Gargoyle (monster)
The gargoyle is a fantasy and horror monster inspired by the gargoyle architectural element. While they were believed in mythology to frighten away evil spirits, the idea of such statues physically coming to life is a more recent notion. Like golems, they are usually made of magically animated or transformed stone, but have animal or chimera traits and are often guardians of a place such as a cathedral or castle.[1] They can also be depicted as vessels for demonic possession or as a living species resembling statues.[2]
Description
As evil constructs
The notion of gargoyles as supernatural constructs brought to life by evil was introduced[citation needed] in Maker of Gargoyles (1932), a short pulp fiction story by Clark Ashton Smith where Reynard, a medieval stonemason, 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.[2]
In the novelette Conjure Wife (1943) by Fritz Lieber, a dragon sculpture is animated by a witch and sent to kill an archaeology professor.[2]
Such gargoyles also entered science fiction, such as in the Doctor Who episode The Daemons (1971).[2]
As demonic vessels
The notion of gargoyles as demonic vessels was introduced in The Horn of
Gargoyles appear as horned canine statues in the movie Ghostbusters (1984), where they are possessed by the demonic spirits of Zuul and Vinz Klortho.[2]
Gargoyles may also appear as vessels for formerly human souls, such as the Marvel Comics hero Gargoyle, who later is able to transform back into a human.[2]
As a race of beings resembling statues
The 1908 children's book Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz featured a Land of the Gargoyles, wooden creatures with hinged wings.
The film Gargoyles (1972) depicted a fictional race created by Satan to harry mankind.[3]
A species of gargoyles also exists in Dungeons & Dragons.[4]
Movies featuring races of gargoyle-like creatures include Gargoyle (2004) and Rise of the Gargoyles (2009), in which the creatures can lay eggs and turn into statues to blend in.[2]
Friendly gargoyles
The notion of a friendly gargoyle was used by the
In popular culture
Gargoyles have occupied a prominent place in film, television, and gaming due to their distinctive characteristics.
Film and television
The first season of the TV series Huntik: 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 series
Comics
Gargoyle is a name shared by two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first Gargoyle, Yuri Topolov, appears in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962), and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The first Gargoyle received an entry in the Official 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 the Defenders. He was created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Don Perlin. Perlin's design was inspired by a sequence in Prince Valiant in which the titular hero disguises himself as a gargoyle.[9] During his long run on The Defenders, Gargoyle also was the co-star of Marvel Team-Up #119, written by his co-creator DeMatteis, who later described the issue as "one of my favorite favorite stories".[10] In 1985 Marvel published a four-issue Gargoyle limited series, written by DeMatteis and drawn by Mark 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]
Gaming
Dungeons & Dragons
In the
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the gargoyle, in the
The
The gargoyle and kapoacinth appear in the Monster Manual for the 3.0 edition (2000–2002),[25] and in the revised Monster Manual for 3.5 edition (2003–2007). The guardgoyle returned in City of Splendors: Waterdeep (2005). The gargoyle appears in the Monster Manual for the 4th edition (2008–2014), including the nabassu gargoyle.[26]
Ordinarily, gargoyles are
The gargoyle is fully detailed in
Video games
Gargoyles have been part of the Ultima lore since Ultima III: Exodus, but appeared as a major part of the plot in Ultima VI: The False Prophet.
The Yuri Topolov version of Gargoyle appears in the Lego Marvel's Avengers video game.
A video game adaptation of the Disney TV series, Gargoyles, was released in 1995.
The popular MMORPG RuneScape 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 2011 FromSoftware game Dark 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.
Others
Animatronic gargoyle statues are a popular Halloween or haunted attraction commodity.[32]
In Monster High, Rochelle Goyle is the daughter of the gargoyles.
The H.I.M. music video "Kiss of Dawn" features many Gargoyles and Grotesques.
References
- OCLC 424457245.
- ^ OCLC 1018163370. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-5834-9. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ISBN 978-0-7645-9924-8. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
- ^ O'Connor, John (1995-09-07). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Nocturnal and Excited About Books – New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-05-03.
- ^ "IGN – 45. Gargoyles". IGN. Retrieved 2014-11-01.
- ^ Hollywood.com, LLC. "Six Cartoons That Should Be Movies". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (2011-04-08). "Gargoyles – Medieval Fantasy TV". UGO.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
- ^ DeAngelo, Daniel (July 2013). "The Not-Ready-For-Super-Team Players: A History of the Defenders". Back Issue! (65). TwoMorrows Publishing: 12.
- Fictioneer Books. pp. 7–19.
- Fictioneer Books. pp. 20–35.
- ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson. Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) (TSR, 1974)
- ^ Arneson, Dave. Blackmoor (TSR, 1975)
- ^ Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual (TSR, 1977)
- Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (TSR, 1982)
- Gygax, Gary. Monster Manual II (TSR, 1983)
- ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by J. Eric Holmes. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1977)
- ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by Tom Moldvay. Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (TSR, 1981)
- ^ Gygax, Gary, and Dave Arneson [1974], edited by Frank Mentzer. Dungeons & Dragons Set 1: Basic Rules (TSR, 1983)
- ^ Allston, Aaron, Steven E. Schend, Jon Pickens, and Dori Watry. Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (TSR, 1991)
- Cook, David, et al. Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (TSR, 1989)
- ^ Stewart, Doug, ed. Monstrous Manual (TSR, 1993)
- ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
- ^ Baichtal, John. "The Dragon's Bestiary: Four Guardian Gargoyles." Dragon #223 (TSR, 1995)
- ^ Cook, Monte, Jonathan Tweet, and Skip Williams. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2000)
- ^ Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual (Wizards of the Coast, 2008)
- ^ Culotta, Paul: "Huzza's Goblin O'War". Dungeon Magazine #63 (January/February 1997), pp. 30–33.
- ^ Jacobs, James, Rob McCreary, and F. Wesley Schneider. Classic Horrors Revisited (Paizo, 2009)
- ^ "レッドアリーマー 魔界村外伝 [ゲームボーイ] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
- ^ "GARGOYLE'S QUEST". Nintendo.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-16. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- ^ "Gargoyle's Quest Critic Reviews for Game Boy". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2016-12-10. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
- OCLC 435630910.