Gargoyles

[aka pixi]

Why do churches have gargoyles on them? I know that some of them are run offs for water but why gargoyles ? i could understand them having angels or something 'heavenly' on them but gargoyles are ugly and supposed to depict demons/evil

I have been told a couple of reasons, one being that they keep evil away but this doesnt make sense to me as 'evil' wouldnt be afraid of an evil face

The other thing I have been told is because some saint destroyed a dragon and flung its head up to the sky and the head got caught on the nearby church. The townspeople then decided to leave the dragon head there as a warning to other dragons to keep away (Im not sure if this story is just a wind up though)

[Clanad]

There origins do seem lost in the mists of time. However their name appears to be somewhat of an onomatop�ia in that it replicates the sound of the rain water as it passes through them.
One site suggests that the gargoyles were incorporated by the early medieval church from earlier pagan depictions of evil spirits. "Once you've looked at 50 or 100 gargoyles, you'll begin to notice some recurring themes. These are likely to be signs and symbols of European paganism. For example:
Disembodied Heads :
You will see a lot of heads that have become detached from their bodies. This harks back to the 5th Century Celts who were, in fact, head-hunters. They worshipped the heads that they had severed, believing them to hold a powerful force. If you make eye contact with one, you may find out that this is true." (Source Library Science at the University of North Carolina ).
It is true, however, that gargoyles predate their use in the medieval churches. They are seen in the Classical Greek lion mask on the Acropolis in Athens dating from the 4th century BC.

Haiku For a Gargoyle: (Source: Templin's)

The gargolyes squat

high on corners

staring into space,

their empty eyes unblinking

till night comes.

[jno]

I don't suppose they'd want angels with dirty water gushing out of their mouths. I suspect it was just an opportunity for the masons to enjoy themselves. Gargoyle is related to the word gurgle, as Clanad says.

Sorry, I don't know any good haiku on the sbject though.

[aka pixi]

awww thats a brilliant answer Clanad, thanks for that :) Thanks for the haiku too, I love em :)

lol jno, I never thought how horrible an angel would look with water gushing out of its mouth :s

[MustafaTickl]

"There's a dark lantern of the spirit,
Which none see by but those who bear it".

Before gargoyles it was only the anointed bells whose notes, ringing over the roofs of olde England, that foiled the malice of demons riding the black clouds to assault, with hail and lightning, the homes and farms of the English. These bells also drove the devils from the bedside of the dying, rang alarms, and called the faithful to sacrament and prayer. The devil was, and still is, ever present, bestial in form and mighty in wickedness and his demoniacal agents are always present terrifying the English with mysterious sights and sounds. The slightest act can surrender an Englishman to the resistless powers of evil. There are sleepless legions in the earth, air and water constantly seeking entrance into the bodies of the English; from these legions there is no safety except within the protection of the Holy Church.

The English looked for something to assist the bells, and so countless gargoyles frowning and leering from remote and inaccessible places and from the eaves of Holy Churches were enlisted with the transcendent glory which belongs to beings of another world to drive the devil into retreat.

[aka pixi]

thanks for that mustafa :D
brill name btw lol