The gargoyle is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

and horror monster inspired by the

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

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

golem A golem ( ; he, , gōlem) is an animated, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is entirely created from inanimate matter (usually clay or mud). The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...

s, they are usually made of magically animated or transformed stone, but have animal or

chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

traits and are often guardians of a place such as a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

. They can also be depicted as vessels for demonic possession or as a living species resembling statues.

Description

As evil constructs

The notion of gargoyles as supernatural constructs brought to life by evil was introduced in ''Maker of Gargoyles'' (1932), a short

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who conceived it with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhame ...

story by

Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an American writer and artist. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Algernon Charles Swinburne ...

where Reynard, a medieval

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

, 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. In the novelette ''

Conjure Wife ''Conjure Wife'' (1943) is a supernatural horror novel by American writer Fritz Leiber. Its premise is that witchcraft flourishes as an open secret among women. The story is told from the point of view of a small-town college professor who disco ...

'' (1943) by

Fritz Lieber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theater and films, playwright, and chess expert. With writers such as Robert ...

, a dragon sculpture is animated by a witch and sent to kill an archaeology professor. Such gargoyles also entered science fiction, such as in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' episode ''The Daemons'' (1971).

As demonic vessels

The notion of gargoyles as demonic vessels was introduced in ''The Horn of

Vapula The demons' names (given below) are taken from the ''Ars Goetia'', which differs in terms of number and ranking from the ''Pseudomonarchia Daemonum'' of Johann Weyer. As a result of multiple translations, there are multiple spellings for some of ...

'' (

Lewis Spence James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence (25 November 1874 – 3 March 1955) was a Scottish journalist, poet, author, folklorist and occult scholar. Spence was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and vice- ...

, 1932), in which a demon familiar is bound into a horned and goatlike gargoyle. Gargoyles appear as horned canine statues in the movie ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, thr ...

'' (1984), where they are possessed by the demonic spirits of Zuul and Vinz Klortho. Gargoyles may also appear as vessels for formerly human souls, such as the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

hero

Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...

, who later is able to transform back into a human.

As a race of beings resembling statues

The 1908 children's book ''

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz ''Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz'' is the fourth book set in the Land of Oz written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by John R. Neill. It was published on June 18, 1908 and reunites Dorothy Gale with the humbug Wizard from ''The Wonderful Wizard ...

'' featured a Land of the Gargoyles, wooden creatures with hinged wings. The film ''Gargoyles'' (1972) depicted a fictional race created by

Satan Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...

to harry mankind. A species of gargoyles also exists in ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

''. Movies featuring races of gargoyle-like creatures include ''Gargoyle'' (2004) and ''

Rise of the Gargoyles ''Rise of the Gargoyles'' ( in France) is a 2009 television film directed by Bill Corcoran and produced for the Syfy channel. It is the 18th film in the ''Maneater'' series. Plot In Paris, France, two workers find a hidden chamber while diggi ...

'' (2009), in which the creatures can lay eggs and turn into statues to blend in.

Friendly gargoyles

The notion of a friendly gargoyle was used by the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

show '' Gargoyles'' (1994–1997) in which gargoyles battle monsters to protect humanity. It originates from the folk belief of gargoyles as protectors. Friendly gargoyles also appear in the ''Discworld'' universe, such as Constable Downspout in ''

Feet of Clay Feet of clay is an idiom used to refer to a weakness or character flaw, especially in people of prominence and power. It can also be used to refer to larger groups, such as societies, businesses, and empires. An entity with feet of clay may appe ...

'' (1996), and in Disney's ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...

'' (1996), as Hugo, Victor and Laverne, who embody

Quasimodo Quasimodo (from Quasimodo Sunday) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the novel '' The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (1831) by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster, but ...

's subconscious.

In popular culture

Gargoyles have occupied a prominent place in film, television, and gaming due to their distinctive characteristics.

Film and television

'' Gargoyles'' is an American

animated television series An animated series is a set of Animation, animated works with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes should typically share the same main characters, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series can ...

produced by

Walt Disney Television Disney General Entertainment Content, doing business as Walt Disney Television, is an American entertainment company that oversees television content and assets owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. Forming the company's General Enter ...

and distributed by

Buena Vista Television Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,turn to stone during the day. After spending a thousand years an enchanted petrified state, the gargoyles (who have been transported from

medieval Scotland Scotland in the Middle Ages concerns the history of Scotland from the departure of the Romans to the adoption of major aspects of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. From the fifth century northern Britain was divided into a series ...

) are reawakened in modern-day

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and take on roles as the city's secret night-time protectors. ''Gargoyles'' was noted for its relatively dark tone, complex

story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...

s, and

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

;

character arc A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to ch ...

s were heavily employed throughout the series, as were

Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

themes. The series also received favorable comparisons to '' Batman: The Animated Series''. A video game adaptation and a spin-off comic series were released in 1995. The show's storyline continued from 2006 to 2009 in a comic book series of the same title, produced by

Slave Labor Graphics Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoenix, Jhon ...

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

ranked ''Gargoyles'' 45th place on its 2009 list of top 100 animated series, stating: "A decent success at the time, ''Gargoyles'' has maintained a strong

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

since it ended more than a decade ago".

