Gargoyle
Gargoyles are architectural elements - mostly pipes or gutters - for water drainage to the eaves of roofs. In its simple form, they are also called gutter Abtraufe or Ansetztraufe. By gargoyle shoots the collected rainwater from the eaves in an arc away from the building and is thus prevented from entering the masonry and foundation. Often they are figuratively formed and make - mostly fantastic - animal shapes represents the French word for gargoyle is Gargouille taken over into English as Gargoyle, akin to the German " gargle ".
Development and design language
While the water is often initially fell down on ancient buildings gutter edge in full width, it has been collected since the 6th century BC, usually in a groove formed by the Sima and discharged through uniformly distributed gargoyles. First designed in the form of simple earthen tubes, this v. since the 5th century BC have mostly the form of lions 'heads, rare dogs' heads, but can also represent theater masks and similar grotesque beings. The Gargoyles of antiquity were often in vertical relation to other components, so could correspond, for example, with the volutes of the Ionic capitals.
Already been used in the Romanesque, and later in the Gothic and Renaissance one, especially with larger church buildings, often demonic figures or animals in a symbolic meaning. Since they are only as Gargoyle on the facade of the church and never internally, they symbolize the influence of the devil to the earthly world, in contrast to the purity of the Kingdom - stands - symbolized by the interior of the church. These water -breathing creatures are gargoyles, gargoyle also called and have the reputation of being the protector. Your demonic appearance to the spirits and demons hold up a mirror, it should scare off and protect churches and monasteries from evil forces. Gargoyles are often depicted with animalistic body and face, rarely with human -like body and demonic facial features. Often they have wings with which they fly but not loud mythology, but can only glide. Gargoyles have powerful, three -fingered claws and, like dragons, 6 -membered beings.
At the cathedral of Laon originated around the year 1220/1230 the most oldest examples of Gargouilles, which followed the gargoyles of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in the late 13th to early 14th century. The bizarre, horrific and sometimes grotesque animal forms of the Early and High Gothic gargoyles were increasingly replaced in the 13th century by human-like figures who lost their ill -repellent expression in the 15th century. Similarly, the mask of the Hellenistic gargoyle in Figure 2 came back amusing facial expressions to display.
From this period also gargoyles are obtained, which are used to contemptuous presentation of Judaism (see Jewish pig ).
In addition to stone gargoyles took place since the 16th century, including those made of metal.
Towards the end of the 18th century, the gargoyles increasingly lost its function, since you went over to carry away the rainwater down pipes from the roof. With the historicism of the late 19th century, there was a last brief flowering of classical gargoyle. Since the 20th century it is called in unadorned, simple shape as a tube or trough nurmehr gutter Abtraufe or Ansetztraufe. In modern flat roof buildings, it is generally found as an emergency overflow to prevent overloading of the roof with clogged rain processes.
During World War II were recognized by the Navy at the baueigenen troops high bunkers in Wilhelmshaven Gargoyle on the roof corners. Actually, this ornamental details were banned due to the pure convenience of the Navy bunker, but they were nevertheless realized at this type bunkers in Wilhelmshaven.
→ see also: Envy head
Gargoyle on the church in Frombork
Gargoyle on Paris at night ( Notre -Dame)
Well Gargoyles on the Square in Freiberg / Saxony
Gargouille and Gargoyle outside of the building industry
About the English, the term has as Gargoyle found through the use of fantasy literature and computer games in the German language collection. He usually describes magic, chimeric or envy head-like winged creatures that are daytime stone statues at sunset come to life and turn to stone again at sunrise. Examples are the animated series Gargoyles from Disney, the Ultima role-playing game series by Richard Garriott and the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett and in some novels by Vickie Taylor, Mary Gentle, Andrew Davidson, Meredith Ann Pierce but also in the Harry Potter novel series of Joanne K. Rowling.
Gargoyles are also used like "Monster" in B-movie horror films, in which, in contrast to its essence in other mythologies, are presented as evil. Examples include the films " Gargoyles " (1972), " Gargoyles - Wings of Horror" (2004), " Reign of the Gargoyles " (2007) as well as series such as " Special Unit 2", " Tales from the Crypt ", etc. In the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher books they are described as stone protector, who do everything in their power to protect the treasure of their creator. The only disadvantage lies in the fact that, as mentioned above, can not be active in daylight, but only at night.
Others
Gargoylism is in medicine (now obsolete ) term for the genetic disease mucopolysaccharidosis type IH ( Hurler ), which is accompanied by morphological changes of the face and skeleton. The coarse facial features (so-called gargoyle face) of the persons concerned are reminiscent of gargoyles.
As a gargoyle called themselves also artistic performer, large amounts of liquid (usually water, but beer is handed ) took these men and gave controlled by vomiting sometimes in spectacular fashion by itself.