Thegargoyle is afantasy andhorrormonster inspired by the appearance of bestialgrotesque statues in architecture – particularly those sculpted to decorate the cathedral ofNotre-Dame de Paris during its 19th-century reconstruction, rather than actual medieval statuary. Its name is based on thegargoyle architectural element, whose name is often incorrectly conflated with that of monstrous grotesques as a whole.[1]
While they were believed in mythology tofrighten away evil spirits, the idea of such statues physically coming to life is a more recent notion. Likegolems, they are usually made ofmagically animated or transformed stone, but have animal orchimera traits and are often guardians of a place such as acathedral orcastle.[2] They can also be depicted as vessels for demonic possession or as a living species resembling statues. Most fictional gargoyles throughout the 20th century have been evil creatures and horror villains, but the notion of gargoyles as heroic defenders gained popularity in the 1990s following the animated seriesGargoyles, and it is now not uncommon to see them depicted as sympathetic characters who may work together with humans.[1]
The notion of gargoyles as supernatural constructs brought to life by evil was introduced inMaker of Gargoyles (1932), a shortpulp fiction story byClark Ashton Smith where Reynard, a medievalstonemason, unconsciously infuses his hate and lust into two gargoyles that attack the town of Vyones and later kill him when he attempts to destroy them.[1]
In the noveletteConjure Wife (1943) byFritz Leiber, a dragon sculpture is animated by a witch and sent to kill an archaeology professor.[1]
Such gargoyles also entered science fiction, such as in theDoctor Who episodeThe Daemons (1971).[1]
The notion of gargoyles as demonic vessels was introduced inThe Horn ofVapula (Lewis Spence, 1932), in which a demon familiar is bound into a horned and goatlike gargoyle.[1]
Gargoyles appear as horned canine statues in the movieGhostbusters (1984), where they are possessed by the demonic spirits of Zuul and Vinz Klortho.[1]
Gargoyles may also appear as vessels for formerly human souls, such as theMarvel Comics heroGargoyle, who later is able to transform back into a human.[1]
The 1908 children's bookDorothy and the Wizard in Oz featured a Land of the Gargoyles, wooden creatures with hinged wings.
The 1972 filmGargoyles depicted a fictional race created bySatan to harry mankind.[3]
A species of gargoyles also exists inDungeons & Dragons.[4]
Movies featuring races of gargoyle-like creatures includeGargoyle (2004) andRise of the Gargoyles (2009), in which the creatures can lay eggs and turn into statues to blend in.[1]
The notion of a friendly gargoyle was used by theDisney showGargoyles (1994–1997) in which gargoyles protect humanity as part of their nature. It originates from the folk belief of gargoyles as protectors.[1] Friendly gargoyles also appear in theDiscworld universe, such asConstable Downspout inFeet of Clay (1996), and in Disney'sThe Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), as Hugo, Victor and Laverne, who embodyQuasimodo's subconscious.[1]
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Gargoyles have occupied a prominent place in film, television, and gaming due to their distinctive characteristics.
Gargoyles is an Americananimated television series produced byWalt Disney Television and distributed byBuena Vista Television, and originally aired from October 24, 1994, to February 15, 1997. The series features a species of nocturnal creatures known as gargoyles thatturn to stone during the day. After spending a thousand years in an enchanted petrified state, the gargoyles (who have been transported frommedieval Scotland) are reawakened in modern-dayNew York City, and take on roles as the city's secret night-time protectors.[5]Gargoyles was noted for its relatively dark tone, complexstory arcs, andmelodrama;character arcs were heavily employed throughout the series, as wereShakespearean themes. The series also received favorable comparisons toBatman: The Animated Series. A video game adaptation and a spin-off comic series were released in 1995. The show's storyline continued from 2006 to 2009 in a comic book seriesof the same title, produced bySlave Labor Graphics with two current series also written by Weisman published byDynamite Entertainment:Gargoyles andGargoyles: Dark Ages.IGN rankedGargoyles 45th place on its 2009 list of top 100 animated series, stating: "A decent success at the time,Gargoyles has maintained a strongcult following since it ended more than a decade ago".[6]Hollywood.com featured it on their 2010 list of six cartoons that should be movies.[7]UGO.com included it on their 2011 top list of legendary medieval and fantasy TV shows.[8]
The first season of the TV seriesHuntik: Secrets & Seekers features a titan known as "Gar-Ghoul" who appearance and backstory draw on the lore of gargoyles.
The third season of the TV seriesRiverdale features a monstrous antagonist known as the "Gargoyle King".
In the 1984My Little Pony specialRescue at Midnight Castle and laterMy Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series, a gargoyle named Scorpan appears alongside the antagonist Tirac/Tirek. Other examples of notable gargoyles are found inScooby-Doo,Fantasia, andThe Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Gargoyle is a name shared by two fictional characters appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The first Gargoyle, Yuri Topolov, appears inThe Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), and was created byStan Lee andJack Kirby. The first Gargoyle received an entry in theOfficial Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #17, where his real name was revealed. The second Gargoyle, Isaac Christians, is a human/demon composite and a member of theDefenders. He was created by writerJ. M. DeMatteis and artistDon Perlin. Perlin's design was inspired by a sequence inPrince Valiant in which the titular hero disguises himself as a gargoyle.[9] During his long run onThe Defenders, Gargoyle also was the co-star ofMarvel Team-Up #119, written by his co-creator DeMatteis, who later described the issue as "one of my favoritefavorite stories".[10] In 1985 Marvel published a four-issueGargoylelimited series, written by DeMatteis and drawn byMark Badger. DeMatteis said of the series, "It was a psychological fantasy. You take the interior life and make it concrete... give it substance... and play with it."[11] Another character known asGargouille appears as a member of theAcolytes, and a character known asGrey Gargoyle is a recurring villain.
