Scientists reject theory that griffins were inspired by dinosaur fossils

Scientists say they have debunked the theory that dinosaur fossils inspired the griffin myth.

According to legends dating back to the 4th millennium BC, the griffin was a fabulous creature with the head of a raptor and wings on a lion’s body.

And for more than 30 years, it has been widely accepted that the griffin mythology was started by early fossil hunters in Mongolia and northern China who stumbled upon fossils of the dinosaur Protoceratops while digging for gold.

This relative of Triceratops lived during the Cretaceous period, about 75 to 71 million years ago, and like griffins, it stood on four legs, had a beak, and had frill-like extensions on its skull that could have been interpreted as wings.

The theory of this connection was proposed by classical folklorist Adrienne Mayor in her 1989 cryptozoology paper “Paleocryptozoology.”

Dr Mark Witton and Richard Hing, palaeontologists at the University of Portsmouth, have now reassessed the historical fossil record against Ms Mayor’s arguments and say they have concluded that it “does not stand up to scrutiny”.

They say the hypothesis that the Protoceratops fossils were found by nomads searching for gold is untenable, as no gold has been found near known fossil sites, and add that even if they had been found, it is unlikely that they would have been recognized as the remains of a creature.

Dr Witton said: “It is assumed that the dinosaur skeletons are found half exposed, lying almost like the remains of recently deceased animals.

“But, generally speaking, only a fraction of an eroding dinosaur skeleton will be visible to the naked eye, unnoticed by all but keen-eyed fossil hunters.

“This is almost certainly how ancient people roaming Mongolia encountered Protoceratops.

“If they wanted to see more, as they would need to if they were to form myths about these animals, they would have to extract the fossil from the surrounding rock.

“It is no small feat, even with modern tools, glues, protective packaging and preparatory techniques.

“It seems more likely that the Protoceratops remains went largely unnoticed – if the prospectors were around to see them at all.”

In their study, published in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, they also argue that the geographical spread of griffin art throughout history does not fit the scenario that the griffin tradition began with fossils from Central Asia and then spread westward.

Dr Witton said: “Everything about the origins of griffins is consistent with their traditional interpretation as imaginary beasts, just as their appearance is entirely explained by their being chimeras of big cats and birds of prey.

“Invoking a role for dinosaurs in the griffin legend, especially for species from distant lands like Protoceratops, not only introduces unnecessary complexity and inconsistencies into their origins, but also relies on interpretations and propositions that do not stand up to scrutiny.”

The authors added that there is excellent evidence for the cultural importance of fossils throughout human history, with countless examples of fossils inspiring folklore around the world, known as “geomyths.”

Mr. Hing said: “It is important to distinguish between fact-based fossil folklore – that is, links between fossils and myth evidenced by archaeological finds or compelling references in literature and art – 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 these propositions in the realities of history, geography and paleontology. Otherwise, they are just speculations.”