griffin is from the heraldry design. a griffin is a mythical creature with head of an eagle and body of a lion that is the guardian of the king/lord gold. a few years ago Archiology magazine had a story-- about how the legand of the griffon might have developed-- from some of the earliest finds of dinosaur bones, especially rich in an area of the gobi desert, where gold is also found. Miners used the fossilized bones to warn other to beware of the "griffin" so dangerous and fierce, they could never catch one alive, but could display the bones of "dead ones".

there are many "trade names" like fuller, that we no longer recognize. a reeve was a sort of animal "policeman" -- and could fine the owner of livestock that had cause damage, (broken a fence, eaten crops, etc).


my other obsession