Why did the griffin become the Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Pomerania? The dukes of Western Pomerania between the eagle and the lion

Abstract

The article analyses the political reasons that may have led to the choice of the griffin as the heraldic animal of the West Pomeranian dukes’ dynasty. The author elaborates on the findings of Ralf-Gunnar Werlich, who asserted that the griffin was adopted in the 1190s as a symbol of the West Pomeranian dynasty’s independence from Roman emperors and Danish kings. While the author agrees that the griffin served as a symbol of sovereignty, distinguishing the dynasty from those rulers who used the eagle and lion in their seals, she contends that this adoption did not occur until the 1230s. In the article, she describes the political situation at that time and concludes that by choosing the griffin as their coat of arms, the West Pomeranian dukes wanted to show their independence from the Margraves of Brandenburg, whose coat of arms in the early thirteenth century was the eagle, and from the Danish kings, whose coat of arms at around the same time was the lion.