In the novel Tarzan the Terrible, the reader encounters a fascinating creature known as the Gryf. Described as the triceratops of the prehistoric era, this creature captures the imagination of both the characters and readers alike.
"Pan-at-lee, did you ever hear of a triceratops? No? Well this thing that you call a GRYF is a triceratops and it has been extinct for hundreds of thousands of years. I have seen its skeleton in the museum in London and a figure of one restored. I always thought that the scientists who did such work depended principally upon an overwrought imagination, but I see that I was wrong.”
The first triceratops skull and horns were unearthed near Denver, Colorado, in the spring of 1887. Early theories led to the assumption that the bones belonged to an unusual species of bison. Further discoveries in Montana and South Dakota allowed the jigsaw puzzle to evolve, and the first tentative skeletal drawing of the triceratops was completed in 1896.
The triceratops has undoubtedly earned its place among the top five dinosaurs in popular culture. Its iconic three-horned appearance and portrayal in countless movies have captivated the imaginations of fans, particularly adolescents. Often depicted in epic battles against the formidable T-Rex, in a manner that has become emblematic of prehistoric thrill and excitement.
From the first, dinosaur exhibits were tremendously popular with the public. In 1905 when the American Museum of Natural History opened their Hall of Dinosaurs, over 500 people attended that first day. All major newspapers and many of the leading magazines featured pictures and articles about new fossil discoveries and the growing number of visual representations of these ancient monsters.
Yet in the 1921 edition of Tarzan the Terrible (A.C. McClurg), an illustration depicting the main characters riding a Gryf appears, and it somewhat baffles the imagination. For reasons unknown, the artist, J. Allen St. John, deviates greatly from our understanding of the legendary dinosaur’s appearance. Is this a mistake? A form of creativity? It is hard to know. The artist did not have the luxury of Googling a few images with which to model a drawing, but still, I can’t imagine that he or someone might have had a National Geographic copy of Nature lying about. I even wonder why Burroughs failed to say something before the book went to press. I feel certain he had seen an article or two about the triceratops that he used to fashion his own variation.
It is worth noting that our knowledge of prehistoric creatures has evolved over time. The discovery of fossils and subsequent research have allowed us to piece together a more accurate understanding of these ancient animals. Oddly enough the first specimen of the triceratops that went on display at the Museum of Natural History in 1905 was a monster mashup. Since no complete skeletons had ever been unearthed, the paleontologists pieced together bones from 10 different individuals for the exhibit. This created something of a crude composite - the skull was too small, his front legs were different lengths, and his rear feet belonged to an entirely different species - with the wrong number of toes. (How long it took the Smithsonian to discover this composite is embarrassing, so I will not tell you.)
Could a photo in the New York Times (they provided a story on the Hall of Dinosaurs exhibit that year) have been St. Allen's inspiration for his artwork? Unlikely. Although the patchwork dino is not perfect, it does more closely represent his accepted countenance, than the illustrated interior plate from the 1921 McClurg edition.
I can find no other Gryf artwork that casts the dinosaur in a different shape from its classic representation. Even ten years later in the 1931 daily strips by Rex Maxon the triceratops is true to form.
Maybe there is an answer out there. The Carolina Calots website is always open to suggestions and new insights on the Burroughs world.
From conversations with Lord Greystoke: Gryf."Triceratops. A genus of huge herbivorous dinosaurs of the group Ceratopsia. The skull had two large horns above the eyes, a median horn on the nose, a horny beak, and a great bony hood or transverse crest over the neck. Their toes, five in front and three behind, were provided with hoofs, and the tail was large and strong." Webster's Dict. The gryf of Pal-ul-don is similar except that it is omniverous, has strong, powerfully armed jaws and talons instead of hoofs. Coloration: face yellow with blue bands encircling the eyes; hood red on top, yellow underneath; belly yellow; body a dirty, slate blue; legs same. Bony protuberances yellow except along the spine—these are red. Tail conforms with body and belly. Horns, ivory.
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