Mythical Creatures and What to Do When You Meet Them, Part 3. The Griffin

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In the interest of public safety, I sometimes share useful information that for some reason is no longer widely known. It is frankly astonishing that this wisdom of the ages is not part of every schools curriculum, but there you go. So let me tell you about the griffin, which is a particularly dangerous animal, and apparently still a nuisance, since I have received several requests to tell you about it. It has been described in ancient Greek and Roman sources and they all tell us that the griffin is a hybrid of an eagle and a lion, but is much larger, in fact it is bigger than a horse. The front resembles an eagle, and the back is the lion part. Just the size and large sharp, pointy bits should give you pause. Also, it really doesn’t like people. In fact, it hates us so much it will attack on sight. The only animal it hates even more than humans, are horses. They kill them and take them to their nests. There is no way to scare them, they are not afraid of anything (that bravery thing is why they are so popular in heraldry). Luckily they are rare. They only live in isolated mountains in eastern Persia, an area which probably includes parts of modern day Iran, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. The mountains they live on are always rich in gold and gemstones. Some of those can only be found in a griffins nest. So called gagates are stones that heal wounds, and you are bound to need one of those after meeting a griffin. But there is another side to these creatures. In Medieval legend the two sides of the griffin, were compared to the two natures of Jesus, one heavenly and one human. They also said that his aggression is not aimed at us but at our greed. Also, their feathers can heal blindness. That sounds rather sweet to me. So perhaps we just need to get to know them better. Perhaps someone should go and find some, to do research. If you feel inclined to take on such a challenge, then let me give you a few suggestions. First, if you are going to travel on a horse, then don’t get emotionally attached to it. And second, if you are wondering what to wear on such a mission, may I suggest you wear a tank.