I don’t know what it is about them but I love gargoyles. Back in the GEnie days (anyone who was a member will know what that is) there was a writer on the critique boards who was writing about a gargoyle. I always remembered that story and wondered what became of it. I remember the gargoyle and a helicopter. Or maybe it was the cartoon in the early 90s. I loved that show. I loved the Star Trek: The Next Generation voices in it too. I loved the idea of these medieval gargoyles coming alive at night to protect New York. How can you not be drawn in by the tagline? One thousand years ago superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age of gargoyles.
Gargoyles have been around for a long time. A very long time. They can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Rome. But they are more commonly associated with the middle ages as well as gothic architecture. The gargoyle is actually the hollowed out stone carved grotesque used as a water spout. The carvings not used as a water spout are simply called grotesques. Commonly found standing guard on top of churches, they were believed to ward off evil. So how could they ward off evil? Well, they’re hideous and can frighten off almost anything. They come alive at night and can protect you while you’re sleeping. They return to their perch when the sun comes up so no one is the wiser.
I like some of the guesses for the origin of gargoyles on the Gargoyle Etymology & History page. The rainwater plumbing is practical. But some of my favourites include the idea that they were carved out of mischief, retribution for not paying the stone carver, caricatures of local townspeople.
I’m not going to go into all the history, religious and architectural. There’s way too much out there for this little post. But check out some of the links from the post is you want to know more. Looking into gargoyles has nudged my muse and got the creative juices flowing. Not that my muse needed any help of course. I already have enough to write about. But now I’m thinking there might be a gargoyle story in my future.
Well, off to get some work done.
Until next time…
Cindy
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