- "They come, Your Highness, in numbers and weapons far greater than our own."
- ―Unnamed Gryphon who reported the White Witch's Army's approach.[src]
Gryphons (also called Griffins) were magnificent flying creatures that fought for Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (film), and the Old Narnians in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (film). In the first film the gryphon was voice by Cameron Rhodes.
Physical appearance[]
They appear with the head and talons of an eagle, and the body of a lion, with equine-like ears. Most appear the same as one another, covered with feathers that are golden-brown coloured, and yellow beaks with a black tip at the end.
While they do not appear in the books, they are on Aslan's side in both the BBC version and the Walden/Disney film adaptations.
Notable members[]
Throughout the Chronicles[]
End of the Age of Winter[]
One served as a scout, and reported the coming of the White Witch's army to Peter and Oreius. At the start of the battle, a huge flock of gryphons and eagles soared towards the Witch's army while carrying large rocks, the scout near Peter joining them. They bombarded the army with these rocks, while dodging black dwarfs arrows (though several were hit) and fighting harpies and vultures. At least one gryphon was killed when it was crashed into the ground by a harpy. At one point, two of the gryphons attacked the White Witch; one was slashed in the wing with her sword, while the other was turned to stone by her wand in mid-flight and crashed into the rocks below, shattering upon impact, although it is unclear if he was revived by Aslan following the battle.[citation needed]
Telmarine Age[]
Gryphons survived the Telmarine conquest, as they are seen with the Old Narnian army in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (film).
During the Night Raid, Gryphons flew Peter, Susan, Edmund, Trumpkin and Caspian to Miraz's castle. One dispatched a lone Telmarine guard on sentry duty, and another saved Edmund's life when he fell from a high tower. They again helped their fellow Narnians during the Second Battle of Beruna, where they carried dwarf archers toward the Telmarine army. That strategy failed, however, due to the Telmarines' war machines shooting the Gryphons down. It is unclear if any survived the battle.[citation needed]
Behind the scenes[]
- Gryphons do not appear in the Chronicles, however there may have been gryphons in the World of Charn, as there was a statue of one on a fountain in the Charn Palace, seen by Digory and Polly.
- Apart from appearing in the two mentioned films, gryphons also appear in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (video game) and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (video game), which are based on the films.
- In the books, the gryphon was the Telmarine's Coat of Arms. However, in the The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (film), the Telmarine Coat of Arms is a compass (resembling a seven-point star) on a shield.
- Historically, a lot of places and armies often used gryphons as they were seen as a sign of great strength. In the Middle Ages, the gryphon was also considered to be one of the symbols of Christ.
Gallery[]
