Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10
ORIGIN OF GARaoYLEs..
stone Efdgy Early Used as Roof Spout
on Cathedral of Rouen.

on Cathedral Of Rouen.
From the London Globe
one or the earliest Of the more elaborate
attempts to transform roof spouts seems
TO have been at the Cathedral of Rouen.
where the figure Of a great dragon was
ADOPTED for one Of them, though whether
1t was intended as an object of terror to
the hobgoblin fraternity of the seventh
century or symbol of the church's tri-
umph over public foe can only be coniec-
tured
This fearsome wild fowl terrorized both
banks Of the Seine and terribly rayaged
the city Rouen until he was gallantly
slain by st. Rominus. bishop OF the cathe-
araI there: Probably in sheer Jubilation Of
spirits and In compliment to the valorous
bishop the carcass Of the mischieyous beast
was embodied in stone and set up aloft
as warming to all depredators and any
etat a SPIRITS oy which they might be actu-
ateo- The name given to this unlucky
animal Is said to have been gargouille and
hence the name given to his effigy, accord
Ing to some authorities.
Others, however, derive the appellation
from "gargoille," the weazand of the throat
or from gargale. "a disease to which swine
are liable. and which causes a eurglins
sound In the throat, like that which water
all at liberty . choose a derivation. since
nobody can speak with authority.
II gargouille really was the name given
to some more or less fabulous beast whose
carcass was initiated by some fancifuI
sculptor in the making of an Ornamental
spout, then the probability is that we have
mere the origin not only Of "gargoyle." but
OF the French word for the weazand. as
."gargle" N
One ugly creature having been adopted
for stone ef1gy on so famous a church as
tnad at Rouen in the seventh century, may
easily be conceived to have set the fashion
for other churches, and the superfuous
hldeousness Of SO many of these objects
certainly supports the notion that In part
tneir scuiptors were actuated by the idea
OF frightening the uncanny folk from the
scored edifiees of the worshipers
The dragon Is the commencement of all
forms 1or the gargoyle, and toward the end
o. the thirteenth century, when the pro-
pflety OF adopting this creature had become
an ola tradition of church architecture. the
form OF the monster was transformed into
g tning OF some approach to grace and eIe-
Sanee In the meantime, however, almost
every pird or quadruped of evil repute and
of figure that could be any malevolent
ingenuity be distorted into something
frightful has been called in for the Spiritual
oe1ense or the church, and when animal
Shapes alone had been made to undergo
every contortion that could be conceived
they We're combined with human figures
and faces; development which inevitably
led to the later adoption of all sorts Of
imps and demons.
Thus on many of the finest churches in
Christendom we find not only almost every
kind of bird and beast, real and legendary
but everything uncanny and diabolical. in
human form. 1t must be allowed that 1t
showed an exceptional originality and an
uncommon power of good nature in the
nineteenth century sculptor who, in the
course of the restoration Of Chester Cathe-
dral about the time Of the disestablishment
of the Irish Church, capped this long series
of ecclesiastical embellishments with a
caricature headpiece of Mr.. Gladstone.