H. G. Muller wrote on Tue, Apr 14, 2020 05:54 AM EDT:
Not sure why you say that. Any suggestion from you that starts with 'A' would have been more than welcome. I had to go through a quite large set of mythical beasts before I found anything with an A at all.
Griffon is the commonly used English name for the F-then-R. There is no need to change that, as the name doesn't collide with anything else. If there was an exact translation of the historical name, it could be an argument (but not enough to justify changing a well-settelled name, IMO). But that is not the case here, and Griffon seems as close as you can get. Keeping the untranslated name (as the Spanish did for Alfil, and the English for Rook), would give either Aanca if we follow the Spanish (a bad idea, in view of the confusion sowed by Betza) or the Arabic 'Roc' (which most people would probably reject for being to close to Rook).
Only the W-then-B and N-then-B are in need of new suitable names, and Monoceros seems most suitable for the N-then-B, as it is an exact translation (to Anglicized Greek) of the Spanish name.
[Edit] Considering the lack of acclaim for Acromantula: I would also be perfectly happy with a fable animal of my own design for W-then-B. E.g. an Antigryph (or Apogryph?). Which is the opposite of a Gryphon (compare Contra-Grasshopper): A lion's head and fore-legs on an eagle's body.
Not sure why you say that. Any suggestion from you that starts with 'A' would have been more than welcome. I had to go through a quite large set of mythical beasts before I found anything with an A at all.
Griffon is the commonly used English name for the F-then-R. There is no need to change that, as the name doesn't collide with anything else. If there was an exact translation of the historical name, it could be an argument (but not enough to justify changing a well-settelled name, IMO). But that is not the case here, and Griffon seems as close as you can get. Keeping the untranslated name (as the Spanish did for Alfil, and the English for Rook), would give either Aanca if we follow the Spanish (a bad idea, in view of the confusion sowed by Betza) or the Arabic 'Roc' (which most people would probably reject for being to close to Rook).
Only the W-then-B and N-then-B are in need of new suitable names, and Monoceros seems most suitable for the N-then-B, as it is an exact translation (to Anglicized Greek) of the Spanish name.
[Edit] Considering the lack of acclaim for Acromantula: I would also be perfectly happy with a fable animal of my own design for W-then-B. E.g. an Antigryph (or Apogryph?). Which is the opposite of a Gryphon (compare Contra-Grasshopper): A lion's head and fore-legs on an eagle's body.