One of the forces of the new book of the art historian Al McClanan is his intention: to provide a historical overview of the many modes in which the legendary creature known as “Griffin” appears in art and literary history. Griffinology: the place of griffin in myth, history and art Deliberately offers a range of distinct perspectives on various regions and eras to illustrate the prevalence of this mythical creature in the cultural history of ethnalligious groups around the world.
McClanan does not only consider the largely accepted close definition of the “griffin»: Namely, a mixture of a lion (the sovereign of animals) and an eagle (the sovereign of birds). Instead, Griffinology offers a larger definition. Exhausting about 5,000 years, the text explores various possible forms and combinations of this hybrid motif and how it emerges in the visual language of specific traditions, as well as by their cultural exchange. From South and West Asia to North Africa and Europe, the claws are everywhere: Wall reliefsTombs, defenses, tapestries, drinking ships, manuscripts, alms handbags and even tattoos. In its assessment of these historical representations, the book draws our attention to the symbolic links between the creature and display of human power – be it through the built around the byzantine and Sassanian Persian Empires, Patterns Found In Islamic and Byzantine Silks, armor.
Although Griffinology holds its promise to consider both art and literature – including the character of Gryphon little known in Lewis Carroll The adventures of Alice in Wonderland (1865) – The majority of textual examples are limited to the borders of Western Europe. Heraldry and medieval and modern visual brand examples are also mainly European. Although the creature is recognized as an important part of fantastic novels, chivalrous tales and travel writing – including a discussion of its place in popular culture and books such as Harry Potter – These parts of the text could have enriched their argument by incorporating examples of tradition outside Europe. In the Armenian tradition, a version of the griffin appears in a number of textual and visual examples of the pre -modern world, as well as in the coat of arms. The word basgujMost likely the average Persian Paškuč,, has been used to translate Greek edge Like “Griffin” in the Septuagint. Premodern examples of Arabic and Persian literature also incorporate the creature as a metaphor for power, protection and mixing of cultures.
The scratches are called by different names and vary in their hybridity between traditions, but they also carry symbolic and allegorical functions. Although it would be impossible to compile each iteration, Griffinology Provides us with reasoning: “Many intriguing renderings had to be omitted, because in this limited space, I tried to balance relatively famous works with the least renowned.” The approach to the distinction between what is relatively renamed and what is less recognized, however, seems to be rooted in a European framework.
Griffinology: the place of griffin in myth, history and art (2024) by Al McClanan is published by Books reaction And is available for online purchase and via independent booksellers.
