Gryphon

Gryphons are one of four types of divine beasts on Eldara. They have an intrinsic connection to the element of air, which assists them in flight by allowing them to redirect air currents.
While typically solitary, gryphons prefer to live near other gryphons to facilitate the most important aspect of a gryphon's life: nesting. Gryphons mate for life and are incredibly family oriented, and the nest a gryphon builds with their mate is considered sacred.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Gryphons are warm-blooded avians with hybrid bodies. Their foreparts include the head, chest, wings, and legs of a bird (most typically a bird of prey although other variations exist), while their hindparts include the hind legs and tail of various mammalian species, frequently feline. Unlike the bird species their forequarters resemble, gryphons have visible external ears, and often possess tailfeathers as well as feline tails. Unlike other avian or flight-capable species, gryphon bones are not hollow. Therefore, they rely on their connection with the element of air to assist them in flight.

Opinicus pumaetos

The largest species of gryphon, standard gryphons resemble a golden eagle in the forequarters and a mountain lion in the hindquarters. Their wingspan is between 7-8 feet, and they stand 3-4 feet at the shoulder, and measure 6-7 feet from nose to rump (not including tail). Most members of the species share the same coloring; dark brown plumage, a small amount of grey feathers on the inner wing, and lighter golden feathers on the back of the head, while their mountain lion parts are tawny with a dark brown tailtip. However, both melanistic and leucistic individuals of the species have been observed.
Aside from utilizing their connection with air magic to boost their ability to fly, standard gryphons can also create bursts strong gusts of wind or, rarely, small tornadoes by rapidly beating their wings. Typically this is used to repel an attacker or defend the nest.
Standard gryphons prefer sturdy, tall trees with a large enough canopy to build an extensive nest, mountain cliffs, or the tops of mesas for their nests.

Opinicus maritimus

Fishergryphs are a semi-acquatic, semi-avian species of gryphon. They are smaller than their standard cousins, being between 2.5-3 feet tall with a wingspan ranging from 5-6 feet and a total length of 4-5 feet. Their foreparts resemble a fish hawk, or osprey, while their hind parts resemble a seal. Therefore, they have flippers instead of hind legs as well as several other adaptations for fishing. Fishergryphs possess an inner eyelid that can be closed while they dive, can hold their breath for up to 45 minutes in a dive. They have an external ear opening that can be closed while underwater to prevent water entering their ears, and their nostrils are likewise located just above their beaks and can be closed. Typical coloration is mixed white and brown - the feathers on the backs of the wings and the upper back of a fishergryph will be dark brown, while their head will be mostly white with a stripe of dark brown over each eye and chest feathers are white. Their seal half is pale grey with darker grey spots.
Fishergryphs utilize their connection with the element of air to create bubble jetstreams underwater, which can propel them quickly in any direction. They are additionally able to dry themselves after emerging from the water by utilizing wind magic, allowing themselves to completely submerge underwater and still break the surface into immediate flight.
Fishergryphs primarily nest on tall sea cliffs, but if none can be found in the immediate area they may also nest on the ground in coastal caves.

Opinicus niveus

Arctic gryphons are comparable to their semi-aquatic cousins the fishergryphs in size, but are typically shorter in length (closer to 4 feet than 5) and slightly heavier due to their stocky build and dense fur on their hindparts. Their foreparts resemble a gyrfalcon while the hindparts resemble a lynx. Their plumage is primarily white, with spots on their breast feathers, flight feathers, and the backs of their wings that can be black, brown, or grey. The hindparts are various colors of brown ranging from medium to light brown, sometimes a uniform color or sometimes with faint spots on the coat.
While an arctic gryphon's rear paws are wide and rounded, serving as snowshoes, the front talons are not well-equipped for walking on snow. Snowy gryphons therefore utilize their wind magic not only for flight, but to form air cushions beneath their talons as they walk that help support their weight on top of the snow.
Arctic gryphons build their nests on cliffsides like their standard gryphon cousins, and prefer to nest at altitude. They may select a sea cliff if options are limited.

Opinicus ambrosia

The smallest species of gryphon, sylph gryphons range from 8-9 inches in length with a winsgspan between 7-8 inches. Their foreparts resemble a hummingbird, while their hindparts resemble a mouse. Plumage on sylph gryphons is highly variable, but most share the common characteristics of white chest feathers, white undersides to the wings, dark brown or black plumage on the back and backs of the wings, and a bright spot of colored feathers on the throat or crown of the head. These feathers can be bright red, green, blue, purple, or a mix of any of these colors. The tailfeathers are likewise brightly colored to match. The hindparts of a sylph gryphon are grey or light brown, with hind legs built for jumping to propel the sylph gryphons into the air and a long hairless tail.
Sylph gryphons use their wind magic to fly like all other species of gryphons, but instead of shaping air currents for gliding or creating jet streams underwater, sylph gryphons use their magic to directly boost themselves, supporting some of their weight in flight.
Unlike their cousin species, sylph gryphons are primarily nectarivores, although they may additionally supplement this diet with fruit or berry juice. Their beaks are therefore long and slender, with long tongues built for lapping up nectar or juice. They serve as pollinators and live mostly in forests in contrast to their cliff-dwelling relatives. Sylph gryphons therefore nest in tall deciduous trees where they will have easy access to their food sources.

Genetics and Reproduction

Gryphons gestate their young in soft-shelled eggs, but give live birth to the young gryphlets when they hatch. A gravid female will therefore not leave the nest while she is gestating, and relies on her mate to provide her with food. They mate for life and are extremely loyal to their spouses and families. Gryphons reach sexual maturity between 40-50 years of age and will begin seeking a mate at this time.
Although gryphons are extremely family-oriented and motivated to find a mate and have offspring, their birth rates are still quite low. Gryphon females have long reproductive cycles and can only become pregnant once every decade, with the fertility window lasting merely a week. A successful pregnancy is then gestated for five years before the female gives birth, typically to a pair of twins or a set of triplets. Singlet births do occur, but are rarer.

Growth Rate & Stages

Newborn gryphlets are covered in down on their front half, with underdeveloped beaks and talons. They rely entirely on their parents for food for the first five years of their life, and cannot hunt for themselves for the first ten. Gryphlets do not leave their nests during this period, and the parents take turns hunting and bringing food back to the nest so they are always supervised. Young gryphlets can fall from the nest accidentally, and accidental falls are the most common cause of deaths in gryphlets.
At ten years of age, a gryphlet grows into a fledgling as their flight feathers begin to come in. By this time, they are able to speak simply and have learned the rudimentary principles behind using wind magic to aid in their flight. A gryphlet is expected to take their first short flight from the nest at or near this age, depending on the rate of growth of their flight feathers. However, they lack the stamina and magical ability to fly far, and continue to be dependent on their parents for several more years.
To celebrate a fledgling's first flight from the nest, gryphon parents will create special gifts for their offspring. Gryphon adornments are usually crafted from carved beads that are strung on cord, ribbon, or twine and worn around the neck, tied around the wrists or ankles, or tied to the roots of a small cluster of feathers. A piece of jewelry made to honor a gryphon's first flight is a celebrated object, one traditionally given by parents but that can also be given by other clan members or collaborated on by many different family members, depending on the closeness of the clan.
As a gryphon fledgling continues to grow, they learn to hunt for themselves, master their wind magic, and the complex etiquette and traditions involved in wooing a mate. Their parents will begin teaching them how to build a nest by enlisting the fledgling's help in maintaining theirs. They may begin to go on longer hunting or foraging expeditions with grown siblings, who will teach the fledgling clan traditions and support them if they fail. When a fledgling is thirty, they may begin to learn to wield weapons aside from their natural talons or learn specialized aerial combat strategies.
At forty, a gryphon is fully grown and will soon reach sexual maturity, enabling them to take a mate. This is the most critical time in a gryphon's life, when they will leave the nest of their birth and strike out on their own within the clan's territory. Gryphons at this age typically wish to nest near the edge of the clan's grounds, where they might meet a gryphon of a different clan that they will one day take as a mate. They may take on a particular role within the clan, such as enlisting in the border patrol, joining a hunting party, or going into a crafting profession such as beading, bead-making, or weaving.

