- "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's Army (Walden) during the Battle of Beruna, and the Old Narnian Army (Walden) during the War of Deliverance (Walden).
Description[]
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.
End of the Age of Winter[]
One served as a scout, and reported the coming of the White Witch's Army (Walden) to High King Peter and General 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 Dwarf (Walden) 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 Jadis (Walden); 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.
Telmarine Age[]
Gryphons survived the Telmarine conquest, as they are seen with the Old-Narnian Army (Walden) in Prince Caspian.
During the War of Deliverance (Walden), Gryphons flew Peter, Susan, Edmund, Trumpkin and Caspian to Miraz's castle during the Telmarine Castle Night Raid (Walden). 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 (Walden), 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 Gryphons survived the battle.
Trivia[]
- Gryphons are not in the books, but they were used in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (film) and it's sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (film). They also appear in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe (video game) and the Prince Caspian (video game), based on the movies.
- The only Gryphon with a speaking part in the movies was voiced by Cameron Rhodes
- In the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (BBC serial), there is an animated creature that bears a resemblance to a Gryphon. This was one of the creatures to rescue Edmund by picking him up, and flying him out of the witch's reach, before placing him on the back of a Pegasus.
- 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.
- A lot of places and armies on Earth, often used Gryphons in the past because 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.
- 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 Kirke and Polly Plummer.