Griffin

The Griffin in Ancient Egypt

**Egyptian Name:**

//Srf//, //Sfrr,// or //Saget//


 * Meaning of Name:**

"The One Who Tears to Pieces"

In Egyptian mythology the griffin was a lion with the head of a falcon, occasionally winged. One rare occasions the griffin had the head of the Set Animal. An artistic emblem for the display of royal power, like the sphinx, the pharaoh sometimes assumed the appearance of a griffin and is rendered trampling underfoot the traditional  enemies of Egypt. A protective creature, the griffin was often pictured on magical wands. During the Middle Kingdom, pendants with griffins on them were popular.

In a scene at Beni Hasan, a colorful griffin, accompanying a man and a dog, bears a collar and what seems to be a leash. The griffin was associated with Horus and Montu, and a pair of griffins pulled Shed's chariot. Griffins are thought to have entered Egyptian mythology during a period when Egypt was in close contact with Near Eastern populations, and borrowed some religious features from them.

Mythological Animals