The griffin was also thought to prey on those who mistreated Christians. During the Middle Ages, Christian myths often spoke of the magical powers of griffins' claws, which if made into drinking cups were said to change color when they came in contact with poison. But the griffin later became a symbol of the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ. At first, it symbolized Satan and was thought to threaten human souls. The griffin appears in Christian art and mythology as well. They also guarded the gold that lay near the lands of the Hyperboreans (pronounced hye-pur-BOR-ee-uhnz) and the Arimaspians (pronounced air-uh-MAS-pee-uhnz), mythical peoples of the far north, and represented Nemesis (pronounced NEM-uh-sis), the goddess of vengeance. Sometimes the griffin is shown with the tail of a serpent.Īccording to Greek mythology, griffins pulled the chariots of Zeus (pronounced ZOOS), the king of the gods, as well as his son Apollo (pronounced uh-POL-oh). A popular figure in art, it had the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle or other bird. The griffin was a creature that appeared in the mythology of Greece and the ancient Near East. Herodotus's Histories, Persian and Scythian myths
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