A wild Griffon
A Griffon is a fearsome beast that possesses the head of a bird of prey combined with the body of a great feline like a lion and massive, feathered wings. Their beaks are hooked and can easily sever a man's limb. Their claws, which are reminiscent of a hawk's talons, are kept sharp by regular scoring against stone.[2b]
Role[]
The Griffon Deathclaw, beloved mount of Emperor Karl Franz, as rendered for Total War: Warhammer.
Despite being large and monstrous creatures, Griffons have reputations as noble beasts. This is in part due to their proud and regal bearing -- Griffons are not ravenous and frenetic like Manticores. Instead, a Griffon strikes with swift and precise grace, its motion poised and controlled. Yet this elegance in no way undermines its deadliness, for a Griffon is more than capable of using its talons and razor beak to rip a foe apart. Skilled and efficient fighters, Griffons do not kill indiscriminately, although they show no reluctance when hunting or protecting their territory. They are fierce and merciless, but never cruel.[3a]
A Griffon mount used by the High Elves of Ulthuan.
Griffons prefer their meat raw and screaming, though they'll scavenge if no other prey presents itself. This is fairly rare, though, as their hunting grounds tend to range for hundreds of miles around their chosen mountain aerie. Their eyesight is a sharp as the raptors that they resemble and they can see motion from miles away. Their war cry causes fear in all but the hardiest souls and Griffon mounts must be forcibly restrained from hunting down fleeing opponents, as it is in their nature to rend all foes that flee from them.[2a]
A true Griffon compared in size to a Demigryph and a horse as created for Total War: Warhammer.
Feral Griffons are canny creatures and expert hunters, able to anticipate their prey's every move. Once a likely target has been spotted, a Griffon will relentlessly stalk it, waiting days if need be for the correct moment to strike. The ear-splitting shriek of a diving Griffon is highly feared and has been known to send entire armies ducking for cover, lest one of their number prove to be the beast's chosen quarry.[3a]
Griffons swoop down on their prey, screaming war cries as they come. They continue to attack until no opponent is left moving. Survivors of Griffon attacks often have dreams of being hunted down and rent limb from limb for years afterwards. These mighty predators dwell amidst the highest peaks of the Worlds Edge Mountains, occasionally flying to the lowlands when food is scarce.[2b]
The various colours of Griffon plumage, as created for Total War: Warhammer.
Griffons can be ranked amongst the most intelligent of beasts. If captured relatively young and subjected to suitable training, they make for incredibly loyal mounts, and can even be taught to obey and anticipate a wide range of commands. So has the Griffon become the steed of choice for many great heroes across Ulthuan and the Old World. Deathclaw, Emperor Karl Franz's beloved Griffon mount, is legendary for his dedication to his master, and many Elector Counts can boast a Griffon in their menageries.[3a]
A rare few Griffons serve as mounts for the richest and most powerful Imperial nobles, who are willing to pay vast sums of gold for a single Griffon egg or chick. Griffons are fierce and wild creatures, never entirely tame, no matter how many years of domestication they've endured.[2b]
Imperial Griffons[]
A comparison of the various forms of barding that can be applied to Imperial Griffon mounts, as created for Total War: Warhammer.
The Elector Counts of the Empire prize Imperial Griffons above all other mounts, and years of selective breeding have produced noble beasts that are notably stronger and larger than their wild counterparts. Brave Imperial adventurers seek out Griffon nests and steal their eggs or chicks to raise in captivity, singling out the strongest, cleverest and most ferocious for their lords. Once trained to carry a man in battle, Imperial Griffons are incredibly dedicated to their riders, and many among the Elector Counts prize these ferocious beasts as loyal mounts.[4a]
Concept art of an Imperial Griffon created for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.
Other than depictions of the mighty magical warhammer of Sigmar, Ghal Maraz, no symbol holds as high a place in the Empire's esteem as that of the Griffon. The renowned Griffon Standard of the Empire rests in the Holy Temple of Sigmar in Altdorf and it is said that no unit that ever carries it in good cause can be broken. The Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar's badge of office is carved from green jade in the likeness of a Griffon. Indeed, to the citizens of the Empire, the Griffon is a sacred beast.[2a]
The Griffon is also a sacred animal of the Cult of Taal, the god of nature and beasts.[5a]
Ulthuani Griffons[]
A Griffon of Ulthuan
The Griffons of the Annulii Mountains of the island-continent of Ulthuan are creatures of noble bearing and keen intelligence. Such is the Griffon's wild appearance, that a stranger to Ulthuan might deem it merely another savage beast of the mountains. Yet all High Elves know that Griffons are seldom given to cruelty -- at least, so long as you do not offer harm to those they think of as kin.[1a] In their own language, the Eltharin word for Griffon can also translate as "savage perfection", which aptly captures the creatures' deadly grace.[3a]
For a High Elf to have any hope of mastering a Griffon as a mount, the beast must be captured and trained while still young, forging a bond that only death can shatter. Griffons are particularly favoured by those among the Asur who fight in the thick of the fray. Indeed, many a battle has been won at the moment a shrieking Griffon descends into the heart of the enemy army, leaving a trail of dismembered and disembowelled bodies in its wake.[1a]
Notable Griffons[]
- Bloodfeather - Bloodfeather is the mount of Elector Count Wolfram Hertwig of Ostermark.
- Deathclaw -- Deathclaw is the favored Griffon mount of Emperor Karl-Franz.
- Sharpclaw - Sharpclaw is the mount of the High Elf Prince Althran Stormrider.
- Stormwing - Stormwing is the Griffon mount of Eltharion the Grim.
- Twinshriek - Twinshriek is the aptly named two-headed mount of the Amber Wizard Gregor Martak.