Griffin

Griffin
Species information
Eye colour	Yellow
Hair colour	Brownish-yellow
Feather colour	White and brown
Related to	Hippogriff
Native to	Greece
Distinction	Front half of a giant eagle Rear half of a lion Capable of Flight
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XXXX
Status	Extant

The Griffin was a magical beast which originated from Greece.

Description

A Griffin guarding treasure

It had the front legs, wings and head of a giant eagle, and the body, hind legs, and tail of a lion. The main diet of the Griffin was raw meat.

Griffins were known as fierce creatures; however, despite this, skilled wizards and witches were able to befriend them.

Griffins had a natural instinct to protect treasure and as such were often used by wizards for that very purpose, like Sphinxes. The treasure they guarded could be anything from gold to the plants in a garden. If for some reason they didn't have any treasure to guard, they became very distraught. This could be taken care of by simply giving the Griffin a new treasure to guard.

History

There were stone carvings of griffins on Solomon Sallow's grave in Feldcroft.

Newton Scamander kept a Griffin in his basement at 9 Sherringford Square in 1927.

During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, during the Outdoor celebration of magic, Madam Hooch and Professor Silvanus Kettleburn gave a combined Care of Magical Creatures and Flying class to fifth-year students on the Training Grounds about how to fly Griffins. Jacob's sibling was chosen to fly the Griffin present, and found the experience exhilarating.

The Hogwarts Headmaster's office door had a knocker in the shape of a Griffin.

Known Griffins

Griffins	Notes
Griffin at the Magical Creatures Reserve	A griffin that was allowed to stay in the Magical Creatures Reserve
Greywing	A griffin that Hagrid cared for and that came to be defensive of Hagrid's pumpkin patch.
Tiffin	A griffin that guarded Vault 619 at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

Behind the scenes

• Griffins originate from ancient mythology, having been recorded as far back as ancient Persia and Egypt, though first commonly seen in Greek myths. They were considered symbols of divinity, as the lion and eagle were considered the kings of beasts and birds, respectively.
• In the Harry Potter films, the Stairwell Gargoyle (who guards the Headmaster's Office) resembles a large golden griffin, instead of being ugly and made of stone as in the books.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Identified as "Griffon")
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears as statue)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (First appearance)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (Mentioned poster)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Appears as statue)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Appears as statue)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Hogwarts Legacy

See also

• Griffin Sanctuary
• Hippogriff