by Judith Starkston
During my research for my latest book, Of Kings and Griffins, I couldn’t help but notice all the Hittite griffins frescoed on throne rooms, depicted on royal seals, painted onto vases, and generally sprinkled throughout the ancient iconography. Griffins are gorgeous mythical creatures with a definite attitude about them. Don’t mess with us! Putting them with wings unfurled around a throne sent quite the message for a ruler. It got me thinking. What if an ancient king really had these creatures in his “arsenal”? What if they did intervene? Why would they—and what if they were forced to rather than being willing partners? Flying predators of massive size and power? Balances would tip decidedly in the favor of any such ruler. The thematic ideas and conflicts—many reflecting modern concerns as well—multiplied in my imagination. And the fictional fun began. The griffins invaded.
But I still had to decide which griffins were invading. A griffin, by definition, has a lion body and eagle head, along with, usually, wings. The most common griffins depicted in history are seen on heraldry, cathedral carvings, and tapestries. Those griffins, primarily medieval in origin, have eagle talons and scrawny front legs of a bird (like the silhouette drawing). You can tell from my use of the word scrawny, I’m not a fan of this style of griffin. I wanted gargantuan feline front paws with sword-like claws and great pouncing potential. I came by this vision based on history.
Unlike the later more bird-like griffins, the earliest griffins, seen across ancient Anatolia and the Near East had full lion bodies except for eagle heads. Their chests are broad and powerful, not attenuated by avian influences. Their backs look like fine places to ride the skies if they’d only let a mere human climb on. I love the griffin in the photo here, found on an ivory furniture plaque from one of the earliest periods of Anatolian history, before the Hittites were fully Hittite.
It’s true, some ancient depictions, like this fresco from the throne room at Knossos, left off the wings. That is a serious blunder, beautiful as they are. I rejected that subset immediately. Including mythical beasts adds another fantastical dimension to my fiction. Despite the griffins’ prevalence in the artwork of the time, they didn’t actually intervene in the plots and schemes of men and women, but I can vouch that they are way more fun than dragons.
Of Kings and Griffins is available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.
Judith Starkston, October 19, 2020
