Male Griffins?

[Ryan Shuflin]

What do you think about these mythical beasts? Many normal winged are depicted as male, so are these really griffins, or are all depictions of griffins wrong?

[Ton de Witte]

the male griffin only exists in British heraldry, in which the normal griffin is the female variant. In the other realms griffind are "all male" so to speak.

[Chas Charles-Dunne]

I was under the impression that ALL griffins are male, but one type of griffin is called a male griffin. I think that this is something that has evolved over the years.

[Ryan Shuflin]

are there any authoritative texts on the topic?

[Martin Goldstraw]

I was under the impression that ALL griffins are male, but one type of griffin is called a male griffin. I think that this is something that has evolved over the years.

are there any authoritative texts on the topic?

Griffin (also Gryphon) A monster which has the hind parts of a lion and the head, breast, claws and wings of an eagle. It also has ears and often a short beard. When the griffin is shown rampant it is blazoned "segreant". The male griffin has no wings but rays or spikes protruding from his body.

Therefore, (at least in British heraldry) all griffins with wings are female, those without are male.

[Ryan Shuflin]

which term is preferred then, male griffin or keythong?

[GJKS]

Therefore, (at least in British heraldry) all griffins with wings are female, those without are male.

Interesting ...
In the entry for Griffins, Page 173 of Stephen Friar's book "A New Dictionary of Heraldry" (1987) includes the following ...

[JMcMillan]

Medieval authorities also refer to winged griffins as being males. Bartholomaeus Anglicus (13th c.): "A griffin... layeth in his nest a stone that hight Smaragdus against venomous beasts of the mountain." Sir John Mandeville (14th c.): "For one griffin there will bear, flying to his nest, a great horse, if he may find him at the point, or two oxen yoked together as they go at the plough. For he hath his talons so long and so large and great upon his feet, as though they were horns of great oxen or of bugles or of kine, so that men make cups of them to drink of."

Bartholomaeus also refers to griffins breeding in the Hyperborean Mountains, which they could not do if there were not both males and females, and the German nun St. Hildegard of Bingen (12th c.) described the egg-laying habits of the female.

See http://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast151.htm and http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Griffin.html.