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Horrific Appendages

Mythical creatures unleashed
THROUGHOUT the years mankind has been baffled by many mystical creatures. Some say they were real while others claim the fables about them to be absurd and they never existed. Whether they are real or not'I believe there is always some truth in myths. Human imagination is so feeble that it cannot simply conjure magnificent creatures like the Griffin or Chimera in mind.
All or most of these creatures were generally found in Greek mythology. The reason behind that is in such ancient times only the Greek civilization was literate and cultural enough to share the great stories of these wonderful beasts. The stories were usually told to people by flamboyant adventurers who dared venture beyond the borders of their homeland into unknown territories. Some believe that strangers from outside would make up such farfetched fables only to be accepted in a kingdom. But they didn't need to because at that time people welcomed strangers in their land for they thought if they didn't the Gods' wrath might befell on them. But there are other stories where thousands of people sighted one or more of these monsters. Although there are many mythical creatures of divine grace, we will only look into the ones that are atrociously grotesque in this article. And what better to start with than the terrifying half-breeds that were once feared and revered by men for many eons.
The Griffin:
■v. The Griffin (also called Gryph, Gryphon,
Gryphen, Gryphin or Griffon) was a creature with the body and tail of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Instead of the front paws of a lion it had talons and had the ears of a horse. Even though the Griffins were enlisted in Greek myths it actually lived in Asia (then known as Scythia, which stretched from modem Ukraine to central Asia). Scythia was abundant in gold and precious jewels and these celestial beasts used to guard this treasure. If any stranger tried to steal any of it he would be tom apart by the sharp talons. Many Greek Gods used Griffins to drive their chariots. Griffins were consecrated with the sun but they were never seen to drive Apollo's chariot (Apollo is the god of the sun), which was driven by horses. Perhaps this is the reason why Griffins were mortal enemies with horses. Crossbreeds of Griffins and horses were extremely rare and they were called Hippogriffs.
The Griffin didn't only exist in Greek myths it was also seen in the medieval art of heraldry. Heraldic creatures were drawn on the armors and shields of the warriors to identify them in battle. Different creatures expressed different battle tactics. For instance the eagle represented wisdom and the lion fortitude. So the Griffin was an excellent heraldic creature, which meant, "in a battle wisdom should’ lead and fortitude should follow". There are still many sculptures of Griffins in the world, most of which are in Greece and England. The English Griffin howeveqwas also depicted as a dragon with a serpentine real in some artworks. The Griffin was included as onetof the Ten Queen's Beast for the
coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11 in 1953. London refers to the heraldic Griffin as the supporter of their coat of arms and marks its boundaries with single Griffins holding up the coat of arms. But these Griffins look more like heraldic Dragons and have no eagle's head and feathers.
Many scientists wrote about Griffins to be myths, some even tried to prove them wrong. Whatever the truth about Griffins is we will never be certain about it Since Griffins were able to fly their bones must have been hollow like that of birds, which are easily decomposed. So even if they did exist fossil evidence would be hard to find.
It is believed that Griffins were attacked over and over again by human for the gold they protected and soon they fled and nested as far away from humans as possible. Maybe one day they will come back and take revenge on the humans, who ruthlessly slew them. Or maybe there are darker fates in stored for us.
Chimera:
The Chimera, also known as Himera, was the fire breathing offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna. Chimera was thought to have the body of a goat, the head of a lion and the tail of a serpent She earned her bestial form from her mother Echidna, who was prized creation of the goddess Hera (queen of the Olympians). Typhon was another creation of Hera, who was powerful enough to defeat Zeus (the king of the Olympians). Typhon and Echidna also gave birth to the Sphinx, Cerberus
(three-headed dog guardian of Hades, the land of the dead) and the Lemaean Hydra.
It is said in the myths that Chimera used to J1 terrorize the city of Lycia, where lived a brave hero ' called Bellerophon. The Lycian king Lobates was envious of this arrogant warrior and prayed for his J demise. He finally came up with the idea to puts® Bellerophon up against the powerful Chimera. ' Undoubtedly this would be the death of Bellerophon. But fathoming this the Goddess of ( battle Athena intervened. She gifted Bellerophon a golden bridle, which enabled him to tame the winged horse Pegasus. He Rew over Chimera so she couldn't reach him with her fire and shot arrows at her.
Unlike the Griffin, Chimera and her siblings had distinct ties to the Gods. There were few statues of Chimera discovered. Many of them sculpted Chimera with two heads one of the goat and the other of the lion. There are two tails as well. One is a snake with the other, a goat's tail, in its mouth.
So, that's about it for this week. Join me when I come back with more deadly ancient monsters.
Next Week: Hydra, Cereberus, Half human, half beast and absolute monstrosities: Archaic Evil Emerges
(Note: Questions, comments and criticism directed towards the author can be sent to the following e-mail address: wldsnwrUQSa^yahgo.wni.]. ... .
ByKnafice-Man