Painting of a griffin, a lion-raptor chimera, along with fossils of Protoceratops, a horned dinosaur. The latter are said to have informed the knowledge and appearance of the former, but our study suggests that there is no convincing link between dinosaurs and griffins. Credit: Dr Mark Witton
A new study debunks the theory from which the griffin myths were inspired Protoceratops dinosaur fossils, revealing inconsistencies in geographic and historical evidence and advocating for a return to traditional interpretations of these mythological creatures.
A new study challenges the popular and widely held claim that dinosaur fossils inspired the legend of the griffin, the mythological creature with the head and wings of a bird of prey and the body of a lion.
The specific link between dinosaur fossils and griffin mythology was proposed over 30 years ago in a series of papers and books written by folklorist Adrienne Mayor. These started in 1989 Cryptozoology paper entitled “Paleocryptozoology: a call for collaboration between classicists and cryptozoologists” and were amplified in the seminal 2000 book “The First Fossil Hunters”. The idea became a staple of books, documentaries and museum exhibits.
He suggests that an early horned dinosaur of Mongolia and China, Protoceratops, was discovered by ancient nomads looking for gold in Central Asia. Tales of Protoceratops the bones then traveled southwest on trade routes to inspire, or at least influence, griffin stories and art.
Griffins are some of the oldest mythological creatures, first appearing in Egyptian and Middle Eastern art during the 4th millennium BC, before becoming popular in ancient Greece during the 8th century BC. Christ.
Protoceratops was a small dinosaur (about 2 meters long) that lived in Mongolia and northern China during Cretaceous period (75-71 million years ago). They belong to the group of horned dinosaurs, making it a relative of Triceratops, although they actually lack facial horns. Like a griffin, Protoceratops they stood on all fours, had beaks, and had claw-like extensions of their skulls that, it has been argued, could be interpreted as wings.
Critical reappraisal by scientists
In the first detailed assessment of the claims, study authors Dr Mark Witton and Richard Hing, paleontologists at University of Portsmouthre-evaluated the historical fossil record, distribution and nature of Protoceratops fossils and classical sources linking the griffin to Protoceratops, consulting with historians and archaeologists to fully understand the conventional, non-fossil view of the griffin’s origins. Ultimately, they found that none of the arguments stood up to scrutiny.
Ideas that Protoceratops would be discovered by gold-seeking nomads, for example, it is unlikely when Protoceratops fossils occur hundreds of kilometers away from ancient gold sites. In the century since Protoceratops was discovered, no gold has been reported near them. It also seems doubtful that the nomads would have seen much Protoceratops skeletons, even if they looked for gold where their fossils are found.
Comparisons between the skeleton of Protoceratops and ancient griffin art. Griffins are clearly based on large cats, from their musculature and long, flexible tails to their manes (indicated by the “hairs” draped over their necks), and birds, and differ from Protoceratops in almost all measures of proportion and form. Image compiled from illustrations in Witton and Hing (2024). Credit: Dr Mark Witton
“There is an assumption that dinosaur skeletons are discovered half-exposed, lying almost like the remains of recently deceased animals,” Dr Witton said. “But in general, only part of a dinosaur’s gnawing skeleton will be visible to the naked eye, unnoticed by all but sharp-eyed fossil hunters.
“This is almost certainly how the ancient peoples wandering around Mongolia encountered each other Protoceratops. If they wanted to see more, as they would if they were to create myths about these animals, they would have to dig the fossil out of the surrounding rock. This is no small task, even with modern tools, adhesives, protective wraps and preparation techniques. It seems more likely that Protoceratops the remains, by and large, passed unnoticed—if the gold diggers were there to see them.”
Alternative explanations for the Griffin images
Similarly, the geographic spread of griffin art through history does not fit the scenario of griffin knowledge beginning with Central Asian fossils and then spreading westward. There are also no clear references to Protoceratops fossils in ancient literature.
Protoceratops it is only like the griffin in being a four-legged animal with a beak. There are no details in the griffin art to suggest that their fossils were referenced, but, conversely, many griffins were clearly made up of the features of living cats and birds.
Dr Witton added: “Everything about the origin of the griffin fits with the traditional interpretation of them as imaginary beasts, just as their appearance is entirely explained by being chimeras of big cats and birds of prey. Calling a role for dinosaurs in griffin knowledge, especially species from distant places like Protoceratopsnot only does it introduce unnecessary complexity and inconsistency in their origins, but it also relies on interpretations and propositions that do not stand up to scrutiny.”
The authors are keen to point out that there is excellent evidence of culturally significant fossils throughout human history, and countless instances of folklore-inspiring fossils around the world, referred to as ‘geomites’.
Richard Hing said: “It is important to distinguish between fossil folklore with a factual basis – that is, links between fossils and myths evidenced by archaeological discoveries or compelling references in literature and artwork – and speculative links based on intuition.
“There is nothing fundamentally wrong with the idea that ancient peoples found dinosaur bones and incorporated them into their mythology, but we must ground such propositions in the realities of history, geography and paleontology. Otherwise, they are just speculation.”
Dr Witton added: “Not all mythological creatures require explanations through fossils. Some of the most popular geometries – Protoceratops and griffins and fossil elephants and cyclops and dragons and dinosaurs—have no evidentiary basis and are entirely speculative. We promote these stories because they are exciting and seem intuitively plausible, but doing so ignores our growing knowledge of fossil geometries based on facts and evidence. These are just as interesting as their conjectural counterparts, and perhaps deserve more attention than purely speculative geomythological scenarios.”
Reference: “Did the horned dinosaur Protoceratops inspire the griffin?” by Mark P. Witton and Richard A. Hing, June 19, 2024, Interdisciplinary scientific reviews.
DOI: 10.1177/03080188241255543