Griffin
noun /ˈɡrɪf.ɪn/ — A legendary creature with an eagle's head and a lion's body
Definition
A mythical creature with the head, wings, and talons of an eagle and the body and hindquarters of a lion — combining the king of birds with the king of beasts. A guardian of treasure and divine power.
Beyond the definition
The marriage of two supremacies. The griffin doesn't just borrow qualities from eagle and lion — it embodies the claim that some things belong in two worlds at once, that mastery can be double-natured.
Origin & history
From Old French 'grifon' — from Latin 'gryphus' — from Greek 'grūps' (curved, hook-nosed). Related to the curved beak. Ancient Scythian and Persian art depicted griffins as guardians of gold in the mountains of the north.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Heraldic griffins appear on countless coats of arms — the logic being that no creature better embodies the combination of aerial vision and earthly strength.
Medieval bestiaries treated the griffin as real: its feathers were said to restore sight; its claws to detect poison.
To call something griffin-like is to imply it belongs to two kingdoms simultaneously — neither fully one thing nor fully another.
Synonyms
gryphon, legendary guardian, chimeric creature
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Stone Griffin Guarding Bridge
A stone sculpture of a griffin with eagle wings and a lion's body guards a bridge in a garden.
This statue depicts the anatomy of a griffin, combining the eagle's head and wings with the lion's body, serving as a mythological guardian of treasure.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration