Uitleg over de Griffioen

Van verschillende internet bronnen vind je hier enkele beschrijvingen van een 'Griffioen'.


http://quarles.unbc.edu/midsummer/myth.html

A mythical creature with the body of a lion, and the head, wings and forehead of an eagle. "The Griffin is a monster with the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and back covered with feathers. Like birds it builds its nest, and instead of an egg lays an agate therein. It has long claws and talons of such a size that the people of that country make them into drinking-cups. India was assigned as the native country of the Griffins. They found gold in the mountains and built their nests of it, for which reason their nests were very tempting to the hunters, and they were forced to keep vigilant guard over them. Their instinct led them to know where buried treasures lay, and they did their best to keep plunderers at a distance."


http://www.vu.nl/Algemeen/inf_uk05.html (off-line)

The logo of the university, a griffin, is a creature that lived in the imagination of eastern and classical antiquity. The animal is also found in early Christian and mediaeval iconography. A griffin has the body of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle and the ears of a horse. The logo represents characteristics of scientific endeavour as well as of the Vrije Universiteit itself: rooted in reality, inquisitive, dynamic and subject to multiple interpretation. The vrije (free) aspect of the university is expressed in the design of the wings.


http://sashimi.wwa.com/~tirya/gryphon.html (off-line)

This page 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."There are three common spellings for this animal: gryphon, griffin and griffon. My preferred spelling is 'gryphon', but the three are interchangeable, so you will see all three spellings here. The History and Symbolism of the Gryphon

Hans Biedermann's Dictionary of Symbolism has this to say about the gryphon: A fabulous animal, symbolically significant arth and the sky - because of its lion's body and eagle's head and wings. It has typological antecedents in ancient Asia, especially in the Assyrian k'rub, which is also the source of the Hebrew cherub.

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