GRIFFIN

(Gr. } pv4>.) A fabulous animal of antiquity represented with the body and feet of a lion, the head of an eagle or vulture, and as being furnished with wings and claws. The Biffin is one of those imaginary creatures to which the ancients were so confe edly partial, but it belongs ■ >re to the romantic than the cla ical mythology. It plays nt part in the fairy tales and romances of the mid-. and, like the dragon whirl i was tabled to guard n apples of the Hespcrides, its chief duties consisted in watching over hidden treasures, and in guarding captive prince es, or the CfUJtle* in which they were confined. The griffin is at once the symbol of strength and swiftne , courage, prudence, and vigilance — qualities which its form is well calculated to represent; and hence it has been adopted into the language of heraldry, where it constitutes a prominent feature in the armorial bearings of many princely and noble families. [s. 549]