Gargoyle 50473 225903854 2008-07-15T23:07:11Z 65.78.108.234 /* History */ {{dablink|This article is about gargoyle statues. For other uses, see [[Gargoyle (disambiguation)]].}} [[Image:Gargoyle, Dornoch Cathedral.jpg|thumb|A gargoyle adorning [[Dornoch Cathedral]] in [[Dornoch]], [[Scotland]]]] In [[architecture]], a '''gargoyle''' is a carved stone [[grotesque]] with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building. The term originates from the [[French language|French]] ''gargouille,'' originally "throat" or "gullet";<ref name="AHD">{{cite book|author=Houghton Mifflin|authorlink=Houghton Mifflin|title=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|edition=4th ed|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|date=2000|location=Boston and New York|pages=p,725|url=http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/epub/ahd4.shtml|isbn=978-0-395-82517-4}}</ref> cf. [[Latin]] ''gurgulio, gula,'' and similar words derived from the root ''gar,'' "to swallow", which represented the gurgling sound of water (e.g., Spanish ''garganta,'' "throat"; Spanish ''gárgola,'' "gargoyle"). A [[Chimera (architecture)|chimera]], or a [[grotesque]] figure, is a sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function. These are also usually called ''gargoyles'' in laypersons' terminology,<ref name="AHD"/> although the field of architecture usually preserves the distinction between gargoyles (functional waterspouts) and non-waterspout grotesques. Reproductions of statues representing gargoyle-like creatures, available in some retail stores, although sometimes functional, are more often than not grotesques modeled after famous gargoyles. == History == [[Image:GorgoyleSharp.jpg|thumb|right|A 2nd century BC Hellenistic gargoyle representing a comical cook-slave from [[Ai Khanoum]], [[Afghanistan]]]] The term ''gargoyle'' is most often applied to [[medieval]] work, but throughout all ages some means of water diversion, when not conveyed in gutters, was adopted. In [[Egypt]], gargoyles ejected the water used in the washing of the sacred vessels which seems to have been done on the flat roofs of the [[temple]]s. In [[Greek temple]]s, the water from roofs passed through the mouths of lions whose heads were carved or modeled in the [[marble sculpture|marble]] or [[terra cotta]] [[cymatium]] of the [[cornice (architecture)|cornice]]. A local legend that sprang up around the name of [[St. Romanus]] ("Romain") (631–641 A.D.), the former chancellor of the Merovingian king [[Clotaire II]] who was made [[bishop of Rouen]], relates how he delivered the country around [[Rouen]] from a monster called ''[[Gargouille]]'', having the creature captured by the only volunteer, a condemned man. The gargoyle's grotesque form was said to scare off evil spirits so they were used for protection. In commemoration of St. Romain the Archbishops of Rouen were granted the right to set a prisoner free on the day that the [[reliquary]] of the saint was carried in procession (see details at [[Rouen]]). Many medieval cathedrals included gargoyles and chimarae. The most famous examples are those of [[Notre Dame de Paris]]. Although most have grotesque features, the term gargoyle has come to include all types of images. Some gargoyles were depicted as monks, combinations of real animals and people, many of which were humorous. Unusual animal mixtures, or chimeras, did not act as rainspouts and are more properly called grotesques. They serve more as ornamentation, but are now synonymous with gargoyles. Both ornamented and unornamented water spouts projecting from roofs at parapet level were a common device used to shed rainwater from buildings until the early eighteenth century. From that time, more and more buildings employed downpipes to carry the water from the [[Rain gutter|guttering]] at roof level to the ground and only very few buildings using gargoyles were constructed. In 1724, the London Building Act passed by the [[Parliament of Great Britain]] made the use of downpipes compulsory on all new construction.