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Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, ''grýphōn'', or γρύπων, ''grýpōn'', early form ''γρύψ'', ''grýps''; ) 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. The griffin was also thought of as king of all creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions.
Adrienne Mayor, a classical folklorist, proposes that the griffin was an ancient misconception derived from the fossilized remains of the ''Protoceratops'' found in gold mines in the Altai mountains of Scythia, in present-day southeastern Kazakhstan, or in Mongolia.〔Adrienne Mayor, ''Archeology Magazine'', November–December 1994, pp 53–59; Mayor, ''The First Fossil Hunters'', 2000.〕
In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine.
==Etymology==
The derivation of this word remains uncertain. It could be related to the Greek word γρυπός (grypos), meaning 'curved', or 'hooked'. Also, this could have been an Anatolian loan word, compare Akkadian ''karūbu'' (winged creature), and similar to Cherub. A related Hebrew word is כרוב (''kerúv'').〔William H. C. Propp,''Exodus 19–40'', volume 2A of ''The Anchor Bible'', New York: Doubleday, 2006, ISBN 0-385-24693-5, ''Notes'' to Exodus 15:18, page 386, referencing: Julius Wellhausen, ''Prolegomena to the History of Israel'', Edinburgh: Black, 1885, page 304. Also see: Robert S. P. Beekes, ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', volume 1, Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2010 ISBN 978-90-04-17420-7, page 289, entry for γρυπος, "From the archaeological perspective, origin in Asia Minor (and the Near East: Elam) is very probable."〕
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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