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View Full Version : Gargoyles! Love them or Loathe them?


Love&Light
23-03-2011, 08:01 PM
I was under the impression that everyone hates Gargoyles, I've read that some people feel they were misunderstood and don't consider them to be demons. I saw some Gargoyle figurines in a shop, I asked the shopkeeper if he sells many.. he was like "well we do sell a few..!"

I don't find them attractive.. it's interesting that some seem to have a fondness for them though..?

Kaere
23-03-2011, 08:08 PM
I like them very much.

BlueSky
23-03-2011, 08:10 PM
Me too...........they have such character!

Kaere
23-03-2011, 08:40 PM
I don't know where anyone would consider them a demon - they were decorative on buildings as far as I know - to scare evil away and such.

CJ82Sky
23-03-2011, 08:40 PM
ive always loved them - they are great protectors

Saggi
23-03-2011, 09:00 PM
I like them!

I consider them to be protective!

As with most things that are actually for this purpose they are portrayed as evil!

Love and hugs

Jo

XxXx

Silver
23-03-2011, 09:40 PM
I don't find them particularly scary, but I guess in the old days they thought they would scare the scarey which doesn't make sense, but oh well! I think they're quaint and have a certain weird charm of their own, not that I particularly want them for my home, lol.

Ciqala
24-03-2011, 01:10 AM
I love gargoyles. I want some for statues in my yard. I have one dragon statue so far. But those things are expensive to buy.

iolite
24-03-2011, 01:13 AM
I love gargoyles. I want some for statues in my yard. I have one dragon statue so far. But those things are expensive to buy.

I had this one sitting on top of my entertainment center until he fell off and broke. :icon_frown:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001HT63MC/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen
I saw him in a little shop and fell in love with him. I thought that he was gone for good. But now that I found him in Amazon, I'm gonna put him in my cart! :happy3:

LadyVirgoxoxo
24-03-2011, 07:20 PM
I heard once that gargoyles are protectors and that they ward off evil. What better to ward off evil then something that is evil and scary looking?

abikisses
24-03-2011, 07:30 PM
I personally believe that when people look at them, their own fears are reflected back which is why they are disliked so much!

Historically they were used to protect, almost ironic.

Blessings
Abikisses

feralfae
04-04-2011, 03:50 AM
I LOVE gargoyles. They were used to protect churches and parishoners from evil and also as decorative elements.

To this day, my mom has a gargoyle figurine in her garden. When I was a kid I would spend hours talking to it. Even back then I had a twisted sense of humor-- I named the thing Fluffy.

I read somewhere (don't remember the source, sorry) that those with feathered wings are good and those with bat wings are bad. But they were all used for protection and both my mom and I get distinctly good vibes from her gargoyle-- which has bat wings.

I think some people are afraid or distasteful of them because of three appearances associations.

1. They can look like demons
2. Some have leathery wings and some people are afraid of bats
3. Some have feathery wings which tend to resemble the wings of the corvidae family (ravens, crows...) birds that have a seriously BAD reputaion, despite being considered everything from omens of good luck, to symbols of nature's laws and magick, to trickster dieties.

Silver
04-04-2011, 04:37 AM
I love that you named it Fluffy ~ My favorite cat was named Fluffy.

Too cute.

Boldylocks
23-04-2011, 07:19 PM
Im not very fond of them because they have a diabolic vibe for me.. and the fact that they were used on old churches as protective symbols doesnt surprise me, because you can find alot of evil in mankind's churches.

LadyVirgoxoxo
23-04-2011, 10:43 PM
Really? How so?

Boldylocks
23-04-2011, 11:01 PM
Well i meant in organized religion there is alot of hypocrisy- much like the religious Pharisees. Anywhere that God's spirit is not allowed to move or speak, you have corruption and chaos.

Still, however, I also believe that God speaks to all of us through every religion as well- so it's also important for me to remember that we can always see the negative,but the wise person looks for the good in All.

Triner
23-04-2011, 11:45 PM
I love gargoyles too. We have two little ones outside the house amongst the shrubberies...

daisy
24-04-2011, 12:18 AM
I love them and have several I see them as protective.

Sangress
24-04-2011, 12:28 AM
I plan to make a gargoyle/dragon statue of my own, they make good guard dogs. :p

Lightspirit
24-04-2011, 12:36 AM
Gargoyles are great ways of getting water of roofs.
http://www.britainexpress.com/architecture/gargoyles.htm

they are a fancy water spout in architecture.


