What counts as a gargoyle?

In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle (/ˈɡɑːrɡɔɪl/) is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between.

What is an example of a gargoyle?

One of the most famous examples of cathedrals with gargoyles is the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The word ''gargoyle'' comes from the old French word gargouille, or throat. Grotesques were also used as a decorative and support form in gothic architecture and are often confused with gargoyles.

What is not a gargoyle?

The difference between a gargoyle and a grotesque is easy to remember. A gargoyle is a decorated waterspout that projects from a roof and carries rainwater away from the walls of a building, protecting it from damage, whilst a grotesque is a decorative carving that has no functional architectural purpose.

What are the three types of gargoyles?

What is a gargoyle without water?

They perform a function, taking rainwater and snow melt and spouting it away so it doesn't run down the face of a building, eroding walls and foundations. If it doesn't spout water — or gargle — it isn't a gargoyle, it's a grotesque.

The art of gargoyles

What is the difference between a gargoyle and a chimera?

You see, whereas a gargoyle, in the strictest sense of the word, is a statue which spouts out water, a Chimera (also referred to as a Grotesque) is a statue which is formed of various monstrous body parts but is there purely for decorative purposes.

Do gargoyles have to be stone?

The materials used for the earliest Gargoyles were made of wood or even terracotta but early Medieval Gothic gargoyles were made of stone. Later gargoyles, especially in churches, were predominantly limestone and marble, although metals such as lead were also used in fashioning some gargoyles.

What are female gargoyles called?

Demona, once known as Angel and also known as The Demon, is a female gargoyle.

What is a gargoyle in the Bible?

Some historians believe gargoyles were inspired from pagan eras and were used to make churches feel more familiar to new Christians. Others said gargoyles were morality lessons in stone, reminding people that while purity and good may be found inside the church, sin and evil are never far away.

Do gargoyles keep evil away?

The longer the body of the gargoyle, the further the water was projected. This prevented water from running down the walls and causing damage to the buildings. However, some gargoyles had another function. As decorations in churches and cathedrals, they were said to ward off evil spirits.

What is the most famous gargoyle?

The most famous Notre Dame gargoyle, known as “Stryge,” has watched over the city of Paris with its head in its hands.

Why are gargoyles bad?

A gargoyle is usually chaotic evil. Gargoyles are sentient, cunning, and malevolent to the extreme. Their favorite sport is to capture intelligent beings and slowly torture them to death. Due to its stone body, a gargoyle has the ability to hold itself so still that it appears to be a statue.

Is a Griffin a gargoyle?

Some (but not all) of these medieval griffins are gargoyles. A gargoyle is a functional sculpture or carving that serves a practical purpose on the building's exterior—to move roof water away from its base, like a downspout of a gutter. A griffin may serve as a drainage gutter or its role can be purely symbolic.

What is another name for gargoyles?

synonyms for gargoyle

On this page you'll find 10 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to gargoyle, such as: carving, sculpture, bibb, bibcock, faucet, and fountain.

Are gargoyles a symbol of protection?

Hundreds of years ago, during medieval times, gargoyles were viewed as a symbol of protection. They were installed on buildings to provide protection to the house or building. Also, they were a way to protect buildings from rain and erosion of the mortar that held the building materials in place.

How many gargoyles are there?

According to the series creator Greg Weisman, there are only about 400 Gargoyles alive by the time of Goliath and his clan awakening from their stone sleep in modern Manhattan.

What religion uses gargoyles?

The Catholic Church's primary use of the gargoyle was to illustrate evil. The church wanted to convey a realistic image of the possibility of a damned afterlife. The Gothic idea was one of pain and suffering and the buildings loomed over the citizens in a romantically dramatic cloud.

What did gargoyles symbolize?

In addition to the practical function of projecting water away from a building, gargoyles were also intended to symbolise 'guardianship' of the building and to ward off evil spirits. Their open mouths were symbolic of them devouring giants.

Are gargoyles pagan?

The relation of gargoyles to paganism is quite fitting. While classic gargoyles are a product of the middle ages, the practice of decorating drain spouts with animals, and creatures like gargoyles goes way back, even to Ancient Egypt and other pagan/non-christian places.

Is gargoyles good or bad?

Some state that gargoyles were meant to illustrate evil and sin, while others have posited that grotesques in architecture were apotropaic devices. Sometimes the use of the gargoyles illustrated pagan beliefs to reflect the unique cultural history of the community the cathedral is part of.

Are gargoyles good or bad luck?

They're protectors," says Babbie Seibels, owner of At Home, a Birmingham, Ala., furnishings and accessories store. But gargoyles are intended to be just a little bit scary. Superstition has long held that the grotesque stone figures frightened away evil spirits.

What are gargoyles powers?

Gargoyles have six powers and abilities: immortality (invulnerable to the passing of time and to diseases), human form (shapeshift to human-like beings), flight posses wings), camouflage (blend with the inanimate grotesques to surprise intruders), endurance (cannot be wounded at night), and petrification (turns other ...

Who cursed the gargoyles?

The Magus was the wizard who cursed the gargoyles, trapping them in stone sleep. His real name is unknown, "Magus" being the Latin word for "wizard", and therefore a title.

Why can't gargoyles swim?

Weaknesses. Heavy Body: As gargoyles are made out of stone, they're very heavy; because of this, they can't swim; they just sink to the bottom.

How are gargoyles born?

Gargoyle eggs are created when a female gargoyle goes into heat and mates with a male gargoyle on or near the Autumn Equinox every twenty years, those ending in '7' (e.g. 927, 947, 967, 987, etc). The female gargoyle incubates the resulting embryo inside her body for six months while forming an egg around it.