Griffins Guarding St. John's Cathedral - Jacksonville, FL
N 30° 19.711 W 081° 39.205
17R E 437187 N 3355369
Four griffins, mythical lion-eagle hybrids, serve as guardians of the St. John's Cathedral in downtown Jacksonville, Florida, USA. One griffin is located on each of the four upper corners of the Cathedral tower.
Waymark Code: WM3NPW
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 04/26/2008
Views: 32
From
Wikipedia: "The griffin, is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine."
"Several griffin-like creatures - beasts with the head of an eagle or some other bird of prey - occur in art, architecture and mythology of many early civilizations."
"In Minoan Crete, such creatures were royal animals and guardians of throne rooms."
"In Ancient Egypt, a similar creature was depicted with a slender, feline body and the head of a falcon; this is tentatively identified as an axex. Early statuary depicts them with wings that are horizontal and parallel along the back of the body. During the New Kingdom, depictions of griffins included hunting scenes."
From
Encyclopedia Mythica: "The Griffin is a legendary creature with the head, beak and wings of an eagle, the body of a lion and occasionally the tail of a serpent or scorpion. Its origin lies somewhere in the Middle East where it is found in the paintings and sculptures of the ancient Babylonians, Assyrians and Persians. In Greek mythology, they took gold from the stream Arimaspias and, neighbors of the Hyperboreans, they belonged to Zeus. The later Romans used them for decoration and even in Christian times the Griffin motif often appears. Griffins were frequently used as gargoyles on medieval churches and buildings. In more recent times, the Griffin only appears in literature and heraldry."