This comment is for Metamachy: as its inventor, I regret that my choice of an Eagle is changed to a Gryphon. It is wrong to think that a Gryphon was present into the Grant Acedrex of King Alfonso X of Castile (1283). No, the piece was an Aanca. An Aanca was an Arab-inspired beast, a giant bird, like an eagle, able to capture and draw elephants in the air. The drawing on the original codex illustrates that. The fault is from the great chess historian HJR Murray who interpretated this Aanca as a Gryphon, another mythical animal. That being said, my choice of an Eagle is in my opinion a better choice for this modern game. The presence of both a Lion and an Eagle, the two most used symbolic animals in heraldry is important to my eyes. I wish you could respect my choice. I don't feel bounded to Murray's errors, despite I owe a great respect to his immense achievements in general. Thank you.
This comment is for Metamachy: as its inventor, I regret that my choice of an Eagle is changed to a Gryphon. It is wrong to think that a Gryphon was present into the Grant Acedrex of King Alfonso X of Castile (1283). No, the piece was an Aanca. An Aanca was an Arab-inspired beast, a giant bird, like an eagle, able to capture and draw elephants in the air. The drawing on the original codex illustrates that. The fault is from the great chess historian HJR Murray who interpretated this Aanca as a Gryphon, another mythical animal. That being said, my choice of an Eagle is in my opinion a better choice for this modern game. The presence of both a Lion and an Eagle, the two most used symbolic animals in heraldry is important to my eyes. I wish you could respect my choice. I don't feel bounded to Murray's errors, despite I owe a great respect to his immense achievements in general. Thank you.