This year I finally bought a gargoyle for my yard. Do you have one in your yard art too? Do you know what they mean? While flea market shopping years ago my sister in law told me her mom has gargoyles all around her home to ward off evil. Which of course the history buff in me and my love for architectural history I had to research more.
Meaning
The term comes from the French word gargouille which in English means throat. Representing the gargling sound in the throat. (Which if gargoyles where real I would assume they made a gargling sound)
The History
Gargoyles are fascinating with a very interesting history behind them. The story of the gargoyle started from St. Romanus, he was said to have saved his country from a grotesque monster named Goji that some called Gargouille. They burned the creature everything but its head and they staked it up on top of the newly built church to scare away evil spirits.
You can see gargoyles in architecture like Notre Dame De Paris, with grotesques and many other mythological creatures. Gargoyles where used as down spouts to push the water away from buildings. Gargoyles have even been seen in ancient Egypt.
My sister in law told me when she was growing up her mom loved gargoyles. They came in various types from cute and silly, to dark and powerful. Every year when she lived with her mom, they would shop to add to her collection. She never asked why she loved them, and it wasn’t until she got a home of her own did she find her own personal meaning of these figures. Now she has a gargoyle collection of her own with her mom giving her, her first one. She said the search is the best part, going to thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales. Finding that perfect gargoyle to add to her collection!
So now what do you think about gargoyles think you might get one?
Thanks for going down this bit of history with me, hope you enjoyed.
Happy Junking,
Tara Lou