Behaviour

Gryphons are territorial toward other gryphons and perceived threats to their nest or claimed hunting grounds. They are intensely family-oriented and form vast extended family networks called clans. A gryphon clan holds claim to a collective span of territory that is broken up into individual territories where a gryphon couple builds their nest and raises their children. A territory can be as small as a single meadow with an overlooking tree or as large as a mountainside, depending on the species. Gryphon clans often feud with one another over territory or offended honor, usually on behalf of a rejected suitor.
Most gryphons are solitary, preferring to live with their spouse and growing children. Adult children likewise prefer to live separately from their parents, establishing their own nesting sites. Gryphons tend to be industrious, with young gryphons encouraged to develop a particular interest or skill. This can be a particular hunting technique a gryphon will choose to master, or perhaps a craft of some kind. A gryphon's particular interest or mastery will be crucial to mating negotiations.
As gryphons mate for life, they will also fiercely defend their mate from any attack or danger. The most common cause of death for adult gryphons are natural disasters like wildfires, rockslides, earthquakes, floods, or severe storms. However, the death of one mating pair usually precipitates the death of the other, unless they are actively raising young. The widow or widower will go into a deep depressive decline, eating less and less until they eventually waste away over the course of several years.

Civilization and Culture

Gender Ideals

Gryphons have somewhat flexible gender roles, with the strongest definitions appearing around child-rearing traditions. Since gravid female gryphons are bound to the nest for the gestation period, male gryphons must always have enough skill to hunt or gather food for more than one. Male gryphons therefore tend to appear more often in social roles related to food: hunters, butchers, tanners, or involved in trades like animal husbandry or managment of smokehouses. Female gryphons on the other hand, who will one day be trapped in a nest for their gravid years and will need something to occupy their time, trend toward crafting professions: beading and bead-making, weaving, the making of cord or twine, and the making and use of dyes. Female gryphons are also often given more time to study, and tend to be more educated. They are considered better able to plan and implement a well-built nest and surrounding dwelling.

