Originally a gargoyle was a water sprout, mounted on the eve and directing water away from a building. If a stone carving carries no water and has a face or resembles a creature, these are technically called a grotesque. A Carving which combines several different animals is called a chimera. Some believe that gargoyles and grotesques are inspired by the skeletal remains of prehistoric dinosaurs and other fossils. Artists who carved these were inspired by their culture.
Gargoyles can be dragons, men, cats, bats, frogs, serpents, and countless others.
They are still being carved today, many with a modern theme such as a whimsical figure pointing a camera down below. Gargoyles have been with man for hundreds of years, and they still seem to catch and inspire the imagination of modern society.