See that boring lecture was good for something after all.

norseman
27-04-2011, 05:45 PM
This is the Sanctuary Knocker on the main door of Durham Cathedral. Fugitives could claim sanctuary by touching it. They were safe until the following dawn, they then had to reach the sea before sunset the following day [about 20 miles]. Hozzat for a gargoyle ? [ Been replaced several times in the last 900 years :D

http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/79d5b8d3.jpg

Perceiver
29-04-2011, 10:09 PM
Are there any physical distinctions between gargoyles and demons (fallen angels)? Both tend to be portrayed with bat-like or leathery wings, horns, and clawed-feet or hooves. So, far I only notice differences in their nature: Demons reside in hell and are tend to beportrayed as having a malicious nature while gargoyles being associated with stone carvings.

LadyVirgoxoxo
30-04-2011, 03:29 PM
I wonder, do people still follow that"law" that whoever is in a church claims sanctuary? In today's day and age I wouldn't be surprised if murders occured in a church.

norseman
03-05-2011, 12:01 PM
Lady, whenever I enter I touch the knocker as most people do. The cathedral is about 1000 years-old and was built over a pagan holy place, also a ley line. So, I feel quite happy being there in meditation and in tune with the ancestors.

View of the outside, castle and cathedral. :D My local as it were.
http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk267/norseman_photo/castles/Durham/800px-Durham_Millburngate_Bridge.jpg

Sarian
04-05-2011, 12:24 AM
I've always loved gargoyles. I thought they were protectors as well. Sometimes when I start to think badly of myself, I would say I have "gargoyle syndrome" simply because I felt ugly like some feel gargoyles are... I'd love to have the gargoyle figurines throughout my yard and gardens.

Raewynn
04-05-2011, 02:59 AM
I love gargoyles. As a few people mentioned, they were originally added to churches, and they were made to look scary with the belief that it would drive away evil spirits. If you come across a gargoyle that strikes you as particularly menacing, maybe it is trying to protect something from you. Just a thought.

Also, I think gargoyles are perhaps more neutral than anything. I think they can be used to protect the good and the bad; it all depends on who's gargoyle it is. Perhaps if you come across a "diabolic" gargoyle, it isn't diabolic by nature but through external influences?

Kaere
04-05-2011, 03:22 AM
I wonder, do people still follow that"law" that whoever is in a church claims sanctuary? In today's day and age I wouldn't be surprised if murders occured in a church.

Yes they do. It's not that they're allowed to commit crimes in a church but they can take sanctuary in them after. Not for things like murder but political and religious refugees do so in Canada more often than you'd think.

MutedBlue
04-05-2011, 04:32 AM
I have a few on two of my bookshelves. I love them, they look perfect among my books, which are mostly urban fantasy. When I bought them, the girl at the register picked them up, looked them over in her hands and asked "why would anyone want these?" I said "why not?" It's like they are pets, and just because they look the way they do, doesn't make them evil. I'm sure as with everything there would be gargoyles of a light nature, and gargoyles of a darker nature, and maybe even those that fall somewhere in between.:hug:

norseman
04-05-2011, 01:55 PM
"Sanctuary" was generally for only a short fixed period [sunset to sunrise was common] with the proviso that the miscreant must flee the land during that time. Imagine trying to reach the sea, on foot, with the local Lord and his men-at-arms chasing on horseback. Chance of success ranging from slim to b... all :D

unruhig
06-05-2011, 11:31 PM
I love Gargoyles they have a lot of character at least in my opinion

And Norseman i love the Picture of the Cathedral near the water that you posted,

Peace, unruhig

LadyVirgoxoxo
07-05-2011, 02:01 AM
norseman, that picture is amazing. Again, I am jealous of where you live!

MutedBlue
24-07-2011, 05:22 PM
The last time I was in New Orleans I was in a shop that had fairy sitters, instead of fairy wings though, they had gargoyle wings. It was so cool and I had never seen that before.

HallowsEve
25-07-2011, 06:49 PM
I love them too, they have a lot of personality and I just really like the way they look.. never thought of them as evil beings, more like misunderstood creatures that weren't blessed with charming good looks! :p

Trieah
27-07-2011, 06:00 AM
I've had a thing for gargoyles every since they showed up in a dream I had many years ago. It took me many years of researching, but I finally found out how the legends of their coming to life at night came about.

They were originally created as water spouts to protect the mortar from being eroded away from all the rain fall, hence how they got the reputation of "protecting" the church (walls). But, when masons started creating more decorative gargoyles, a rumour began to circulate that they were fallen Angels and demons who had repented from their evil ways. As a way of getting back in the good graces of God, they were sent to protect the churches from other evil forces. In the middle ages, it was a wide belief that the gargoyles would come to life at night (when evil beings were most active) so that they could protect the entire village from the forces of evil.

mattie
27-07-2011, 07:59 AM
I think they're cute. I got one for the garden to put that is on a pedestal.