I found a scary-looking griffin (or gryphon) in Disneyland, and it was hiding in plain sight. Do you know where it is? And, by the way, what is a griffin anyway?
What is a griffin?
A griffin or gryphon is a legendary/mythical creature that the ancient Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans all honored and revered in their cultures.
To get an idea of what kind of creature the ancients cooked up here, let’s take a look at the beak on the griffin above – it kind of looks like a bird’s beak, doesn’t it? That’s because a griffin is part bird, namely it has the head and wings of an eagle. In fact, the word griffin (or gryphon) is probably based on the Greek word, grypos, which means “curved” or “hooked.”
But it also has the body of a lion, so together you’ve got two pretty fierce, world-class, dominant predators here. The eagle rules the skies, and the lion is the king of beasts on land.
Another part of the myth is that these griffins’ nests were made of gold, so the ancients took that as a sign that a griffin would be good at guarding their own treasured possessions & jewelry, etc.
The griffin is a symbol of strength, loyalty, honesty and intelligence, so even today, architects like to design them in to buildings in financial centers around the world, like London for example. The updated idea is that the griffin will protect peoples’ “nest eggs.” Get it?
Where is the griffin located at Disneyland?
From here, we can see that the Disneyland griffin is always-faithfully on duty guarding something around the Haunted Mansion. But hint-hint we’re not *exactly* at the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square, even though it appears to be so.
The picture below will tell you more…
Ah, now we see, the griffin (white arrow) is guarding the entrance to the FastPass distribution point for the Haunted Mansion, just off to the side of the main entrance to the Haunted Mansion.
Here’s the wikipedia article on Griffins.
YouTube Video
Here’s a two-minute video on the Disneyland Griffin …
4 replies on “Disneyland Griffin, Gryphon, or Gargoyle”
Have a pair of stone copies of the griffon. One was broken. Is there any place I might find another copy
Thank you
Wow that’s a rare find. Unfortunately, I have no idea where you might find a replacement. You might want to call Disneyland Guest Services at (714) 781-4565.
I have the same griffon statue as the one in the haunted mansion .Someone left it on the sidewalk after they moved out. The only thing is the head got taken off by someone so now I am trying to replace the head. ..not easy at all…any suggestions ?
The only thing I can think of is to try to find the original designer or sculptor through Disney, but that’s a long shot.