb, John. Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures In Art With Special Reference to Their Use In British Heraldry. Chapman and Hall, 1906.

Wade, Nicholas. “Grave of ‘Griffin Warrior’ at Pylos Could Be a Gateway to Civilizations.” The New York Times, Oct. 26, 2015.

Wyatt, Nicolas. “Grasping the Griffin: Identifying and Characterizing the Griffin in Egyptian and West Semitic Tradition.” Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections vol. 1:1, 2009, pp. 29–39.

[Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

Like dragons, I am a fan of the idea that no matter your background, your country of origin, the era you’re from, the idea of mashing a lion with a bird of prey is a rad idea.

[aidanrogers]

Historians: ‘Why did ancient cultures like Griffins so much?’

Ancient Cultures: ‘We just think they’re neat!’

[CuriousArchive]

9:27 The idea that griffins might be at least partially inspired by Protoceratops fossils is such a cool concept.

[travisshallenberger]

I never really realized there were no famous myths about the griffin. I mean, it's always been there, but no stories of some Greek or Arabic hero fighting one or getting help from one or anything like that. A monster that's like a fan favorite background character in a Star Wars movie.

[chiefrief]

My father was born in Griffin, GA. He passed away when I was thirteen, and my aunt bought me a coin necklace adorned with a griffin. I wore it every day as a way to remember my father. The next year my family moved and I started high school. Our mascot: Griffins, though spelled Gryphons. Throughout my life the griffin has been a personal symbol of comfort, strength and nobility. It’s honestly my favorite animal, despite its cryptid status.

[jrr]

The griffin is still being used in children's media, like: cartoons, movies, and books 📚. We just need to have more adult media to expand upon this great creature. 👍

[MeekCrayon]

Its interesting that people used to believe that you could just walk up on one. It's almost like the ancient "cryptid". Some people saw it, some people believed it, and some people idealized it. There was always that chance that you would see one

[mattpalmer]

The griffin and the manticore have always been mythical creatures that fascinate me. But they do seem to exist on the fringe of mythology, and I think they definitely deserve more hype! Please think about doing a manticore episode!!! That would be soooo cool!

[iRedEarth]

Sometimes I wonder how anyone could think these strange hybrids are actually real? Then I remember there's a duck-billed platypus out there laying eggs, and sporting venomous back feet...

[qawamity]

Griffons are frequently included in Magic: the Gathering sets. They've been part of D&D since the 70s, and are often in the fantasy games it helped to inspire (both table top and video games). I recall there was an episode in Henson's short lived "The Storyteller" series (from 1987) wherein the most prominent foe was a griffon.

No, they don't get the publicity that Dragons, elves, dwarves, centaurs, minotaurs, etc. do, but I wouldn't say they've been forgotten.

[paulkokorotsis]

The griffin, along with the dragon and the werewolf, is one of my favorite legendary creatures.

[Prince_Rain]

First the Djinn, now griffins! You guys are hitting all my favorites 🖤🤍❤ Keep up the amazing work!

[paulkokorotsis]

The torso, haunches, and tail of a massive cave lion.
The wings, feathers, sharp beak, talons, and the keen eyes of a golden eagle.
Put them together with the ears of a bat, you get the griffin.

[medusa_slayer]

The fact that different representations of the mythological creature known as Griffin (first from ancient Egypt all the way to China etc) makes you wonder, indeed, why the world has forgotten this majestic beast.

[skister]

During my time in the British Army, my squadrons emblem was a Griffin.
I know it was only an emblem but every time I see one it fills me with a sense of pride and loyalty to my squadron and the people i served with.
Thank you for the video I really enjoyed it.

[Red-in-Green]

Griffins aren’t forgotten if you play RPGs and their relatives! They’re really common in Magic the Gathering, as well lored as any other DnD monster, and fill the skies of World of Warcraft.
Also, if you replace eagle with owl and lion with house cat, you get the Meowl! The best fantasy pet in existence (provided you prefer soft over cool).

[MadamFoogie]

I haven't forgotten about griffins. They're one of my favorite mythical animals. I even made a limestone carving of one for my 3D Sculpting class in college. Such a regal, powerful beast. Plus, it makes an excellent door stopper!

[Beryllahawk]

Gryphons are just about my top favorite fabulous creature, especially after all the Mercedes Lackey novels I've read. Her take on gryphons (in her Mage Wars trilogy they are characters, not just beasts) never ceases to fascinate me. I love that there are still so many interesting ideas about them in fantasy art, too - from gryphons that dance to gryphons that paint, and gryphon parents watching over ridiculously adorable gryphon babies. It's all of it wonderful. When they had CGI gryphons in the first Narnia film, I was overwhelmed for a little bit, because for all that it's a very, very brief appearance, it was done SO WELL and it remains one of the most literally breath taking CGI moments I've ever experienced. The only thing that could be better is finding out they really ARE real, and being able to be near one!

[evodolka]

i remember questioning this a while back and i'm curious what the thoughts here are this question being
"is a Griffin a type of Dragon?"
my main reason for asking this is that they do share similarities
. both are chimerical creatures in design
. both have a thing for gold
. both are showed rather commonly throughout history
. Dragons when depicted wth bird wings are VERY Griffin like
so i want to see what other people think of this question

Griffins are pretty interesting myths, i love how th idea of them and Hippogriff also imply other forms of griffin lineage

[jso]

So cool. I love fossil theories for most mythical creatures. They just seem so plausible. I also love anything about the Scythians because they were such a successful and durable people and yet (at least here in the States) we don't seem to know enough of them.