Gryphon

In the early days of the pantheon, Malevex looked to his sisters' forms when manifesting his own. Wings broad enough and eyes sharp enough to keep up with Sophrae, and a lion's heart like Capris. His father Axen did his best, of course, and his stepmother Beatrix helped as well. He was constructed a form both cunning and strong, that knew no bounds. A creature that, like Malevex himself, would do as it pleased and bow to none.

The gryphon, as it is known today, has the head, wings, and talons of an eagle, and the body of a lion. According to the Spring Mythos, Axen ripped limbs from animals from all across the world, draping different appendages on Malevex to determine which pieces best suited his son. He and Beatrix then stitched the parts together to cover Malevex, and the young god laid under the heated sun for a fortnight until his form melted to become a true part of him.

The creature is generally regarded as a cryptid in modern times, as is the case for many of the other gods' forms. Gryphons have reportedly been sighted in northern Ethana, west of the Etter, though there's no actual evidence of their existence. The creature is mostly known as a symbol of Vladican hegemony and culture, and is on several Vladican (and other Jzarmillan) flags. Several texts from around 900-800 Prior mention creatures believed to be gryphons used as mounts in a number of southern Jzarmillan settlements at the time, however translations regarding this are dubious.

Following the Brickard Trade Agreement, a variation of this iconography grew popular throughout northern Vladica. The 'Beourjen gryphon' became both a symbol and criticism of the subtle orvon subjugation under the Beourjen Army. It wears a thorned crown wrought of Baeoré steel from which the gryphon bleeds underneath. It also clutches a Cravvik rose in its talons - a symbol of the ancient Rús Masket that was then repurposed to represent Cravvik revivalism in eastern Beourjen.

The new depiction became apparent first in the city of Rauszec, where the Army's influence is most heavily present. Its initial iteration was a defamation of the mural across the side of their agora. The graffitied mural panel was quickly whitewashed and repainted, but a crude inking of the Beourjen gryphon was soonafter passed around on flyers and spread to other parts of Jzarmille. Bounties were naturally put out for the original instigator as well as any persons involved in the image's distribution, however no one was ever found and/or arrested.