Also called Grypes, Gryphons.
Their story
Herodotus reports tales of griffins guarding gold in the far north, fought by the one-eyed Arimaspians, though he doubts them himself. Aeschylus calls them the sharp-beaked, unbarking hounds of Zeus. Griffins decorated the helmet of Pheidias's Athena Parthenos, and they were associated with Apollo and Nemesis.
Best times to give to them
- When protecting something precious
- None traditional
What they like being given
- None are traditional; a griffin image guarding a treasured object suits them
- A candle lit while reading or retelling the story
How to honour them
- Consider what you value enough to guard, and whether it is truly gold.
- Use griffin images as protective guardians, as the Greeks did on temples and tombs.
How they can help you
- Protection
- Vigilance
- Valuing what matters
Symbols
- eagle head
- lion body
- wings
- gold
Griffins came into Greek art from the Near East; scholars have suggested fossil finds may have inspired the stories.
Sources
- Herodotus, Histories 3.116, 4.13, 4.27
- Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound 803-806
- Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.24.6
More Greek spirits
- The Anemoi The four winds
- The Muses The nine daughters of Memory
- The Moirai Spinners of the thread of life
- The Charites The Graces of joy and charm
- The Horae Keepers of the seasons and order
- The Erinyes Avengers of blood and broken oaths
- The Harpies The snatchers
- The Gorgons The three sisters of the terrible gaze