In theDungeons & Dragonsfantasyrole-playing game, a gargoyle is a grotesque winged monstrous humanoid creature, with a horned head and a stony hide. The gargoyle was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in theDungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as a reptilian bipedal beast, Chaotic in alignment.[12] Thekopoacinth, an aquatic version of the gargoyle, first appeared in the 1975Dungeons & Dragons supplement,Blackmoor byDave Arneson.[13] The gargoyle appears in the first editionMonster Manual (1977),[14] where it is described as a ferocious predator of a magical nature, found among ruins; it attacks anything it can detect. Themarlgoyle, a more horrid form of gargoyle, first appears in the moduleLost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982),[15] and later appears inMonster Manual II (1983) as the margoyle.[16]
This edition of theD&D game included its own version of the gargoyle, in theDungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983).[17][18][19] The gargoyle was also later featured in theDungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), theDungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991),[20] and theClassic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994). The gargoyle and margoyle also appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989),[21] and are reprinted in theMonstrous Manual (1993),[22] along with the kapoacinth.
TheGreyhawkcampaign setting moduleGargoyle (1989) featured the gargoyle (of the Tors). InGargoyle, set in theCity of Greyhawk, theplayer characters are hired by a pair of gargoyles to find their stolen wings.[23] Thegrist (true gargoyle) appeared inVale of the Mage (1990). Theguardgoyle for theForgotten Realms setting appeared in theRuins of Zhentil Keep boxed set (1995). Four variant gargoyles appeared in the "Dragon's Bestiary" column ofDragon #223 (November 1995), including thearcher, thegrandfather plaque, thespouter, and thestone lion.[24] These creatures were reprinted inMonstrous Compendium Annual Three (1996).
The gargoyle and kapoacinth appear in theMonster Manual for the 3.0 edition (2000–2002),[25] and in the revisedMonster Manual for 3.5 edition (2003–2007). The guardgoyle returned inCity of Splendors: Waterdeep (2005). The gargoyle appears in theMonster Manual for the 4th edition (2008–2014), including thenabassu gargoyle.[26]
Ordinarily, gargoyles arestone statues carved into a demonic shape and imbued with life by magical means, akin to agolem. However, their descriptions in the official source materials are sometimes unprecise and even conflicting; in the 2nd editionMonstrous Compendium, for instance, their stats summary lists their diet as carnivorous, while the description of their ecology explains that a gargoyle requires neither food or water to survive. In someD&D-related works, gargoyles and their kin (seeVariants, below) are even erroneously depicted as biological creatures capable of natural reproduction.[27] A gargoyle is usuallychaotic evil. Gargoyles are sentient, cunning, and malevolent to the extreme. Their favorite sport is to capture intelligent beings and slowly torture them to death. Due to its stone body, a gargoyle has the ability to hold itself so still that it appears to be a statue. Standard gargoyles possess wings which give them flight capability.
The gargoyle is fully detailed inPaizo Publishing's bookClassic Horrors Revisited (2009), on pages 16–21.[28]
Gargoyles have been part of the Ultima lore sinceUltima III: Exodus, but appeared as a major part of the plot inUltima VI: The False Prophet.
Gargoyle's Quest: Ghosts 'n Goblins is anaction-adventure game for the originalGame Boy.[29] Developed byCapcom, it was released on May 2, 1990, in Japan, then North America in July, and lastly Europe in 1991. The playable characterRed Arremer (Firebrand in the U.S.) made his debut in the video game seriesGhosts 'n Goblins as an antagonist character, of which this is aspin-off.Gargoyle's Quest was followed by theNES prequelGargoyle's Quest II in 1992 and theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System sequelDemon's Crest in 1994. According to the fictional game lore,Firebrand is a gargoyle predestined to carry on thenamesake and identity of the Red Blaze – the powerful force that fought back the Destroyers long before this game takes place. As his destiny foretold, Firebrand saves the Ghoul Realm from brutal conquest by traversing the Ghoul Realm, building his powers, and preparing to fight against the Destroyers' king, Breager, so as to ensure the protection of the Ghoul Realm once more.[30]Gargoyle's Quest was warmly received by contemporary and later critics alike, and sold well enough to warrant a prequel on the NES only two years later.[31] Gargoyles also appear in the 1997 first-person shooterBlood byMonolith Productions and take two forms, one of flesh and one of stone
The Yuri Topolov version of Gargoyle appears in theLego Marvel's Avengers video game.
A video game adaptation of the Disney TV series,Gargoyles, was released in 1995.
The popular MMORPGRuneScape features gargoyles as a slayer creature.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard features gargoyles as monsters, summonable by the player character, or encountered in certain dungeons.
The 2011FromSoftware gameDark Souls features the 'Bell Gargoyles' boss fight in which two gargoyles perched atop the bell tower of a cathedral swoop down to fight the player character when provoked.
The upcoming MOBADeadlock features a character named "Ivy" A living gargoyle as one of the playable heroes.
Animatronic gargoyle statues are a popularHalloween orhaunted attraction commodity.[32]
InMonster High,Rochelle Goyle is the daughter of the gargoyles.
The H.I.M. music video "Kiss of Dawn" features many gargoyles and grotesques.
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