The Perytion inhabits the island of Atlantis, and is a creature half stag, half bird. It possesses the head and feet of the stag, and as for the body, it is that of a perfect bird, with all its feathers and plumage.
The most astonishing feature of this beast is that when it is struck by the rays of the sun, the shadow it throws upon the ground is not that of its own figure, but rather that of a human being...
- The Book of Imaginary Beings
The Perytion is the creation of Jorge Luis Borges, though he cites fictional sources for the origins of the creature. In the AD&D Monster Manual, the name is spelled "Peryton" and the monster does not have the feet of a stag, but it is more-or-less the same beast described in The Book of Imaginary Beings.
The illustration by Peter Sis in the 2006 publication of The Book of Imaginary Beings shows the creature as a winged stag.
The winged stag is sometimes used in medieval imagery, but most likely had nothing to do with the Perytion.
Anyway, the choices for 1/72 perytons is pretty limited, with the two candidates that I own both being released in this year.
On the left is a peryton from the D&D Fantasy Miniatures Icons of the Realms line (Elemental Evil #23), while on the right is a Reaper peryton (Dark Heaven Legends 03702), sculpted by Julie Guthrie.
The D&D miniatures peryton is a bit small, and is probably better suited for 15mm figures. The body and wings are nicely sculpted, but the head looks a bit weird (perhaps reflecting the new Brynn Metheney design).
The Reaper peryton on the other hand is a bit large, but since it has horns like that of Megaloceros, I'm going to give it a pass with regard to scale. I don't particuarly care for the long reptilian tail, so I'll probably try to hunt around for some proper tailfeathers to use as a replacement.
Reaper will be releasing the peryton as a Reaper Bones miniature later this year. I'm not sure how the antlers will turn out in plastic, since I had to do a bit of adjustment with the metal ones to get them looking symmetrical.
4 comments:
Thanks for this! I think I actually prefer the D&D peryton. The Pathfinder SRD says they're medium critters, so I don't have a problem with the size.
Fun beasty.
Yes, 1Mac, the peryton has been M(edium)-sized since the original Monster Manual. I too am a bit of a stickler about scale. The Reaper piece is my favorite too, yet I may sculpt one of my own, not that I can hold a candle to the famous Julie Guthrie.
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