Courtship Ideals

Both sexes are considered attractive mates if they can demonstrate that they have dedicated themselves to learning a particular skill. Gryphons prefer a mate that can teach their children to be successful in life, and having a skill or trade that one can pass down is highly preferred.
Courtship typically begins along the edges of two clan territories. A young adult gryphon will select a site near the border for a rudimentary dwelling. These are called bachelor houses or maiden houses, depending on the sex of the resident, and are not considered true nests. Therefore, they are neutral sites and the territory surrounding them is still considered unclaimed. A courtship can be initiated by either sex, and is done by presenting one's intended with a shed tailfeather. Once courtship has formally been initiated by this gift, however, it proceeds into an intricate set of steps where both gryphons attempt to prove themselves worthy mates.
After a gryphon has been presented with a tailfeather, they will arrange a time and place to formally introduce the suitor to their parents. This is important, as male gryphons always leave the clan of their birth and marry into the clan of the female gryphon of the pair. Therefore, the parents of a female gryphon are considering whether they wish to allow the suitor to join their clan, while the parents of a male gryphon are considering whether the suitor seems capable of accepting their son as family. Permission from the parents to continue the courtship past this phase is vital, as gryphons who elope without parental permission are not accepted into either clan and must establish their own without the support of extended family.
Once parental permission is received, the roles in courtship become more strictly defined by gender. The male gryphon is responsible for hosting the female's family, which involves sourcing and preparing a meal large enough for several gryphons. Before the meal is served, the male will perform a traditional courting dance, which is observed by the female and her family. The quality of both the dance and the meal will effect the suitor's chances. After this step has concluded, the female gryphon is then responsible for arranging for the safe passage of the male and his parents through her clan's territory and inviting them onto her family's lands, where she will guide them to several possible nesting sites and explain her plans for their future dwelling as mates. How well she is able to navigate her clan's lands, the quality of her chosen nesting sites, and how effective she is at explaining her architectural plans are all considered by the male's parents.
If both parties wish to continue the courtship at this stage, they will swap residences, with the male living in the maiden house and the female living in the bachelor house for a period of six months. This tradition is meant to test whether each clan involved in the marriage will abide by the courtship truce which allows the parents and siblings of the courting gryphons to cross into the other clan's territory to visit. It also allows both gryphons insight into how the other prefers to live, to ensure their living habits are compatible before they confirm that they are ready to start a life together.
At the conclusion of this six month period, both sets of parents, the two courting gryphons, and any other clan members who wish to attend are invited to attend the final negotiations. At this time, each courting gryphon has composed a single vow that they declare to the other. These are meant to be revealing of each gryphon's deepest values - a gryphon who vows to protect their mate from any danger values their own strength, while a gryphon that vows to raise their children with wisdom values their own knowledge. This is the final test for the courting couple, where they see if they are able to accept one another on the deepest level. If both parties choose to continue, they are considered betrothed. They can then select their permanent nesting site, stake out a territory around it, and begin construction of their shared residence.

Relationship Ideals

A gryphon is meant to put their mate first in all circumstances. In times of lean resources, they should ensure their mate is fed before they feed themselves. In times of struggle, they should ensure their mate is supported and able to continue on. In times of war, they are expected to go into battle at their mate's side if necessary. In a conflict between a gryphon's mate and a gryphon's clan, it is understood by all gryphons that the mate will come first. This is true even for conflicts between parents and children - a gryphon will side with their mate over their children in all but the most extreme of circumstances.

Common Etiquette Rules

Gryphons value their honor, which is measured by the success of their children, how well they support their mate, and the ability to defend their territory. A gryphon is therefore considered dishonorable if they do not clearly mark the boundaries of their territory. This is typically done by hanging chimes from the trees, painting on cliffsides, creating markers from dyed, tanned animal hide stretched across a wooden frame, or perhaps a dozen other methods. A gryphon whose territory is not clearly marked is considered lazy at best and deceptive at worst, perhaps spoiling for a fight.
Social politeness is also an important component of gryphon society. They value neatness and cleanliness, and both preening and grooming takes up a large portion of any gryphon's day. A gryphon that goes about with shabby feathers or matted fur is bringing dishonor on their clan for failing to carry themselves with composure, and a gryphon who brings a whole kill to a group gathering is considered boorish and rude - one is meant to butcher one's prey away from the table and carry the pieces in on a platter for one to consume neatly.
It is also dishonorable not to give an enemy warning and a chance to retreat before attacking. In formal combat challenges, to settle matters of honor or territory disputes, gryphons must open with a battle dance, an intimidating display that gives their opponent a chance to size them up and back down without losing face before combat begins. There is no dishonor in recognizing and retreating from a superior opponent.

Common Taboos

Given their dedication to their mates, the primary taboo in gryphon society is infidelity. Mates who are unfaithful to their partners are often violently driven from the nest. Unfaithful males can be rejected from their mate's clan entirely and thrown on the mercy of their birth clan, who may also reject them for bringing such dishonor to the family. Unfaithful females lose the rights to their nesting site and may find themselves rejected from their birth clan as well.
Injury or harm to a child is also considered unconscionable, as it is extremely dishonorable to battle a much weaker opponent. Gryphons who harm children are seen as akin to murderers and often executed if the harm to the child was great enough.

Scientific Name

Opinicus

Lifespan

Immortal