View source for Griffin

[[Image:Griffin Segreant.png|150px|right]]
The '''griffin''' (also ''gryphon'' or ''griffon'') is a mythical creature composed part bird and part lion, generally a [[lion]]'s body with an [[eagle]]'s head and wings. In some cases the forelegs are also avian. Occasionally sources also grant it the tail of a serpent or a scorpion, but this is little used in [[heraldry]]. Heraldic sources insist on the retention of the lion's swept-back pointed ears, so that an eagles' head and a griffin's may be distinct charges. 

In heraldry, a [[rampant]] griffin is termed ''segreant''.

The heraldic ''keythong'' is a male griffin, represented as wingless but with either spikes of fur or jets of flame or light coming from the main body area.
[[category:device heraldry]]