Dinosaur fossils may not have inspired the mythological griffin, a new study has found, debunking a century-old theory.
For many years, it was widely accepted that the griffin—a creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion—was inspired by dinosaur fossils. This theory has even been mentioned in scholarly works.
However, the new study by University of Portsmouth paleontologists Dr. Mark Witton and Richard Hing offers a new perspective on the origins of the legend.
The griffin has been a part of mythological art and literature since at least the 4th millennium BC. The creature first appeared in Egyptian and Middle Eastern cultures and later became a popular figure in ancient Greece.
The skeleton of Protoceratops (above) compared to ancient art of griffins. It was thought that the mythical creatures were inspired by the dinosaur.
Mark P. Witton.
The theory connecting griffins to dinosaur fossils was proposed by folklorist Adrienne Mayor over 30 years ago. She suggested that ancient nomads in Central Asia discovered the fossils of the Protoceratops, a type of horned dinosaur while searching for gold. These nomads, according to Mayor, carried tales of the Protoceratops southwest along trade routes, which then influenced the griffin imagery in art and mythology.
Protoceratops was a small dinosaur, approximately two meters long, that lived in Mongolia and northern China during the Cretaceous period. Despite its lack of facial horns, it had a beak and frill-like extensions on its skull, which some have argued could be interpreted as the griffin’s wings.
Witton and Hing’s study reexamined historical fossil records and the geographical distribution of Protoceratops fossils. They also consulted with historians and archaeologists to understand the non-fossil-based origins of the griffin myth. Their findings suggest that the connection between Protoceratops fossils and the griffin legend is unlikely.
“There is an assumption that dinosaur skeletons are discovered half-exposed, lying around almost like the remains of recently-deceased animals,” said Witton. “But generally speaking, just a fraction of an eroding dinosaur skeleton will be visible to the naked eye, unnoticed to all except for sharp-eyed fossil hunters.
One of the main points of contention is the location of Protoceratops fossils. These fossils are found hundreds of kilometers away from known ancient gold sites. Moreover, no gold has been reported alongside Protoceratops fossils since their discovery over a century ago.
A painting of a griffin alongside the fossils of Protoceratops. Scientists say that while it’s possible the fossils inspired folklore, it’s unlikely.
Mark P. Witton.
Witton further explained that ancient peoples in Mongolia would have seen only fragments of these skeletons, making it unlikely they could have formed myths about the creatures without significant effort to extract and reconstruct the bones. This task, he noted, is challenging even with modern tools and techniques.
The geographic spread of griffin art also does not support the theory of a Central Asian fossil origin.
“That’s almost certainly how ancient peoples wandering around Mongolia encountered Protoceratops. If they wanted to see more, as they’d need to if they were forming myths about these animals, they’d have to extract the fossil from the surrounding rock,” Witton said. “That is no small task, even with modern tools, glues, protective wrapping and preparatory techniques. It seems more probable that Protoceratops remains, by and large, went unnoticed — if the gold prospectors were even there to see them.”
The authors acknowledge that while fossils have certainly influenced folklore, these connections need to be based on concrete evidence rather than speculation.
“It is important to distinguish between fossil folklore with a factual basis — that is, connections between fossils and myth evidenced by archaeological discoveries or compelling references in literature and artwork — and speculated connections based on intuition,” Hing said.
“There is nothing inherently wrong with the idea that ancient peoples found dinosaur bones and incorporated them into their mythology, but we need to root such proposals in realities of history, geography and palaeontology. Otherwise, they are just speculation.”
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