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# Griffin

🏷 Greek hidden ruler mythical creature phoenix pun · symbol — by Gerry · Jul 2020 · 442 words

The mythical animal griffin, and spook names like Griffin & Griffith, derive from Greek puns of grupos for “hook-nosed” with kruphos & kruptos for “concealed”, and with griphos for “enigma”. The Semitic translations for “hook-nose” & “enigma” also pun with the words “Phoenician” & “Jew”.

The griffin creature is called γρύψ grups in Greek. It was invented as a Greek multi-pun critter with similar words that all have the consonants KRP or GRP:

- The griffin has a bird head, because Greek grups for “griffin” was also a name for birds of prey.
- The griffin has a beak, because Greek grupos means “hooked” & “hook-nosed”.
- The griffin has long ears, perhaps because Greek makria-aftia means “long ears” (consonants M-KRF-T).
- The griffin is wild & winged, perhaps because Greek agero-pteros means “wild” & “winged” (consonants GRP-TR).
- The griffin has a lion’s tail, perhaps because that looks like a paintbrush, and Greek graphis means “paintbrush” (though derived from “scraping” as with a stylus).
- The griffin is a spook symbol, because Greek kruphos & kruptos mean “concealed” & “hidden” (as in crypt, cryptic, encrypted).
- The griffin is also a spook symbol, because Greek griphos means “riddle” & “enigma”.
- The griffin is perhaps a synonym for phoenix & Phoenician, because “hook-nosed” was in Phoenician called aph-naqoz, like the phoenix.
- The griffin is perhaps a synonym for “Jew”, because Semitic hida (the number 1) also means “riddle” & “enigma”, and puns with Jehudah for “Jew”.
- The griffin is perhaps especially popular with later-day British & American Phoenicians, because in English it puns with “gripping”, “grabbing” & organized “graft”.

#### Greek kruphe, kruphos, krupto, kalupto = hidden, covered, concealed

κρυφῇ kruphe : privately, in secret, secretly — Ancient Greek (Strong)

κρυφός kruphos : to throw a cloud over; lurking-place — Ancient Greek (LSJ.gr)

κρυφαῖος kruphaios : hidden; secret, clandestine — Ancient Greek (LSJ.gr)

κρῠπτός kruptós : concealed, hidden, secret — Ancient Greek (Wikt)

κρύπτω krúptō : to hide, cover; to conceal, obscure — Ancient Greek (Wikt)

κᾰλῠ́πτω kalúptō : to cover, conceal; to cover with dishonour, throw a cloud over; to put over as a covering — Ancient Greek (Wikt)

#### Greek grups, grupos, grupto = curved, hook-nosed, bent

γρύψ grups : griffin; a bird, prob. the Lämmergeier; part of a ship’s tackle, or anchor — Ancient Greek (LSJ.gr)

grȳpus : with a hooknose; From Ancient Greek γρυπός (grupós). — Latin (Wikt)

γρυπός grupos : hook-nosed, aquiline; generally: hooked; curved — Ancient Greek (LSJ.gr)

γρύπτω grupto : become bent or wrinkled — Ancient Greek (LSJ.gr)

#### Greek grifos = enigma, puzzle, net

γρίφος grífos : conundrum (difficult question or riddle); puzzle; enigma; From Ancient Greek γρῖφος (grîphos, “fishing basket”) — Greek (Wikt)

logogriph : a kind of puzzle where a series of verses give clues leading to a particular word; From Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos, “word”) + γρίφος (gríphos, “riddle, fishing basket”). — English (Wikt)

🏷 Greek hidden ruler mythical creature phoenix pun · symbol