The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature considered to be an especially powerful and majestic animal which people believed could be found guarding treasure and priceless possessions.

Most representations of griffins depict them with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's legs and talons as its front feet.

However, some older illustrations show the griffin to have both the front and hind legs of a lion as seen on this statue, which I came across in Harrogate recently. It was one of a pair sat atop the entrance pillars to one of the buildings I passed close to the town centre.