The sea-griffin (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Fischgreif'';

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

: ''rybogryf'', ''gryf morski'') is a heraldic charge in form of an aquatic

griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

with the head, upper-half, wings, and talons of an

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

and the lower-half of a fish. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies; Graham Johnston:: ''A Complete Guide to Heraldry''. London: Kessinger Publishing, 1909, p. 256. ISBN 1-4179-0630-8.

History

The symbol originates from the region of

Lands of Schlawe and Stolp The Schlawe and Stolp Land, also known as Słupsk and Sławno Land, is a historical region in Pomerania, centered on the towns of Sławno (''Schlawe'') and Słupsk (''Stolp'') in Farther Pomerania, in present-day Poland. The area is of some his ...

in Pomerania, Central Europe. It was used in the coat of arms of the

Swienca family The Swienca family was a medieval Pomeranian noble family which held high offices under various political powers in the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp (Sławno and Słupsk) and Pomerelia from the mid-13th to the mid-14th centuries. It is named after its ...

, which hold powerful offices in the area from 13th to 14th centuries. Following them dying out in around 1316, the area went back under the direct rule of the House of Griffin, which continued to use the sea-griffin in the regional coat of arms.Norbert Buske: ''Wappen, Farben und Hymnen des Landes Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Eine Erläuterung der neuen Hoheitszeichen des Landes verbunden mit einem Gang durch die Geschichte der beiden Landesteile dargestellt an der Entwicklung ihrer Wappenbilder''. Mit Aufnahmen von Thomas Helms. Edition Temmen, Bremen 1993, ISBN 3-86108-202-0. The sea-griffin was one of the nine charges present in the coat of arms of the Duchy of Pomerania introduced around 1530. It was a white (silver) sea-griffin facing viewer's left and placed within a red field. It was meant to represent the island of Usedom, despite it never being used as its symbol before. It is also present in the coat of arms of the Puttkamer family, which, according to some historians, is related to Swienca family, although such statement remains debated. Today, the sea-griffin if used in various municipal coats of arms in Pomeranian and West Pomeranian Voivodeships in northern Poland. It include the cities of Darłowo,

Łeba Łeba (pronounced: , Kashubian, Pomeranian and German: ''Leba'') is a seaside town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of northern Poland. It is located in the Pomerelia sub-region, near Łebsko Lake and the mouth of the river Łeba on the coast of th ...

, Sianów, and Sławno, as well as the coat of arms of the counties of Sławno, and

Tuchola Tuchola (german: Tuchel; csb, Tëchòlô) is a town in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland. The Pomeranian town, which is the seat of Tuchola County, had a population of 13,418 . Geographical location Tuchola lies about n ...

, and the

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...

s ( municipalities) of Gniewino, Potęgowo, Sławno,

Trzebielino Trzebielino is a village in Bytów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Trzebielino. It lies approximately west of Bytów and west of the regional capital Gdańs ...

, and

Tuchomie Tuchomie ( csb, Tëchòmié, german: Groß Tuchen) is a village in Bytów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Tuchomie. It lies approximately west of Bytów B ...

. It is also present in the coat of arms of commune of

Trouville-la-Haule Trouville-la-Haule () is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department The following is a list of the 585 communes of the Eure department of France. The communes coo ...

in Normandy, France.

Gallery

POL powiat sławieński COA.svg, Coat of arms of Sławno County. POL powiat tucholski COA.svg, Coat of arms of Tuchola County. POL Darłowo COA 1.svg, Coat of arms of Darłowo. POL Łeba COA 1.svg, Coat of arms of

. POL Sianów COA.svg, Coat of arms of Sianów. POL Sławno COA 1.svg, Coat of arms of Sławno. POL Gniewino COA.svg, Coat of arms of Gmina Gniewino. POL gmina Potęgowo COA.svg, Coat of arms of

Gmina Potęgowo __NOTOC__ Gmina Potęgowo is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Słupsk County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the village of Potęgowo, which lies approximately east of Słupsk and west of the regional capital ...

. POL gmina Sławno COA.PNG, Coat of arms of Gmina Sławno. Trzebielino.jpg, Coat of arms of

Gmina Trzebielino __NOTOC__ Gmina Trzebielino is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Bytów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the village of Trzebielino, which lies approximately west of Bytów and west of the regional capital ...

. POL gmina Tuchomie COA.png, Coat of arms of

Gmina Tuchomie __NOTOC__ Gmina Tuchomie ( csb, Tëchòmié) is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Bytów County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. Its seat is the village of Tuchomie, which lies approximately west of Bytów and west of the reg ...

. Blason ville fr Trouville-la-Haule (Eure).svg, Coat of arms of the commune of

References

{{Heraldry Heraldic beasts Griffins Fish in heraldry Mythological creatures Maritime folklore Sea monsters Mythological hybrids German heraldry Polish heraldry History of Pomerania