Know Your Mythology Creatures ! [ Griffin ]

Hey guys! In this post i'll be posting about mythology creatures, mainly from Greek.

In every creatures that the ancient Greek believed, there must be a great story behind it. I mean where is Hydra derived from... or the Cerberus.

Well, swerve your path here to learn about the ancient creatures, at the same time edifying your knowledges about the world !

Myth 4: Griffin

Statue of a griffin at St Mark's
 Basilica in Venice.

The Griffin/Gryphon is a legendary creature with a body of a lion and the head of an eagle. As we know, the lion was traditionally, considered the king of the beast while the eagle was the king of all birds. Griffin, was somehow thought to be the an especially powerful and majestic creature of all.

The griffin was also thought of as king of the creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions.

 Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist, proposes that the griffin was an ancient misconception derived from the fossilized remains of the Protoceratops found in gold mines in the Altai mountains of Scythia, in present 

day southeastern Kazakhstan.

 In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine.Some have suggested that the word griffin is cognate with Cherub.

Form:

Most statues have bird-like talons, although in some older illustrations griffins have a lion's forelimbs; they generally have a lion's hindquarters. Its eagle's head is conventionally given prominent ears; these are sometimes described as the lion's ears, but are often elongated (more like a horse's), and are sometimes feathered.

. The Achaemenids considered the griffin "a protector from evil, witchcraft and secret slander".

The Pisa Griffin is a large bronze sculpture which has been in Pisa in Italy since the Middle Ages, though it is of Islamic origin. It is the largest bronze medieval Islamic sculpture known, at over three feet tall (42.5 inches, or 1.08 m.), and was probably created in the 11th century in Al-Andaluz (Islamic Spain)

Medieval Lores: 

Griffins not only mated for life, but also, if either partner died, then the other would continue throughout the rest of its life alone, never to search for a new mate. The griffin was thus made an emblem of the Church's views on remarriage. 

A Hippogriff is a legendary creature, supposedly the offspring of a griffin and a mare.

 Being a union of a terrestrial beast and an aerial bird, it was seen in Christendom to be a symbol of Jesus, who was both human and divine. As such it can be found sculpted on some churches.

Heraldic Significance:

In heraldry, the griffin's amalgamation of lion and eagle gains in courage and boldness, and it is always drawn to powerful fierce monsters. It is used to denote strength and military courage and leadership. Griffins are portrayed with a lion's body, an eagle's head, long ears, and an eagle's claws, to indicate that one must combine intelligence and strength.

In British heraldry, a male griffin can be shown without wings, its body covered in tufts of formidable spikes. The female griffin is more usually shown, as in the Lindsell crest or the Bevan family crest, right. Some traditions say that only female griffins have wings.

                                         

 Griffins are a symbol of the sun, wisdom, vengeance, strength, and salvation.

Now you know about Griffin ^^ "

Know Your Mythology Creatures ! [ Pegasus ]

Hey guys! In this post i'll be posting about mythology creatures, mainly from Greek.

In every creatures that the ancient Greek believed, there must be a great story behind it. I mean where is Hydra derived from... or the Cerberus.

Well, swerve your path here to learn about the ancient creatures, at the same time edifying your knowledges about the world !

Myth 4: Pegasus ( Winged Divine Horse )

Bellerophon riding Pegasus 

Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon (God of Sea), in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. 

He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing when his mother was decapitated by Perseus. Greco-Roman poets write about his ascent to heaven after his birth and his obeisance to Zeus, king of the gods, who instructed him to bring lightning and thunder from Olympus.

Friend of the Muses, Pegasus is the creator of Hippocrene, the fountain on Mt. Helicon. He was captured by the Greek hero Bellerophon near the fountain Peirene with the help of Athena and Poseidon. Pegasus allows the hero to ride him to defeat a monster, the Chimera, before realizing many other exploits.

