What are the meaning behind Gargoyles?

Question

Man Made myth used for protection. Like the gargoyles made of stone in each corner of old building.

Answer 1

they were placed on the edges of gutters, not only for "protection", but also to serve as spouts so the water didn't run down the side of your building and they were also decorative...

Answer 2

In architecture, gargoyles (from the French gargouille, originally the throat or gullet, cf. Latin gurgulio, gula, and similar words derived from root gar, to swallow, the word representing the gurgling sound of water; Ital. doccione; Ger. Ausguss, Wasserspeier) are the carved terminations to spouts which convey water away from the sides of buildings.
Gargoyles are mostly grotesque figures. Statues representing gargoyle-like creatures are popular sales items, particularly in goth and New Age retail stores.
A similar type of sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function is called a chimera, although these are popularly referred to as gargoyles also.
The term gargoyle is most often applied to medieval work, but throughout all ages some means of throwing the water off roofs, when not conveyed in gutters, was adopted. In Egypt gargoyles eject the water used in the washing of the sacred vessels which seems to have been done on the flat roofs of the temples. In Greek temples, the water from roofs passed through the mouths of lions whose heads were carved or modelled in the marble or terra cotta cymatium of the cornice. At Pompeii many terra cotta gargoyles were found that are modelled in the shape of animals.

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 had the creature captured by a liberated prisoner. 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).
Gargoyles, or more precisely chimerae, were used as decoration on 19th and early 20th century buildings in cities such as New York (where the Chrysler Building's stainless steel gargoyles are celebrated), and Chicago. Gargoyles can be found on many churches and buildings.

Answer 3

In architecture, gargoyles (from the French gargouille, originally the throat or gullet, cf. Latin gurgulio, gula, and similar words derived from root gar, to swallow, the word representing the gurgling sound of water; Ital. doccione; Ger. Ausguss, Wasserspeier) are the carved terminations to spouts which convey water away from the sides of buildings.

A similar type of sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function is called a chimera, although these are popularly referred to as gargoyles also.

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 had the creature captured by a liberated prisoner. 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

Answer 4

In architecture, gargoyles (from the French gargouille, originally the throat or gullet, cf. Latin gurgulio, gula, and similar words derived from root gar, to swallow, the word representing the gurgling sound of water; Ital. doccione; Ger. Ausguss, Wasserspeier) are the carved terminations to spouts which convey water away from the sides of buildings.

Gargoyles are mostly grotesque figures. Statues representing gargoyle-like creatures are popular sales items, particularly in goth and New Age retail stores.

A similar type of sculpture that does not work as a waterspout and serves only an ornamental or artistic function is called a chimera, although these are popularly referred to as gargoyles also.
The term gargoyle is most often applied to medieval work, but throughout all ages some means of throwing the water off roofs, when not conveyed in gutters, was adopted. In Egypt gargoyles eject the water used in the washing of the sacred vessels which seems to have been done on the flat roofs of the temples. In Greek temples, the water from roofs passed through the mouths of lions whose heads were carved or modelled in the marble or terra cotta cymatium of the cornice. At Pompeii many terra cotta gargoyles were found that are modelled in the shape of animals.

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 had the creature captured by a liberated prisoner. 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).

Gargoyles, or more precisely chimerae, were used as decoration on 19th and early 20th century buildings in cities such as New York (where the Chrysler Building's stainless steel gargoyles are celebrated), and Chicago. Gargoyles can be found on many churches and buildings.

hope that helps

/kevin

Answer 5

Gargoyles were actualy made to lead the water off the top of cathedrals or architecture of that sort. They were kind of like our version of gutters, but at the end of the "gutter" they were shaped like monterous heads. Grotesques (I am sure I spelled that wrong) were actually the statues on top of cathedrals, and such, to scare away evil spirits and protect the building from evil. Most people have now called these statues gargoyles.

Answer 6

It was believed that the gargoyle was to drive off the evil spirits in the old buildings, but again, it is only a myth.

Answer 7

Gargoyles - grotesquely carved heads of animal or human origin, with or without bodies - originally had a practical use as waterspouts (generally) on sacred buildings, throwing rainwater clear of walls. They were also used as educational devices for a largely illiterate population, and were believed to ward off evil spirits with their own grotesqueness. One of the earliest recorded gargoyles is a Classical Greek lion mask on the Acropolis in Athens dating from the 4th century BC.

Answer 8

Gargoyles were supposed to ward off evil spirits, demons, and the devil with their grotesque appearance. They also were used to spout out water from the gutters of houses and for decoration.

Answer 9

Gargoyles are a mythological representation of gate protectors i.e. the gates of hell and are an icon of the Gothic era.

Now they just look good in the garden. Go figure.

Answer 10

Gargoyles could see if a person was good or evil and purify them if they were evil. fascinating creatures. turn to stone in daylight, because the magic has left the morning.

Answer 11

Gargoyles were mythical creatures and they were the symbol for good luck. They were to ward off evil