Welcome to another creature feature.

We're exploring awesome creatures from old stories.

We'll learn where they came from, what makes them special and what they might eat.

And we'll learn some interesting new words along the way.

Then you get to draw them and show off your art in our monstrous Masterpieces Gallery on our website.

Picture a creature that can soar through the sky.

It has the front of a mighty eagle with sharp claws and strong wings.

But its back half is like a powerful horse with four legs and a long tail.

It's a mix of bird and beast, and it looks both fierce and graceful.

Imagine it taking flight over castles and mountains.

Can you guess what it is?

A Hippogriff.

These amazing beings are said to be part eagle and part horse.

They are often shown as very proud and regal. If something is regal, it looks grand and

like it belongs to a king or queen. Hippagriffs are known for their speed and strength. You have

to be polite to them. They don't like rudeness. Some stories say only good people can ride

them. So where do hippogriffs come from? The idea of these creatures is quite old. They

first appeared in writings from a long, long time ago. One of the earliest stories about them comes from a poem written by a man named Virgil who lived in ancient Rome.

Ancient means it comes from the distant past.

Virgil described them as being born from a horse and a griffin, which is a creature that's part eagle and part lion. This made them seem very unusual because griffins and horses were thought to be natural enemies.

Because they were seen as impossible,

Hippogriffs became symbols of something that couldn't happen,

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