 His rider, however, falls off his back trying to reach Mount Olympus. Zeus transformed him into the constellation Pegasus and placed him in the sky. There are theories that ascribe the origin of Pegasus to Pihassassa, the ancient god of thunderstorms in Hittite mythology.

Symbolism of Pegasus:

Pegasus is a symbol of knowledge, glory, and inspiration. Since ancient times, Pegasus has been a symbol of power and speed as well as imagination. The symbol of Pegasus was mostly used on cars and was advertised as “the spirit of flying horsepower”.

Notes about Pegasus:

Son of the Gorgon Medusa and the sea god Poseidon

Sprang fully formed from the severed neck of Medusa when Perseus slew her

Brother of the giant (or winged horse), Chrysoar and of the colt, Celeris (or according to some, his father)

Mounted by Perseus, who flew over the sea to slay the sea-dragon Cetus

Taken by the goddess Athena to Mt. Helicon to be reared by the Muses

Caused the fountains of Hippocrene & Aganippe to gush forth

The inspiration of the Muses (especially of Urania & her son by Apollo, Linus)

Wise seer of Corinth, Polyeidus, advised Bellerophon to capture Pegasus, who tamed him by the golden bridle, Chalintis, a gift of Athena

Mortal enemy of the Chimaera, Pegasus' flying skill enabled her slaying

Stung by a gadfly sent by Zeus when Bellerophon arrogantly tried to steer Pegasus to Olympus, causing Bellerophon to fall off

Occasional mount of Eos (Aurora) for her drive across the sky at dawn

Occasional mount of Apollo (Phoebus) during his daylight drive across the sky

Bearer of Zeus' divine Lightning and Thunder

Earthly and heavenly deeds honored with a memorial in the heavens - his very own constellation

Pegasus appears in the story of Bellerophon, the son of King Glaucus, a warrior known for his breeding of fierce horses who betrayed and devoured him. 

Bellerophon was rumored to come from divine parentage, but even if not, he was by far the strongest and most handsome young man in his kingdom.

 He desired to tame Pegasus and was shown a way by Athena after he slept in her temple one night; presenting him with a golden bridle, Bellerophon mastered Pegasus, and together the two had many adventures.

 It was because of Pegasus that Bellerophon was able to slay the Chimera, a fearsome conglomerate of a lion, goat, and serpent.

Pegasus Today

In modern times, Pegasus became applied to flying horses in general, wherever they appear in art or literature. Viewed as a symbol of the soul able to fly beyond the realm of physical life, Pegasus is an inspirational magical creature endowing a sense of beauty and majesty to the works in which he appears.

 Pegasus has also been regarded as "the power of the creative spirit in all of us. He is the symbol of the Muses, of inspiration, and of the beauty we bring to our life and the lives of others."

Now you know about Pegasus ^^ "

Know Your Mythology Creatures ! [ Minotaur ]

Hey guys ! In this post I'll be posting about the mythology creatures, mainly from the Greek. 

In every creatures that the ancient Greek believed, there must be a great story behind it. I mean where is Hydra derived from...or the Cerberus. 

Well, swerve your path here to learn about the ancient creatures, at the same time edifying your knowledge about the world !

Myth 4: Minotaur ( Half Man, Half Bull )

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur, as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Ovid, "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Cretan Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction built for King Minos of Crete and designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus who were ordered to build it to hold the Minotaur. The Minotaur was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

The term Minotaur derives from the Greek Μῑνώταυρος, etymologically compounding the name Μίνως (Minos) and the noun ταύρος "bull", translating as "(the) Bull of Minos". In Crete, the Minotaur was known by its proper name, Asterion, a name shared with Minos' foster-father.

Well, in case you guys never play games about Minotaur being the bad 

guys, keeping you away from victory, how about learn its origin for God's sake..?? LOL

Origin:

Minos, who was the next successor of Crete, fought with his brother for the right of the rule. 

In order to secure his throne of Crete, he prayed to Poseidon to send him a show-white bull (don't ask why) , as a sign of approval by the gods for his reign. 

