Here's the draft of the proposed batch name:
The Eagle and the Lion
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. As the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle was the king of the birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. In antiquity it was a symbol of divine power and a guardian of the divine. Some have suggested that the word griffin is cognate with Cherub. The griffin has served many purposes, including but not limited to "the vigilant guardian of treasure and of kings. It has been called "The Hounds of Zeus".
It has pulled the chariots of Pharaoh, Apollo, Nemesis, and Alexander the Great. A major heraldic animal, it has been emblazoned on the shields of knights and on the coats of arms and royalty. It has been watchful and loyal, graceful and swift, rapacious and vengeful, monstrous and divine. While the griffin is a mortal enemy of horses, its magic talons have detected poison and its feathers have cured blindness.
Winged lions are not true griffin, nor is the winged lion of the sea. All of them, though - along with countless other hybrid variations - are 'gryphonic.'" The three spellings for griffin are - gryphon, griffin and griffon.
Infrequently, a griffin is portrayed without wings, or a wingless eagle-headed lion is identified as a griffin; in 15th-century and later heraldry such a beast may be called an alce or a keythong.
The griffin is a mythical creature, with the head, wings and talons of an eagle and the body and hind legs of a lion. It is thus composed of the most royal of the birds and the beasts. The griffin was thought to find and guard mines of gold and hidden treasures. It is a principal device in heraldry, signifying valor, strength, vigilance, and perseverance. The symbolism of the griffin was described by Alexander Nisbet in his System of Heraldry (1722) translated from Latin as: "The griffin represents wisdom joined to fortitude, but wisdom should lead, and fortitude follow." A distinctive feature of the griffin is that it has ears, which are large and stand up from its head. This is the only feature that differentiates a griffin's head from an eagle's. The griffin can be found in all the heraldic positions (segreant, passant, sejant etc.).
Heraldry
In heraldry, a griffin always has forelegs like an eagle's; the beast with forelimbs like a lion's forelegs was distinguished by perhaps only one English herald of later heraldry as the opinicus. The griffin's amalgamation of lion and eagle gains in courage and boldness, and is always drawn to powerful fierce monsters. It is used to denote strength and military courage and leadership. Griffins are portrayed with a lion's body, an eagle's head, long ears, and an eagle's claws, to indicate that one must combine intelligence and strength. In British heraldry, a male griffin is shown with wings, its body covered in tufts of formidable spikes.
Architecture
In architectural decoration the griffin is usually represented as a four-footed beast with wings and the head of an eagle with horns, or with the head and beak of an eagle. Gryphon statues mark the entrance to the City of London.
History
Depiction of griffins can be found in the 15th century BC frescoes in the Throne Room of the Bronze Age Palace of Knossos, as restored by Sir Arthur Evans. It continued being a favored decorative theme in Archaic and Classical Greek art.
In Central Asia the griffin appears about a thousand years after Bronze Age Crete, in the 5th-4th century BC, probably originating from the Achaemenid Persian Empire. The Achaemenids considered the griffin "a protector from evil, witchcraft and secret slander".
Later griffins, lacking wings, were found on the island of Crete at the Palace of Minos at Knossos. These griffins are frescos, painted into wet plaster and brilliantly colored. They "protected kings and drew chariots of goddesses".
