What are gargoyles?

Question

Do they mean something significant? Why do people put them on their homes or in their lawns?

Answer 1

They are supposed to protect your home! Well guess what happened to me? I had one sitting on my front porch, and someone actually had the nerve to steal it! It had been there for a few years, and then one day I thought, where is my gargoyle? I would like to get a new one, but now I'm afraid someone will also take that!!

Answer 2

These are ornaments, often used to accent buildings whether in the front entranceways, or on the rooftops. Significant unse of them took place during the early 1800's to the mid 1900's. In Spain and France, they could be seen as the final piece of a church spire. Though, not limited to these structures, throughout various parts of Europe they can be seen adorning the architectural landscape of many structures. In some societies, and cultures these partially human like sculptures held an air of msystique, in part due to long held superstitions governing the tacit beliefs of their powers of protection and ability to ward off spirits of ill will, or evil doers. These other worldly creatures soon became popularized, in a children's animation series, during the early to late 1990's period, in which the gargoyles were portrayed in the same vein as 'super heroes' warding off attacking hoardes and preventing the destruction of their human counterparts.

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.

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.

Answer 4

Designed to throw rainwater well away from the building of the church. In ancient churches they took on a secondary function that of guarding the church against evil and the devil. With this in mind most gargoyles are grotesquely carved in forms of weird beasts, dragons or devils probably on the basis that it takes a devil to catch a devil. So it is always worth looking up or taking along a pair of binoculars in order to better appreciate this unusual form of architecture.

Answer 5

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.

Answer 6

Gargoyles are figures, Check out this link with pictures and explanation

http://www.stonecarver.com/gargoyle.html

Answer 7

gargoyles scare off evil spirits and evil in general. they are kept outside churches or homes to ward off evil.

Answer 8

I expected to find dumb answers here...WELL DONE PEOPLE!
I am glad to see some of you do homework!
Yes the word comes from to gargle as in your throat, because as many have said they were used as rain spouts off of buildings mostly Churches...and castles.
They were made hideous, which is not what I THINK OF THEM, I have some in my home and LOVE them!
But they were made to SCARE away demons! So they had to be ugly.
They were thought to protect from evil, not to be evil!
Very good answers!
YAY! I have not lost complete hope in you YAHOO-ERS!
People continue to have them today they take smaller forms but still effective to keep demons away!
I keep mine in sight on Saturdays and it keeps the ~JW's~ away!
BLESSED BE!
Love my Gargies!

Answer 9

Designed to throw rainwater well away from the building of the church. In ancient churches they took on a secondary function that of guarding the church against evil and the devil.

Answer 10

it's a beast of the dark and also a comic script about a beast that appear like a stone carve monoment appears live by the time the dark appears until sunlight turns back to stone.