Gargoyles are creatures you see outside a church or even on top of an old mansion. They’re the ones that watch you with their rather grotesque eyes. They’re the ones who are perched at the very edge of the building, almost beckoning us to taunt them. They’re intimidating, to say the least, and yet, despite that, we still find a rather old world charm to them. For example, in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the church’s gargoyles come to life, and begin offering advice to our shy, yet compassionate protagonist. The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson, is about a fallen man who meets an artist who says she knows him, just from a different life. She then takes him home and starts making different hideous statues, simply because she believes that it’s what she must do. In the TV show, Gargoyles, gargoyles are thrown into the modern day world of New York city, trying to adapt to their new home with the help of a detective. They’re lovable, to say the least. 

It’s clear that gargoyles mean more to humanity than just being mere statues that you can scare people with. But what’s their history? What’s their significance? And more importantly, how can authors use these gargoyles as inspirations for their novels?  

The History

Despite their association with the Catholic Church, gargoyles have been seen even since the time of ancient Egypt. They even had a place in the Temple of Zeus. When Christianity made its way through Europe, the gargoyle was incorporated into a variety of medieval churches. A particularly famous example includes the gargoyles that are seated on top of Notre Dame de Paris. And though many gargoyles are depicted as rather ugly, they come in all shapes and images, oftentimes a mixture of both animals and people. 

The Symbolism 

Gargoyles were often used as a symbol to ward off evil. There was a legend about this surrounding the chancellor St. Romanus. In the legend, Romanus found a monster called a Gargouille, which was said to have the appearance of a dragon. Some say Romanus managed to defeat the creature with a cross, while others say that he captured it with the help of a criminal. Either way, Romanus cut the head off the creature, and mounted it on top of a new church in order to protect it against evil. Fast forward a few years later, and soon the gargoyle becomes one of the symbols of the Catholic Church. However, there were protests. St. Bernard of Clairvaux had protested against the use of gargoyles to adorn the churches. 

The Cultural Significance 

Though there was such criticism against the gargoyles, the statues did serve a higher purpose. Many churches used gargoyles to try to bring pagans to Christianity, as an attempt to show how welcoming they were. Gargoyles were also associated with Gothic architecture, so much so that many have come to see them as rather important. When a Gothic revival sprouted in Pittsburgh, they used gargoyles in order to stimulate the realistic experiences. There’s even a Darth Vader gargoyle in Washington D.C. now.

While gargoyles aren’t as prevalent as the likes of vampires, werewolves, and fallen angels, gargoyles serve a different purpose, especially in our stories. They protect the church and those inside, and are feared by both supporters and detractors alike. Though their origins are rather gruesome, they continue to serve as benevolent guardians, more often than not, and continue to watch over cities and churches, regardless of whether we want them to or not.