Griffin Tattoo Designs and Meaning

Posted on January 5, 2010
Filed Under Tattoo Designs, Tattoo Meanings

Griffin Tattoo Designs and Meaning Among all the variety of widely used flower and animal tattoo designs, there are such tattoos that depict totally imaginary, mythical creatures. They look charming and immediately draw attention of people around and at the same they have deep symbolic meaning as a rule. One of such patterns is griffon tattoos.

Griffin is a supernatural, solar hybrid creature, a mediator between the Earth and the Sky. Its most ancient picture was found on the wall of a Mesopotamian temple. It has the body of a lion and the wings and claws of an eagle. As you know, Lion is the King of animals whereas Eagle is the King of birds. That’s why in the ancient world griffin was an emblem of double solar power, the power over the Earth and the Sky, vigilance and bellicosity.

With this meaning, griffin became popular 4 thousand years ago in Western Asia, and then spread to the Middle East, Greece and eventually to Europe. In Judea it was a symbol of Persia and in Assyria it had a demonic meaning. On the Crete island people used to decorate palaces with the pictures of griffin as they believed it was a defender. In Greece it was devoted to Apollo, for the goddess Athens it personified wisdom, for Nemezida it meant retribution. Also, as legends tell, griffins stood guard over Indian and Scythian gold.

In early Christian iconography griffins symbolized revenge or obstacles. But since the 14th century it has acquired another meaning. It personified the double nature of Jesus Christ (human and divine). It is explained in the following way: “Christ is Lion as He reigns and has power, and He is Eagle as after Resurrection He ascended to Heaven.” Also griffin is a traditional image in gothic church sculpture.

Griffin tattoo designs may differ in size and color, such tattoos look especially cool when they are colored, but black-and-white version is popular as well. There are two kinds of griffins in heraldry – a female one is depicted with wings behind her back while males don’t have wings.