<ref>{{citation|title=Holy Horrors|journal=The National Trust Magazine|date=Autumn 2007|pages=66–68}}</ref> For those who believed in evil spirits, gargoyles were powerful spirits in the service of the church. They were guardians of the buildings they were on and kept evil spirits away. Thus the faithful had no need to fear any evil spirit and could even laugh at it with impunity. ==19th and 20th centuries== [[Image:Notre dame-paris-view.jpg|thumb|left|A view of [[Paris]] from the ''Galerie des Chimères'' on [[Notre Dame de Paris]]]] [[Monster]]s, or more precisely chimarae, were used as decoration on 19th and early 20th century buildings in cities such as [[New York City|New York]] (where the [[Chrysler Building]]'s stainless steel gargoyles are celebrated), and [[Chicago]]. Gargoyles can be found on many churches and buildings. One impressive collection of modern gargoyles can be found at [[Washington National Cathedral]] in Washington, DC. The cathedral, begun in 1908, is encrusted with the limestone demons. This collection also includes [[Darth Vader]], a crooked politician, robots and many other modern spins on the ancient tradition. The 20th Century collegiate form of the [[Gothic Revival]] produced many modern gargoyles, notably at [[Princeton University]], [[Washington University in St. Louis]], [[Duke University]] and the [[University of Chicago]]. ==Gargoyles in fiction== In contemporary fiction, gargoyles are typically depicted as a (generally) winged humanoid race with demonic features: generally horns, a tail, and talons. They are said to be guardians of the building on which they reside. These fictional gargoyles can generally use their wings to fly or glide, and are often depicted as having a rocky hide, or being capable of turning into stone in one way or another. The TV movie Gargoyles:Wings of Darkness and its sequel [[Reign of the Gargoyles]] feature attacks by living gargoyles. Andrew Davidson's novel ''The Gargoyle'' (Doubleday, 2008) is about the 700-year romance between a badly burned pornagrapher and a famous gargoyle sculptor. ==See also== * [[Hunky Punk]] * [[Sheela na Gig]] * [[Architectural sculpture]] * [[Rainhead]] ==References== {{reflist}} *''Guide to Gargoyles and Other Grotesques'' (2003) Wendy True Gasch, ISBN 0-9745299-0-7 *''The Stone Carvers: Master Craftsmen of the Washington National Cathedral'' (1999) Marjorie Hunt, ISBN 1-56098-829-0 & 978-1-58834-247-8 ==External links== * [http://www.skepticworld.com/hidden-mysteries/gargoyles.asp - The origin of Gargoyles] {{commonscat|Gargoyles}} ==Photo gallery== <gallery> Image:Gargoyles-StPartickFlagstaf.jpg|Chimera of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel in [[Flagstaff, Arizona|Flagstaff]], [[Arizona]]. Image:Notre_dame_view.JPG|View of a gargoyle on the [[Notre Dame cathedral]] in Paris, France. Image:Gargoyle Sacre Coeur.jpg|A gargoyle on the [[Basilica of the Sacré Cœur]], Paris, France, showing the water channel. Image:Himeji Castle gargoyle.jpg|A [[Japan]]ese gargoyle adorning [[Himeji Castle]]. Image:Mausoleum(05).jpg|Gargoyle at the St.-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk, [[Ostend]], [[Belgium]]. Image:StMargaretsChurchGargoyle1.jpg|Gargoyle at St Margaret's Church, [[Wolstanton]], England. Image:ND Amiens - gargouille.JPG|Gargoyle [[Notre-Dame d'Amiens]], France. Image:Merlets llotja Palma.jpg|Gargoyle, right top, at la Llotja, Palma ([[Mallorca]]), Image:GargoylesNotreDame-Dijon.jpg|Notre Dame Church in [[Dijon]], France. </gallery> [[Category:Ornaments]] [[Category:Folklore]] [[Category:Fantasy creatures]] [[bg:Гаргойл]] [[ca:Gàrgola]] [[cs:Chrlič]] [[cy:Gargoil]] [[da:Gargoil]] [[de:Wasserspeier]] [[es:Gárgola (arquitectura)]] [[eo:Gargojlo]] [[fa:دهانه‌اژدر]] [[fr:Gargouille]] [[gl:Gárgola (arquitectura)]] [[hr:Vodoriga]] [[is:Ufsagrýla]] [[it:Gargolla]] [[he:גרגויל]] [[lb:Waasserspäizer]] [[nl:Waterspuwer]] [[ja:ガーゴイル]] [[no:Vannkaster]] [[pl:Rzygacz]] [[pt:Gárgula]] [[ro:Gargui]] [[ru:Горгулья]] [[scn:Catusu]] [[simple:Gargoyle]] [[fi:Gargoili]] [[sv:Vattenkastare]] [[th:ปนาลี]] [[tr:Gargoyle]] [[zh:滴水嘴兽]]