Dublin Core
Title
Griffin
Identifier
122
Symbol Item Type Metadata
Symbol name
Griffin
Symbol Description
A fabulous animal whose front half is an eagle and rear half a lion, with a long, serpent tail. Lion and Eagle are both "kings" of their category (i.e., beasts and birds). The Greeks consecrated the griffin to Apollo and Nemesis. In myth and legend, it is always found as a guardian figure for symbols of salvation, like the tree of life. In Medieval Christian art, it is linked with ambivalence, representing both good and bad. The printer's device of Antonius Gryphius (1527-1599) features the griffin (a mythological symbol of diligence), an allusion to his name, and follows the basic design of the image used by Sebastianus Gryphius (1493-1556).
Sources
Cirlot p. 133.
“Sebastian Gryphius.” In Wikipedia, October 13, 2020.