Gargoyle Definitions

What's the difference between a gargoyle and a grotesque? A chimera and a hunky punk? And what about a babewyn and a green man? Read on.

 

Gargoyle

An architectural term for a carved figure serving as a water spout on a building. Though gargoyles are technically functional drainage spouts, the term is now more generally used to refer to all grotesques.

Commonly represented beasts are lions, dragons, men, and perhaps most common of all are strange unidentifiable beasts – one of the reasons they hold so much mystery. 

Grotesque

An ornamental figure not meant to function as a water spout. 

Chimera

Refers more specifically to a mythological creature. (In other words, a gargoyle based on a person or a puppy would be less likely to be called a chimera.) 

Babewyn

A term from the Middle Ages to refer to both gargoyles and grotesques. 

Hunky Punk

A regional term from Somerset (south-west England) to refer to grotesques, especially squat-shaped ones that appear on churches.

Green Man

Commonly used as architectural ornaments on all sorts of secular buildings, these carvings are a face made of leaves or surrounded by them. 

Anthropomorphized building drainage spouts were first recorded in history in ancient Egypt. They reached the height of popularity in the Middle Ages on European cathedrals and churches, but are used on all types of buildings around the world and are still being carved to this day.

What is a Gargoyle Anyway?

Technically, a gargoyle is a stone grotesque on the side of a building with a very specific feature: a waterspout for its mouth. It's from the French 'gargouille,' meaning throat, which is also how we get the word 'gargle'.

The purpose of the gargoyle, in architectural terms, is to carry rainwater away from the building via a more artistic form than a drain pipe. Like this fellow below, at Westminister Abbey in London (with the saint looking out from behind).

But that architectural understanding leaves us with a pretty narrow definition. In common usage, the word gargoyle more broadly describes any ornamental grotesque carved in stone. That's the way I use the term gargoyle.

One of the most iconic gargoyles isn't technically a gargoyle. Le Penseur ("The Thinker") is one of many non-waterspout gargoyles that sits high atop Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Gargoyles now adorn many types of buildings, but as the examples above show, churches are important in their history. There are different interpretations about their original meaning, though.

One understanding is that gargoyles represented demons and were meant to frighten people into attending church, which was a sanctuary from the demonic forces outside. Another interpretation is that the gargoyles themselves warded off evil.

Since countless artists and patrons were essential in creating unique carvings before the era of mass-produced statues, it's likely a combination of factors across time and locations. I'm in awe of the visions of the people involved and their stone creations that have endured over the centuries.