The Griffin or, as it was sometimes called, Gribshunden (griffin hound) was a ship that belonged to the Danish–Norwegian King Hans. The ship sank in 1495 and was one of the largest and most modern warships of its day. In 2015 a peculiar figurehead carving was raised from the wreck. It is shaped like a beast swallowing a man screaming in agony. The question is, what this sculpture is meant to symbolize? This article aims to shed light on the enquiry through placing the sculpture in a wider chronological context. Against the background of a general overview, from the dragon heads of the late Iron Age to early modern figureheads, it is argued that the sculpture raised from the Griffin was carved in a period when figureheads did not relate to the ship’s name or owner, but that the monstrous head is an expression of the spirit or character of the vessel.
Figureheads and Symbolism Between the Medieval and the Modern: The ship Griffin or Gribshunden, one of the last Sea Serpents?
The Mariner's Mirror ; 106 , 3 ; 262-276
2020-07-02
15 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Unbekannt
Griffin , Gribshunden , figurehead , medieval , sculpture , Baltic Sea , Sweden , Denmark , naval architecture
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