They were supposedly a symbol of the Greek god Apollo, and the word Hippogriff comes from the Ancient Greek word for horse, 'hippos', and the Italian 'grifo', which means griffin, that other mythical half-eagle creature. According to ledgend, Hippogriffs are created when a griffin mates with a horse, hence the name.

The Italian poet Ludlvico Ariosto wrote about a Hippogriff in his 1516 epic Orlando Furioso. His Hippogriff flies around the world and helps one of the poem's heroes, Ruggiero, rescue the pagan princess Angelica.

The word 'Hippogriff' was adopted into English in the 1600s. Often shown on heraldic coats of arms, in the 19th century Hippogriffs became a regular subject of visual art, appearing in works by the prolific French artist Gustave Dore. More recently Hippogriffs have appeared in books by E Nesbit and the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. And , of course, Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban.