Gryphon (Griffin)
The griffin (gryps) is a Greek and Near Eastern hybrid of lion and eagle, combining the king of beasts with the king of birds. Aristeas, Herodotus, and Pliny describe it guarding Scythian gold against the one-eyed Arimaspians; scholars link the legend to Protoceratops fossils near Central Asian gold. It became heraldry’s emblem of guardianship and divine power.