Minos promised to sacrificed the bull as an offering, and as a symbol off subservience.

Poseidon agreed and sent a beautiful white bull (called the Cretan Bull) rose from the sea, but when Minos set eyes on it, he coveted the bull for himself. 

He assumed that Poseidon would not mind, so he kept it and sacrificed the best specimen from his herd instead. When Poseidon learned about the deceit, he made Pasipha, Minos's wife, to fall madly in love with the bull. 

She had Daedalus, the famous architect, make a wooden cow for her.

Pasipha climbed into the decoy and fooled the white bull. 

-which means Pasipha used the fake bull to make the Cretan Bull to believe it

 was real, and agreed to make love- -half human (Pasipha) and half bull (Cretan Bull)-

The offspring of their lovemaking was a monster called the Minotaur.

The creature had the head and tail of a bull on the body of a man. It caused such terror and destruction on Crete that Daedalus was summoned again, but this time by Minos himself. He ordered the architect to build a gigantic, intricate labyrinth from which escape would be impossible. 

The Minotaur was captured and locked in the labyrinth. Every year for nine years, seven youths and maidens came as tribute from Athens. These young people were also locked in the labyrinth for the Minotaur to feast upon.

( now you know why Minotaur always appeared in the Labyrinth )

A Minotaur attacking Percy and his mom in Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief

When the Greek hero Theseus reached Athens, he learned of the Minotaur and the sacrifices, and wanted to end this. He volunteered to go to Crete as one of the victims. 

When the Greek hero Theseus reached Athens, he learned of the Minotaur and the sacrifices, and wanted to end this. He volunteered to go to Crete as one of the victims. 

She promised she would provide the means to escape from the maze if he agreed to marry her. When Theseus did, she gave him a simple ball of thread, which he was to fasten close to the entrance of the maze.

 He made his way through the maze, while unwinding the thread, and he stumbled upon the sleeping Minotaur. He beat it to death and led the others back to the entrance by following the thread.

Theseus, founder-king of Athens

Well now you know about Minotaur ^^"

Know Your Mythology Creatures ! [ Phoenix ]

Hey guys ! In this post I'll be posting about the mythology creatures, mainly from the Greek. 

In every creatures that the ancient Greek believed, there must be a great story behind it. I mean where is Hydra derived from...or the Cerberus. 

Myth 3: Phoenix  'The Bird Of Flames'

Before I proceed, have you noticed that Phoenix does not appear in the Greek civilization, but also in others, Chinese and even Japanese !

A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn a new to live again

 The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into people.

Symbolism

 The Phoenix has long been presented as a symbol of rebirth, immortality, and renewal. The Belgian € 10 silver coin, commemorating sixty years of peace, depicts the Phoenix as a representation of a new Europe, post 1945. Moreover, the Iranian 500 rial coins issued since 2004 have an image of a Phoenix on the reverse.

In Japan, the phoenix is called hō-ō (kanji: 鳳凰) or fushichō (不死鳥^?), literally "Immortal Bird".

In China, the Fenghuang (鳳凰) is a mythical bird superficially similar to the phoenix. It is the second most-respected legendary creature (second to the dragon), largely used to represent the empress and females, and as such as the counterpart to the Chinese dragon, traditionally seen as masculine or imperial. The phoenix is considered the greatest and the leader of birds.

Powers

The Phoenix enjoys immortality, which had to be renewed with fire every 300 to 500 years. When the end of its life cycle drew near, the phoenix would gather aromatic herbs, woods, and spices from around the world with which to build its own funeral pyre or nest.

Sitting in the nest, and having turned to face the rays of the sun, beating its wings, it deliberately fans the flames for itself and is consumed in the fire. Once the old body was consumed, the phoenix would be reborn from a worm, its marrow, or an egg found among the ashes and would embark on another 500 years of life.

According to some legends, the renewed phoenix carried its old bones to the City of the Sun in Egypt where they were disposed of with special funeral rites.

Does this legendary bird exist?