Gargoyles

Gargoyles in entertainment derive from personified carved stone grotesques designed to convey water away from masonry structures to prevent their erosion (part of a rain gutter system). Typically the water exited out of the mouth of the gargoyle. The word gargoyle is related to the French word gargouille ("throat" or "gullet"), Latin words gurgulio, gula, gargula ("gullet" or "throat"), and gar ("to swallow", which also represents the gurgling sound of water, and the Spanish words garganta ("throat"). The Spanish gárgola ("gargoyle") is also connected the the French gargariser ("to gargle."). On modern structures where rain gutters and spouts convey rain water directly to the ground, architectural gargoyles might be employed on the ground and base of the spout to prevent mud and the eventual hole that develops. These modern gargoyles are rarely personified like their historical counterparts. In architecture, only functional waterspouts are called "gargoyles". 'Gargoyles' that serve only a decorative purpose are called grotesques. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Etruscans and Romans all decorated their waterspouts with animal like faces. These structures, both gargoyles and grotesques, where thought to ward off evil spirits. This idea persisted as Christians built cathedrals with gargoyles and grotesques, but this was not with out occasional objection by some church leaders who felt these decorations amounted to idolatry. Other church leaders however simply used them as visual examples of evil as literary descriptions were not that effective in non-literate societies. Common animal influences included lions, dogs, wolves, chimeras (griffins, centaurs, harpies, and mermaids), monkeys, goats, snakes, and eagles. Hippos and rhinos are also known. These were usually anthropomorphized and/or humanoid.

Legend of La Gargouille is a story about St. Romanus defeating an evil creature with a body that con not be completely burned after being killed. The body was used to decorate the new church at Rouen to scare away evil spirits. This story speaks on a dragon-like creature, the head and neck of which would not burn. It also describes it as having bat-like wings, a common trait of modern gargoyles.

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, a novel by Victor Hugo, may have been a major influence on modern gargoyles in entertainment and their preservation in architecture. The lonely character Quasimodo would speak with the grotesques like friends. The Notre-Dame cathedral itself is the star of the book, and the grotesques speak for it in a way. Hugo believed architecture to be a more free form of expression than literature that could be banned and censored and architecture was more accessible at that. Yet he felt that the printing press would be the doom of architectural expression. He features Gothic architecture (as Notre-Dame) in literature as one would transfer 8mm film to their computer but only an imperfect transfer was possible (it was more of a memorial). Ironically, his book sparked interest in Gothic architecture (including gargoyles) and its preservation. And, Notre-Dame itself was restored due to his book.

Images of Notre-Dame gargoyles (which are quite similar to the modern interpretations)