Of all the mythical creatures found in stories, legends, and drawings it is the Dragon that has captured the imagination of civilizations as far back as the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Persians and Chinese. The Europeans saw the dragons as an evil serpent-like creature. In an age of darkness, and ignorance the Europeans saw the world around them as evil and hostile. The dragon was used to symbolize the demons, sickness, and war that plagued their daily lives. While the Europeans feared the dragon as a beast or demon the Chinese saw them in a much better light. The Chinese thought of dragons as powerful guardian spirits. Their culture respected the dragon for wisdom and nobility. Though there are many different view points on how dragons are thought of we prefer the more modern approach. In fantasy stories the modern dragon is an intelligent magical creature, thus, a dragon can be as good or evil as any one human can be. The dragon depicted on the plaque to the left is one dedicated to the guardianship of time and the Circle of Life. In his claws he clutches the Book of Days, the druidic record of the Circle of Life and upon his shield are the four Runic symbols of the Seasons of the year.

Gryphons (griffin/griffon), mythological beasts commonly depicted as having the head, forelegs, talons and wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters, tail and occasionally the ears of a lion, to indicate that they combine intelligence and strength. They have been known for centuries as symbols of power and  vigilance, and have been called The Hounds of Zeus. In some mythologies, they represent the wealth of the sun. In others, they are said to have hoardes of fabulous treasure, which they guard endlessly.  The gryphon depicted upon this plaque may be regarded as a noble creature, possessed of strength and grace, a symbol of good fortune, health and long life.