The hippogriff is a legendary creature which resembles a winged horse with the head and upper body of an eagle. The concept of the hippogriff may be derived from the Simorgh of Persian mythologies, which is related to the griffin.
The first recorded mention of the hippogriff was made by the Latin poet Virgil in his Eclogues. Though sometimes depicted during the Classical Era and during the rule of the Merovingians, it was first named and defined by Ludovico Ariosto in his Orlando Furioso, at the beginning of the 16th century. In this epic poem, written in the tradition of the Matter of France, the Hippogriff is a steed born naturally of a mare and a griffin. This creature is extremely fast and able to fly around the world. It is ridden by magicians and noble heroes, such as the wandering knight Roger, who, from the creature’s back, frees the beautiful Angelica. Due to the success of Ariosto’s narrative, the concept and name of the Hippogriff appear in other works of the same genre.
Sometimes depicted on heraldic coats of arms, the Hippogriff became a subject of visual art in the 19th Century, when it was often drawn by Gustave Doré. Like many legendary creatures, the Hippogriff has experienced a resurgence of popularity in modern works, especially in the realms of role-playing games and video games, as well as in fantasy novels.
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