Gryphaea is an extinct marine oyster widely known as the Devil’s Toenail due to its appearance. Since fossils are preserved organic entities over millions of years, this can be used in workings that require patience, longevity, or sealing of a spell. The stone is also known to reverse or counter psychic attacks due to its claw like appearance. It is also a chimera, meaning it represents two opposing elements that harmonizes: earth and water. It embodies the intuitive flow of the sea, and the physical and stable structure of the earth. Together, it is an alchemy of manifestation and growth. Gryphaea is a good addition to your altar as a powerful grounding tool, a ward to repel negative energies or to represent the wild, primordial force of nature.