Pride of the Hippogriff

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    As we continued on through the door, our guide stopped in front of the group and said, "We will be taking a short break now.  If anyone would like to sit," she motioned with her arm to the fountain behind her, "feel free."  With those words she disappeared in a puff of smoke.  Our group was silent.  Not because of the odd disappearance but because of our encounter with the Centaur.  Our minds were still reeling.  Even the skeptic had a look of confusion on his face.
    The room we found ourselves in was circular with beautiful stone walls, marble floors and a clear glass skylight.  The fountain in the center was very much like the one that I had seen as I first entered the building, except that, instead of Poseidon, a giant Unicorn was balancing on his back hoofs on the surface of the water.  His horn gleamed silver in the sunlight.  As we all milled about, each finding seats on the fountain side or on the benches against the walls, it occurred to me that there were plaques about other creatures adorning the walls.  The first one that I came to was about another creature I knew nothing about, called a Hippogriff.  The plaque read:

  

     The Hippogriff is an ancient creature said to be found in the Riphean mountains.  Its body is front half Griffin and back half horse.  A Griffin is a creature that has the head and wings of an eagle and the back half of a lion.  One reason that this creature is so rare is that horses and griffins do not typically get along well.  When a pair does mate, the female lays an egg that hatches approximately 9 months later.  The females are solitary and do not take care of the young.  This duty is left to the males.  They are very loving fathers and take good care of their offspring.  The young Hippogriffs are ready to enter the world on their own at 1 year of age.  They reach sexual maturity at the age of 3.  Males typically form packs of between 3 and 4 and defend their territory by sparring in the air.  They can live to be 50 years old and can be tamed and ridden by experienced animal keepers.  Their only natural enemy in the wild is the Griffin and, of course, humans.  A typical diet can consist of small mammals, insects and birds.  Vegetation is occasionally added to their diet but they prefer meat.
     The Hippogriff's personality is one of great pride.  They are typically very stoic and quiet.  When approaching a Hippogriff, it is important not to blink or show fear of any kind.  They sense dishonesty and do not trust easily.  After bowing to him/her, one should only try to touch or interact with the Hippogriff if the bow is returned.  If not, one should quietly back away.  If a Hippogriff is ever insulted verbally, he will retaliate physically.  Once befriending a Hippogriff, he will be your friend for as long as he lives.  They make wonderful companions on trips and will take very good care of their rider.
     Our museum does not have a Hippogriff on exhibit because of their volatile nature when faced with uncertainty.  Humans have much to learn about honesty and natural integrity.  Our management felt that it was in our guests best interests not to have one in the facility.


     "Wow!", I thought to myself.  I had no idea that this could happen - a Griffin and a horse!  I had no idea that Griffins even existed.  I turned from the plaque and looked at the others around me.  Some were in groups talking and pointing at other plaques on the walls.  The skeptic was sitting on the bench with his elbows on his knees.  He sat looking up at the fountain with his mouth ajar.  I thought I saw a very different look on his face from the one he joined our group with - understanding.  I sat down on the bench underneath the plaque and put my head in my hands.  I had definitely gotten more than I had bargained for on my trip.  I, too, was beginning to understand why I was brought here.



E-Mail Micah Carlson

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Websources:
Elfwood
http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/a/u/audrey1/hippogriff.jpg.html
Wikipedia
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippogriff
Pantheon.org
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/h/hippogriff.html


Author's Notes:
Most of the information contained within the plaque is from my own imagination.  I did use some of the information about the personality of the Hippogriff from my websources and from J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter books.  There is a Hippogriff in her books (numbers 3, 4 and 5) named Buckbeak.  He is set to be executed
in the third book for assaulting a character that was rude to him.  I won't tell you what happens - you should read the book!!

Image Information:
"H" is for Hippogriff by Audrie S Totire - Original Image


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