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Gargoyle sculptures lined-up on ancient buildings are menacing but practical. They act as drain spouts atop cathedrals and other medieval structures. Modern versions do not have to perform any kind of task, but they will add a touch of gothic character to any landscape.

Many artists continue to draw from medieval ideas when constructing contemporary gargoyles. Their media differ from those of ancient artists, however. While stone and wood were available hundreds of years ago, resin is a modern invention. The addition of lights set somewhere within a design makes a statue useful as well as stunning. A customer could buy one to light his front porch and scare-off burglars at the same time.

Medieval styles combine human, animalistic, and mythological characteristics to form grotesque creatures. They seem not to belong anywhere except in exile atop very tall buildings. Artists are working with stone, wood, resin, and bronze.

Consumers might find their attention drawn to the very human expressions clever creators have established in the eyes and mouths of gargoyles. They can make something inanimate look capable of pure evil. When wings, horns, and claws are added, these augment the suggestion that mischief is on the mind of a demonic figure. His mind appears to be working behind a facade of stone.

Perhaps a dragon is less frightening because its shape comes from fairy tales. Lizard-like scales, wings belong on one of these flying reptiles. When a dragon is represented preparing to fly, however, customers should note the skill with which an artist suggests movement and life in his inanimate statue.

One element of genius attributed to the best artists is their ability to suggest movement in an immobile item. By arranging limbs carefully and having muscles flex in appropriate ways, they can make a dragon seem ready to fly or pounce. A cute cat-like figure might rest in a peaceful but alert posture, his rear end down and the tail wrapped serenely about his torso.

Statues are sometimes sitting erect and proud. Others look as though they might pounce at any minute. Their muscles flex realistically and fangs are sharp, ready for a decisive kill. A design might show a dragon or other figure holding some kind of burden and his legs could be chained. When gargoyle sculptures are created to climb, the artist has an excuse to really expose talons, spreading fingers wide to demonstrate their potential to cause lethal damage. Read more about: Gargoyle Sculptures

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For centuries now, gargoyle sculptures have fascinated the public mind. These hideous carved creatures come in all manner of body mixtures, from human to animal. Gracing a myriad of doorways, graveyards and churches, these abominable statues, traditionally, protected from deterioration, the architecture they inhabited. But, in our modern times, their practical use has transformed into the symbolic, the commercial and the artistic.

Someone gargling water is what one may think of when passing by a traditional gargoyle. Hence, one of the meanings of name, gargoyle, is just that, gargling. It is easy, then, to ascertain that gargoyles were originally for dealing with rainfall and other moisture, as a part of artful drainage systems. Thus, reducing the damage done to buildings by erosive elements.

Superstitions surrounded the statues as a result of their grotesque appearance. Hosts of lion-bodied birds and dragon-bodied, beak-nosed humans, to name a few, were believed to ward off demonic forces. Driving off would-be desecrators and thieves was thought to be a function of these monstrous sculptures as well.

However, in these modern times, gargoyles have become the objects of more decorative, rather than functional use. The statues have been replicated as for gardens, walkways and in-home furnishings to name a few. It has even gone so far as to make it into novelty jewelry and stylized graphic shirts. As with common use, the more frightening elements of these ornamental sculptures have reduced to historical memory.

In the modern gothic sub-culture, gargoyles have discovered a home. With interest in the darker areas of the human psyche, gargoyles have become a valued symbol to this genre because of their history in and around religious and taboo locals. Affiliation with complex subjects like death and God, have only served to further entice the gothic interest in these frightening statues. But, their superstitious ancestry has almost disappeared into the annals of antiquity.

Obviously, none of the above mentioned stops the juggernaut of capitalization. If there is a market for it, some entrepreneurial spirit will likely attempt to make a quick buck. So, it is of no surprise that gargoyles have not escaped this fact, since many a self-identified gothic culture-lover has found a taste for these disturbing, three-dimensional depictions.

Lurking about, gargoyles can be found in many a place. As they subtly accent our personal decor, perhaps, they may, even, still encourage demons to run away. Once can only hope. Read more about: Gargoyle Sculptures

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