Alphyn is a wonderful wolf creature featured in heraldry.
It sports a dragon's scaly underbelly and forelimbs, a long knotted tail, large pointed ears, and a thin, pointed tongue.
The Alphyn has a thick mane and long thin tongue. It also possesses a notable characteristic that is itsknotted tail, reminiscent of Celtic design and similar to that of the Griffin...
Sometimes it is depicted as having an eagle's or dragon's talons on its forelegs, other times they are cloven, like a goat's.
Occasionally all four feet are depicted as having the claws of a lion.
In English heraldry, the Alphyn was used as a heraldic badge of the Lords de la Warr, and also appeared on the guidon held by the knight in the Milleflour Tapestry in Somerset...
It is argued that this heraldic beast derives from an Arabic chess piece, the equivalent of the European knight of the chessboard.
The Arabic name for this piece is 'al-fil' and it is usually depicted as an elephant...
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