Hey everyone,

I've considered off and on about whether to include gryphons. I realize that's the unconventional spelling of the same word, but tend to prefer it simply because of the lofty, ancient feel it has. Would it lend a more arcane, legendary touch to their race?

With regard to the creature itself, I plan to describe it much like those found in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but am not certain on specifics. How large do you think they should be? Any ideas on what they'd eat? (I thought of hippogriffs, but no one would like to hear about those being eaten.)

Now, to spice things up, griffins will be on the good side, fighting the dragons. Should griffins be able to turn evil, or are they inherently good?

Of course, like dragons, griffins can be ridden and this should ensure some pulse-throbbing aerial combat scenes much like those in Eragon. In general, griffins will be smaller, quicker, and faster than dragons, which will have the bonus of 1) breathing fire, 2) greater endurance, and 3) tougher skin.

Lastly, we need to be certain of whether they're capable of rational thought. In most dragon stories, dragons can think and reason just like humans, but the implications of this could greatly lengthen the story and make it into a much more complicated project. In addition, there's also the option of making gryphons "in touch" with their rider, but not rational beings.

If you have a suggestion, throw it out there!

I love it spelled gryphons.
They would eat smaller animals, logically. I recognise that it would take a long time to fill a gryphon if it ate mice and such, as it's bigger than the normal eagle, right? But it might make sense to have it eating rodents, small creatures like that. Another idea would be for it to be a scavenger, eating carcasses and the like, like vultures.
Whether or not they can turn evil depends or whether or not they're sentient beings. If you had the idea that they were 'in touch' with their rider, would that be a paired for life type bond? If it was, it would make sense that they would turn evil if their riders did. Perhaps they should be capable of some thought, such as communicating with their rider and, well what people think of on a day-to-day basis. They can think ahead and make rational decisions, but they can't think philosophically. No deep, spiritual thoughts about good and evil. Thus their loyalty would depend on their rider, but their every move wouldn't have to be determined by a human. Does this help, or make it more complicated?

I love gryphons.

*nods* I spell it "gryphons" for the same reasons you're considering writing them that way. I love the feel that spelling gives the creatures.

Hmmm... large... The mental image that comes to mind is bigger than a man, but not by much.

For the rest of the questions I agree with Aldara.

Whether your gryphons can become evil or not will be determined by your decision on whether or not to make them sentient. If they are animals than they can neither be inherently evil nor inherently good, just like snakes and parrots can not be inherently evil or inherently good.

Well, if they fight dragons, you might want to make them bigger than you might otherwise. Although if you're envisioning the gryphons swarming around the dragons and bring them down with quick strikes to vulnerable places, smaller works too.

Totally agree, Mark.

I would make them larger, though, if they are going to battle Dragons. Not too large, but they need to have the body mass to take on a Dragon.

And I prefer the Gryphon spelling, myself.

Gryphon is how it's spelled in the dictionary. Griffin is a name based on it. Being the cross between lion and eagle you could have some really cool hunting concepts in there. I'd have them hunt things as large as sheep. With all the sentient mounts these days I'd just have them bond to their riders. At lion size I can see gryphons as being hard to ride because lions aren't built for it. I'd make them at least a little tall compared to lions.

Such a lively bunch of commentators has led me to a couple decisions. Gryphons:

1) Will be spelled as "gryphons."
There really doesn't seem to be anything other than consensus here.

2) Will not be scavengers.
In my opinion, making gryphons out to be scavengers detracts from the fearsome nobility characterizing their race, not unlike claiming that the Tyrannosaurus Rex was a scavenger detracts from its very raw mental image of the behemoth hunter. Thanks for bringing this up, though!

3) Will chiefly hunt goats, sheep, and oxen.
As Riniel already stated, there could be some great hunting scenes in this. Only mountain goats could really provide that sort of chase, so why not?

4) Will not be intelligent (capable of rational thought).
Gryphons can sense the apprehension of their rider or an approaching enemy in the same way that a dog would, but little else of consequence. Bonding will not differ any from that found in a horse and its rider; mounts can be ridden by others at need and will not generally refuse to bear other individuals than their usual rider.

5) Are not inherently good or evil.
Again referencing Aldara:

Case in point.

6) Stand about seven-and-a-half feet tall on all fours.
This could change, but they need to be ride-able if the story pits dragon-riders vs. gryphon-riders. Dragons... not sure yet, but they must be large enough to bear three people for several hours without undue strain; approximately two-and-a-half to three times the size of a gryphon. Any additional suggestions in this area are welcomed with Krispy Kremes and Starbucks.

Additional notes
"Gryphonic" natural habitat consists of rocky terrain, coniferous forest, snow, and geysers.

Any additional suggestions are welcomed with Krispy Kremes and Starbucks.

I would recommend you read the blog post recently featured on HW about this topic. Our very own Evening L. Apsen (very knowledgeable on horses) dealt specifically with this comment.

It won’t affect your creatures at all (which I like, by the way, well rounded), but I would encourage you to read the article. Especially if you will have horses in your book.

Or make the dragons smaller.

I love the information you have for these!

A comment about size - a smaller size might give them greater speed. Especially when pitting against lumbering dragons, a smaller gryphon might be able to move faster, get into smaller spaces, and out maneuver its opponent.

Are these raised in captivity, or caught wild and trained?

Good question; they're wild creatures but can be domesticated to a certain extent. Fauns share the same habitat as gryphons, and few other races can endure mountain frosts, snow, rocks, and wind. Therefore, gryphon riders consist almost exclusively of fauns.

I wondered about their size, because gryphons attack in twos or threes to overwhelm their larger opponents, the dragons. It's a similar situation to when smaller birds work together to drive off a bird of prey.

Sounds good!