The griffin is one of the most enduring creatures in Western myth — a beast with the body, tail and hind legs of a lion, the head and wings of an eagle, and often the front talons of a bird of prey. It pairs the king of beasts with the king of birds, and the result is something more than the sum of its parts.
The earliest griffins appear in the art of ancient Persia and Egypt, more than three thousand years ago, often guarding palaces and tombs. The Greeks said they lived in the high mountains of Scythia, where they jealously protected vast hoards of gold. To steal from a griffin was to invite a swift and very loud death.
By the medieval period, the griffin had been adopted across European heraldry as a symbol of two great virtues at once: the courage and strength of the lion, and the vigilance and far-seeing wisdom of the eagle. Welsh, English and French noble families placed griffins on their shields. Edward III gave one to his royal arms. They appear on the gates of cathedrals, on tombs, on coins, and on the standards of crusader knights.
There is one more thing that makes the griffin special. Medieval bestiaries insisted that griffins mated for life, and that if their partner died, they would never take another. For a creature so fierce, this was an unexpectedly tender detail — and it is the reason the griffin became a symbol not just of strength, but of fidelity.
Our griffin design — 'Embrace Your Inner Griffin' — leans into all of that. The strength. The sharp sight. The loyalty. And the quiet certainty that you are the guardian of your own gold, whatever shape that gold takes in your life.
Stand your ground. Spread your wings. Embrace your inner griffin.