The griffin is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and often 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. Griffins are normally known for guarding treasure. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine.
Most contemporary illustrations give the griffin the forelegs of an eagle, with an eagle's legs and talons, although in some older illustrations it has a lion's forelimbs; it generally has 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.
A 9th-century Irish writer by the name of Stephen Scotus asserted that griffins were strictly monogamous. Not only did they mate for life, but if one partner died, 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.
Being a union of a terrestrial beast and an aerial bird, it was seen in Christianity to be a symbol of Jesus Christ, who was both human and divine. As such it can be found sculpted on churches.
~ from Wikipedia
THE STORY OF THE GRIFFIN
The Griffin is a mythical creature that is half lion and half eagle. Lions rule the earth while eagles rule the sky. The eagle and lion are also the symbols of the Gospels of St. John and St. Mark, respectively. Our school mascot serves as a symbol to our entire school community of the values in these two gospels. Griffins were huge creatures of great strength and evolved into a universal symbol of vigilance and bravery. The earliest legends of the griffin date from 3000 BC.
The griffins at the entrance to Tower Grove Park in St. Louis provided Brother Kenneth Nesbit, S.M., Saint John Vianney High School’s first principal, with the inspiration to select this mascot. The gospel values along with the characteristics of strength, determination, reliability and integrity associated with the griffin create the ideal toward which the entire Vianney family strives.
-from the Vianney High School website (
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(A rough estimate of the size is approximately 4-5 feet tall for the Griffin atop a pedestal which is about 7-8 feet tall)