Mythological Beasts And Spirits: Wyvern

From its place of hibernation, from its lair beneath the lake,
Rupturing the liquid membrane, to the surface burst the Drake.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

The Wyvern was a winged, bipedal dragon. Technically, it differs from the Drake, which was a smaller version of a winged, four-legged dragon, but various literary works have used the term, Drake, to represent dragons in general. I took poetic license and used both terms interchangeably because it afforded me more flexibility in forming rhymes. For this, I hope I will be forgiven by those who are purists.

St. George and the Dragon by Paolo Ucello.
Note that the dragon in this particular painting is a Wyvern.

The Wyvern appears in Celtic works, as shown below.

Wyvern depicted in a 14th Century Welsh manuscript.

This creature is believed to have been used in medieval heraldry as well.

Possible symbol of the medieval kingdom of Wessex.

I tried to avoid modern fantasy art since the imagery is so familiar to enthusiasts, but I couldn’t ignore this diagram of a Wyvern skeleton. It harks back to my grade school (and current) fascination with dinosaurs, and it reminds my of illustrations from some of the books I owned in childhood.

Wyvern skeleton by BerserkMecha on Deviant Art.

Allow me to indulge myself by ending today’s post with another drawing of my own.

Bowstring sang, and arrow quivered…
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

Mythological Beasts And Spirits: Lindworm

“Why should you deny my challenge? Is it that I have no wings?
Missing these, I still can best you. Come. See how my venom stings.”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

This is perhaps the most grotesque of the creatures in this series. It is an awkward-looking reptile, a dragon with only two legs and no wings, but “bipedal, wingless dragon” sounds more erudite. Alternatively, one might view it as a two-legged serpent. It is another of the creatures used in heraldry.

There are different ways to interpret a Lindworm. Sometimes they are shown as walking on two “hind” legs on which they balance. The forelimbs are obviously missing. This approach seems to me to be the one used in the following coat of arms.

Coat of Arms of Wurmannsquick

My eyes were drawn to the following illustration for its bold lines and its detail and because it incorporates elements of an older style. As the credit at the lower right of the drawing implies, I believe it was drawn by an artist who goes by the name of Liza Phoenix. If I am wrong please correct me so that I can update my information.

Alternatively, a Lindworm may be portrayed as lacking hind legs and writhing like a snake. Its forelimbs might be used for pulling itself along and/or grabbing at prey as in the next illustration (for which I could find no credit).

Pictures like these used to rev my motor when I was a boy. Actually, they still do. Next week, I will mention a variant of the Lindworm.

Mythological Beasts And Spirits: Alphyn

Leonid, with eagle’s talons, wingless, though, with knotted tail,
Through the mist, an Alphyn sentry stared them down and gave them hail.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

The Alphyn combines various characteristics of a lion, a dragon, an eagle and a wolf, so it is a type of chimera. It has a long, knotted tail. For my poem, The Staff in the Tree, I chose to interpret it as a lion with eagle’s feet, but historically only the forelimbs are those of an eagle. In heraldry, it was sometimes used as a symbol for judgment, and it appeared on various coats of arms.

Coat of arms for the Alphyn Union, a Caldavakian alliance.

Below is a more modern rendition by William O’ Connor, a well known fantasy artist who specializes in mythological creatures.

From Dracopedia: The Bestiary by William O’ Connor.

My first drawing is a bit cartoonish (actually, I have a hard time escaping this), so let’s try again…

“Turn around,” the Alphyn ordered, “or your lives will soon be through.”
Said the leader in defiance, “I see only one of you.”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

Next post: another week, another creature.

Mythological Beasts And Spirits: Enfield

Said the wily, flitting Enfield, auburn fox with wings of gray,
“Have you seen the Spirit Father? What, exactly, did he say?”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

 

The Enfield is a type of chimera which combines the features of a fox, an eagle, a lion, a greyhound, and a wolf. In heraldry, it stood for subtlety, cunning, fierceness, and fortitude. It appeared on coats of arms.

An Enfield is on the right side and on the shield in the coat of arms for the Borough of London.

Here is an interesting interpretation by famed fantasy artist, William O’ Connor:

From Dracopedia: The Bestiary by William O’ Connor.

In the drawing at the top of the page, I simply portrayed the Enfield as a winged fox. It afforded me an easier rhyme, and it was something I felt I could actually draw with more skill.

Another chimeric cutie will be featured next week.

Mythological Beasts And Spirits: Hippogriff

In the sky, they flew and galloped while cavorting overhead,
Carried on each horse’s body eagle’s wings and eagle’s head.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

The Hippogriff had the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. As the above imagery and verses imply, I have taken some liberties by giving this creature the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a horse. I did this because it was easier for me to draw with my limited technique and because I found it easier to use in rhyme.

This mythological beast appeared on heraldic coats of arms, and its symbolism is varied. In Greek mythology, it was the symbol of Apollo. In later heraldry, it represented such things as love or the dual nature of Christ. Hippogriffs were sometimes considered the incarnation of evil spirits. This flexibility of meaning left me with plenty of wiggle room for my own story, and I felt free to make things up. I enjoy re-imagining older concepts.

Shown below are two representations from Orlando furioso, a poem written by Ludovico Ariosto.

Roger delivrant Angelique (1824) by Louis-Edouard Riouit.

Illustration by Gustave Dore from Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto.

More people are probably familiar with Buckbeak from the Harry Potter series of movies from Warner Brothers.

Credit: Warner Brothers

Val Jones working on a model of Buckbeak for Warner Brothers.

Now that you’ve seen what professionals can do, I’ll end with another of my amateurish drawings from The Staff in the Tree.

“Who consumes this fallen carnage of the armies from the east?
Here the Hippogriffs will gather. Here the Hippogriffs will feast.”
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

Sometimes I wonder, but my technique might have improved a little since sixth grade. More next week.

Mythological Beasts And Spirits: Shedu

Padded paws and feathered wingspan, lion’s mane, and all of white,
Softly silent, pale and ghostly, stalked the Shedu in the night.
From: The Staff in the Tree by Robert Lambert Jones III

In ancient Mesopotamia (Assyria), the Shedu (alternate name Lamassu)  was a winged animal (usually a bull or a lion) with the head of a man.

On a visit to London, I saw some of these relief sculptures at the British Museum, and they are impressive.

In later European heraldry, the Shedu is a winged lion. It is sometimes used as a symbol for Christian saints or concepts. One interesting application is that of the winged lion with its paw on an open book. This is a symbol of peace.

Below are some more representations of this mythological beast.

I like the above sculpture by Scott Eaton of a Shedu doing battle with Wyverns. It’s easier to see if you click on the image to enlarge it.

Here is an interesting composition by Ezra Tucker:

The colors and relatively simple lines in the above illustration by Synnabar work for me, too.

As the image at the beginning of this post indicates, I have used the Shedu as a character for my “epic” story poem, The Staff in the Tree.

More next week…