Griffin (Vogel Gryff) - Basel, Switzerland
Posted by: 
fi67
N 47° 33.501 E 007° 35.819
32T E 394451 N 5268168
A statue of a griffin in its specific local form in the court of the former Carthusian monastery.
Waymark Code: WMK6KK
Location: Basel Stadt, Switzerland
Date Posted: 02/20/2014
Views: 7
This statue of a griffin is located in the court of the former monastery that has been used as an orphanage since 1669. This griffin has a very specific, typically local appearance, called "Vogel Gryff". It is the traditional symbolic figure of one of the three honor societies of Kleinbasel (on the right bank of the Rhine). The griffin is celebrated each year in January.
About Griffins in general (from Wikipedia (
visit link) ): "The griffin, griffon, or gryphon [...] is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature."
About Vogel Gryff and its celebration (
visit link) (the official Website of Switzerland Tourism): "Late in the morning of a wintry day in January - alternately January 13, 20 or 27 - a raft with a very strange crew floats down the River Rhine. There are two drummers, two men carrying big flags, and two cannoneers, who repeatedly fire gun salutes. But the most important figure on the raft is a masked savage carrying an uprooted pine tree. He makes some dance steps constantly facing Kleinbasel, the city on the right bank of the River Rhine.
Just below the Mittlere Brücke (the middle bridge) the savage is met by two other strange creatures: a lion dancing on his hind legs and a griffin with an awesome beak. At noon, the three figures dance on the bridge both jointly and alone to the sound of drums. They carefully avoid looking towards Grossbasel, to the left of the Rhine, or to cross the boundaries to this section of town.
Wilder Mann (the savage man), Leu (the lion) and Vogel Gryff (the griffin) are traditional symbols or symbolic figures of three Kleinbasel societies. In earlier days, they served military and political purposes. Now, they are part of social life and help to strengthen community ties in the small district of Kleinbasel, eager to distinguish itself from the larger district on the left bank. The symbols as well as the processions - which used to happen spontaneously on different days - date back to the sixteenth century. Since 1841, when the societies moved their headquarters to the same building, the three celebrate together on the day allocated to the society presiding that year. Celebrations continue with a festive lunch for all members of the societies. In the afternoon and evening, the symbolic figures resume dancing in the streets of Kleinbasel."