[HPforGrownups] Heraldry

[Amanda Lewanski]

No: HPFGUIDX 13852

Margaret Dean wrote:

> Amanda Lewanski wrote:
>
> > P.S.--Griffins more correctly are the front half of an eagle and the
>
> > back half of a lion. Their forward limbs are the legs and claws of
> an
> > eagle, and they have wings. They do have tufty feathery ears,
> though.
>
> Except if they're male, in which case they are wingless, but have
> spiky tufts scattered here and there over their bodies.
>
> I am =not= making this up.

Sorry, moderators. I'll be quiet after this unless it's HP heraldry.

>From Stephen Friar's wonderful "A Dictionary of Heraldry," under
griffin:

"There is in armory a separate animal called the male griffin, which has
sharp spikes protruding from its body instead of wings. However, there
is no suggestion of this version amongst legendary griffins, and in
these stories there does not appear to be any distinction between male
and female, and in armory both creatures posess the usual male
attributes."

Which means that in heraldry there's a creature called a male griffin,
that looks different from a run-of-the-mill griffin, but that both are
depicted as, um, having a pizzle, if you get my drift (and the usually
rampant position leaves little to the imagination....not to mention in
period heraldry where lots of times it was colored a bright, contrasting
color just like the claws or tongue!). Male griffins seem to be found
only in heraldry, too. And where little griffins come from remains
anyone's guess.

On behalf of the moderators, and to ameliorate their wrath that I didn't
move this to the Chatter group, I will ask that any theorizing about the
origins of young griffins appear there. <g>

--Amanda


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