Gryphon

Gryphons are magical creatures which exist on the continent of Tamriel, and are originally native to Cyrodiil, but are considered to have been extinct in most regions except for the Summerset Archipelago. Newborn gryphons are known as hatchlings.

Gryphons are depicted in the sigils of Houses Arana, and Telarion, as well as in the coat of arms of the Welkynar.

Appearance[]

Gryphons are feathered avian creatures. They have six limbs: two wings, two forelegs and two hindlegs. Their hind legs are sometimes depicted as horse's hooves or lion's paws, though all gryphons encountered have had talons, not hooves, on both sets of legs.

Gryphons have strong jaws and sharp talons. As young hatchlings they are around the size of a cat. Provided it has food and freedom, a gryphon can grow to great sizes, some scholars claiming that they indeed never stop growing. A gryphon given such freedom can reach a span width of twenty feet within two years and a half. Gryphons which are locked up do not grow as gryphons left free to fly as they wish. Although increasing age means increasing size, a larger size is not always an indication of a higher age.

The feathers of gryphons are said to be magical in nature, and thus difficult to penetrate by conventional means, such as by arrows. Their hardy feathers make them powerful weapons when used against structures and armies, able to crash into an enemy with great force and suffer no injury. Gryphons of the past have typically been slain using scorpions, or by magic, though the latter may be difficult as the gryphon is itself a magical creature and naturally resistant to such forces.

Characteristics[]

Reproduction[]

Historians, like Aldarch X1, Grand Sapiarch X2, and Sapiarch X3, disagree on the mating habits of gryphons. Gryphons lay large, amber eggs to reproduce. According to Lord Sapiarch X4, and agreed upon by Sapiarch X5, the ability of a grpyphon to lay eggs is proof that said gryphon is female. When a gryphon is never observed to have laid eggs, this is taken as proof that it must have been a male. However, according to X1 and Sapiarch X6, gryphons have no fixed gender, but are "now one and now the other, as changeable as wind". X1 Believed that gryphons can change gender at need, but Sapiarch X7 believes this to be erroneous, and states in his X that X1's statement is simply a misunderstood esoteric metaphor.

Gryphons believed to be female, e.g., Rhea, X, X, and X, are referred to as she-gryphon or sometimes a queen.

Traditionally, Arana princes received a gryphon's egg in their cradle, allowing them to bond with the gryphons as soon as the eggs hatched. This tradition supposedly started before Aerel's Invasion when Aerel's father Naelor placed three gryphon eggs in the cradles of his three children, Aerel, Alyssare, and Rhaethen. From these three eggs, the gryphons Nereon, Rhea, and Dawnwing hatched.

Un-hatched eggs can become fossilised at an old age, and eventually decorated with embellishments by skilled artisans.

Gryphonriders[]

Gryphons are intelligent creatures which can be trained to serve as battle mounts and understand vocal commands. However, gryphons will not allow everyone to mount them. It is generally believed that Ayleid heritage plays a part in taming a gryphon, though this is potentially superstition. Regardless, those without Ayleid descent have made their attempts as well. Nor is the possession of Ayleid blood (no matter how directly) a guarantee that bonding with a gryphon will be successful.

Once a gryphon has bonded with a rider, that gryphon will not allow anyone else to mount it while its rider lives, no matter how familiar said person might be to the gryphon, although they are willing to accept another person upon their backs when their own rider has mounted as well. When the rider of a gryphon dies, that gryphon can bond with a new rider. No rider has ever ridden a different gryphon while their current gryphon was alive. Gryphons who have had a rider once before are easier to bond with than wild gryphons.

A gryphon might to be able to sense when its current rider is in distress or has died. A gryphonrider has also screamed out when their gryphon was hit by a spear.

History[]

Ancient Gryphons[]

Gryphons are originally thought to be native to the region of Cyrodiil, being distant cousins to the race of bird-men that once dwelled in those parts thousands of years ago. These original gryphons spread to other southern regions of the continent, such as Elsweyr or the Summerset Archipelago, but were considered to be dangerous and untameable beasts for thousands of years before the Ayleids succeeded in taming them.

Soon after their arrival in Cyrodiil, the race of Ayleids began looking for ways to tame the great magical beasts, and eventually succeeded, though the exact method of taming a gryphon is still unknown to this day. Despite their success the taming process was still difficult and deadly, as such there were few gryphonlord families in the Ayleid Empire, though they were eventually all killed by Alessia and her forces in their slave revolt against the empire, gryphons and gryphonriders both.

The Arana Gryphons[]

The known surviving gryphons of Cyrodiil were in the possession of House Arana, which took them to the Summerset Archipelago in their invasion of the islands. From the three Arana gryphons would hatch many more, eventually intermingling with the native gryphon population of the land.

On the Summerset Archipelago[]

Despite their increased numbers, and the presence of wild untamed gryphons, the taming process remains difficult and deadly, as such only few have attempted it. Only the Welkynar of Gryphon's Peak found some success, though the number of dead apprentices the Welkynar produced was still considered high, and even they did not have many tamed gryphons at any one time.

The Aranas had continued success in taming their gryphons, though eventually in an attempt to restrict their stable the gryphons slowly died out. After the last gryphon died an infant, the secret to taming them was lost and no Arana was able to tame one again, despite many attempts. Only Ayrenn I Arana was able to successfully tame gryphons again, the details of which are not entirely clear.

Known Gryphons[]

Gryphon	Riders	Notes
Eureus	King Anumaril Arana	Born before the War of the Shrine in 1E 239. Died during the Alessian Slave Rebellion in 1E 242.
Lelanos	Prince Malyon Arana	Borne before the War of the Shrine in 1E 239. Died during the Battle of Crimson Streets in 1E 239.
Nereon	King Aerel I Arana	Born shortly after the birth of Aerel I Arana. Dissapeared after the death of Daethen I.
Nereon	King Daethen I Arana
Rhea	Queen Alyssare Arana	Born shortly after the birth of Alyssare Arana.
Dawnwing	Rhaethen Arana	Born shortly after the birth of Rhaethen Arana.
Dawnwing	King Viseriel I Arana	Born shortly after the birth of Rhaethen Arana.

Known Gryphon Eggs[]

(hatched) Aerel's egg — Placed into his cradle by his father Naelor Arana. Hatched into the gryphon Nereon.
(hatched) Alyssare's egg — Placed into her cradle by her father Naelor Arana. Hatched into the gryphon Rhea.
(hatched) Rhaethen's egg — Placed into her cradle by her father Naelor Arana. Hatched into the gryphon Dawnwing.

Books and Scrolls about Gryphons[]

The Flight of the Gryphons
The Gryphons of the Welkynars

Quotes[]

We shall not pretend to any understanding of the bond between gryphon and gryphonrider; wiser heads have pondered that mystery for centuries. We do know however, that gryphons are not horses, to be ridden by any man who throws a saddle on their back.

—writings of X

The grief and glory of my House.

—Malyon Arana to Eridion Aeldaris

Once a man has seen a gryphon in flight, let him stay at home and tend his garden in content, for this wide world has no greater wonder.

—old saying about gryphons