The Fabulous Beasts of Antiquity

Its time to keep hope alive in this post-Halloween edition of the Fabulous Beasts of Antiquity. This time I'm turning in the old Monster Manual to an old favorite...... the Griffin. For those of you who aren't educated in the field of monsters, the griffin was a beast with the head and wings of an eagle, and the body of lion. Pretty sweet, huh? Some griffins were said to have guarded great riches deep in the mountains of the north and east. Some tribes were said to battle with the griffins for their treasures. But I'll let Pliny the Elder take it from here: "Also a tribe is reported next to these [i.e. the tribes of Skythia], towards the North, not far from the actual quarter where Aquilo [Boreas the North Wind] rises and the cave that bears its name, the place called the Earth’s Door-Bolt (Ges Clithron)--the Arimaspi whom we have spoke of already, people remarkable for having one yes in the centre of their forehead. Many authorities, the most distinguished being Herodotus [Greek historian C5th B.C.] and Aristeas of Proconnesus [Greek poet C7th B.C.], write that these people wage continual war with the Grypes (Griffins), a kind of wild beast with wings, as commonly reported, that digs gold out of mines, which the creatures guard and the Arimaspi try to take from them, both with remarkable covetousness." Sounds like quite a charming creature.

I hope you all enjoyed this trip into the weird and mystical, folks. For all you monster hunters in training I recommend http://www.theoi.com/ . Have fun using this information to put yourselves in danger, kids. As for me, I'm off to answer some rhetorical questions. Until next time...