Mythology of Gargoyles

The dictionary defines a gargoyle as a spout in the form of a grotesque animal or human figure that projects from the gutter of a building and is designed to cast rainwater clear of the building.  Usually the water comes out of the mouth.  In architecture a waterspout on a building is a gargoyle. A sculpture on a building that doesn’t have a spout is called a grotesque or a chimera if it has elements of more than one animal.

The word gargoyle is derived from the French word, gargouille, meaning throat or pipe. The German word for gargoyle is wasserspeier, which means water splitter. The Dutch word, meaning water spitter, or vomiter, is waterspuwer.

The origin of the gargoyle is up to debate. There are multiple myths or legends concerning it. Some see them as protectors and some as monsters. They decorate buildings of all types in many cultures, and can be any type of animal.

Lions were very commonly used in the medieval period, and were also used by the ancient Greeks, and in Pompei. Dogs and wolves were also used, the wolf being linked to priests who would fight off the evil of the devil for the people.  Eagles, which were believed to be able to slay dragons, were also used. Monkeys, serpents, and goats are other examples of animals that could be portrayed as gargoyles. Sometimes elements of several of these animals were used in one carving, the chimera. Examples of these are the griffin, centaur, harpy, and mermaid.

It is believed that fossils of dinosaurs may have spurred the legend of the gargoyle, much the same as the dragon and the griffin. Less mundane explanations include the French legend concerning St. Romain, or Romanus, who was the former chancellor of Clotaire II, a Merovingian king. He saved the country from a monster named Gargouille, or Goji, whose appearance was said to be so terrifying, it scared evil spirits away. (This is why some think of the gargoyle as a protector)  After defeating the monster, the body was burned, but the head and neck wouldn’t burn, presumably because it had been tempered by his fiery breath. The head was mounted on the walls of a newly built church to ward off evil spirits. Many medieval churches have gargoyles and chimeras in their architecture, the most famous of which is the Notre Dame de Paris

Gargoyles are mysterious, a bit scary, and some can even be funny. Whatever their origin, they are a fascinating subject, and as with many other myths, it makes one want to ask, “What if…”.