Hollywood.com Hollywood.com is an entertainment news website covering popular culture topics including movies, television, music and celebrities. Hollywood.com is principally owned by Mitchell Rubenstein and Laurie S. Silvers, who previously founded Sci-Fi Ch ...

featured it on their 2010 list of six cartoons that should be movies.

UGO.com UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Online ...

included it on their 2011 top list of legendary medieval and fantasy TV shows. 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 '' Riverdale'' features a monstrous antagonist known as the "Gargoyle King."

Comics

is a name shared by two

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

s appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

. The first Gargoyle, Yuri Topolov, appears in ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book a ...

'' #1 (May 1962), and was created by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

. 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 A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...

composite and a member of the

Defenders Defender(s) or The Defender(s) may refer to: *Defense (military) *Defense (sports) **Defender (association football) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Defender'' (1989 film), a Canadian documentary * ''The Defender'' (1994 f ...

. He was created by writer

J. M. DeMatteis John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels. Biography Early career J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...

and artist

Don Perlin Don Perlin (; born August 27, 1929) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for Marvel Comics' ''Werewolf by Night'', ''Moon Knight'' (a character he co-created), '' The Defenders'', and ''Ghost Rider''. In the 1990s ...

. Perlin's design was inspired by a sequence in ''

Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretc ...

'' in which the titular hero disguises himself as a gargoyle. During his long run on ''The Defenders'', Gargoyle also was the co-star of ''

Marvel Team-Up ''Marvel Team-Up'' is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series featured two or more Marvel characters in one story. The series was originally published from March 1972 through February 1985, and featured Spider-Man as ...

'' #119, written by his co-creator DeMatteis, who later described the issue as "one of my favorite ''favorite'' stories". In 1985 Marvel published a four-issue ''Gargoyle''

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

, written by DeMatteis and drawn by

Mark Badger Mark Billings Badger (October 16, 1958), known as Mark Badger, is an American illustrator who has worked as a penciler, inker, cover artist, painter, and occasional colorist in the American comic book industry. In addition to his career as a comic ...

. 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."

Gaming

'' D & D''

In the ''

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

, a gargoyle is a grotesque winged monstrous humanoid creature, with a horned head and a stony hide. The gargoyle was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' "white box" set (1974), where they were described as a reptilian bipedal beast, Chaotic in alignment. The ''kopoacinth'', an aquatic version of the gargoyle, first appeared in the 1975 ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplement, ''

Blackmoor Blackmore is a village in Essex, England. Blackmore or Blackmoor may also refer to: * Blackmore (name), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Blackmoor, Hampshire, a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England ...

'' by

Dave Arneson David Lance Arneson (; October 1, 1947Minnesota Department of Health. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. – April 7, 2009) was an American game designer best known ...

. The gargoyle appears in the first edition ''

Monster Manual The ''Monster Manual'' (''MM'' is the primary bestiary sourcebook for Monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, monsters in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'' fantasy role-playing game, first published in 1977 by TSR (company), TSR. The ''Monster Manual' ...

'' (1977), where it is described as a ferocious predator of a magical nature, found among ruins; it attacks anything it can detect. The ''marlgoyle'', a more horrid form of gargoyle, first appears in the module '' Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth'' (1982), and later appears in ''Monster Manual II'' (1983) as the margoyle. This edition of the ''D&D'' game included its own version of the gargoyle, in the ''

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set The ''Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set'' is a set of rulebooks for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. First published in 1977, it saw a handful of revisions and reprintings. The first edition was written by J. Eric Holm ...

'' (1977, 1981, 1983). The gargoyle was also later featured in the '' Dungeons & Dragons Game'' set (1991), the ''Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia'' (1991), and the ''Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game'' set (1994). The gargoyle and margoyle also appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two (1989), and are reprinted in the ''

Monstrous Manual The ''Monster Manual'' (''MM'' is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'' fantasy role-playing game, first published in 1977 by TSR. The ''Monster Manual'' was the first hardcover D&D book and includ ...

'' (1993), along with the kapoacinth. The

Greyhawk Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...

campaign setting A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and ca ...

module ''

'' (1989) featured the gargoyle (of the Tors). In ''Gargoyle'', set in the City of Greyhawk, the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

s are hired by a pair of gargoyles to find their stolen wings. The ''grist'' (true gargoyle) appeared in '' Vale of the Mage'' (1990). The ''guardgoyle'' for the

Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...

setting appeared in the ''Ruins of Zhentil Keep'' boxed set (1995). Four variant gargoyles appeared in the "Dragon's Bestiary" column of ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' #223 (November 1995), including the ''archer'', the ''grandfather plaque'', the ''spouter'', and the ''stone lion''. These creatures were reprinted in ''Monstrous Compendium Annual Three'' (1996). The gargoyle and kapoacinth appear in the ''Monster Manual'' for the 3.0 edition (2000–2002), 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''. Ordinarily, gargoyles are

stone statues A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

carved into a demonic shape and imbued with life by magical means, akin to a

. However, their descriptions in the official source materials are sometimes unprecise and even conflicting; in the 2nd edition ''

Monstrous Compendium The ''Monstrous Compendium'' is a series of accessories for the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game released from 1989 to 1998. The title was then used for a series of 5th Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplements released ...

'', for instance, their stats summary lists their diet as carnivorous, while the description of their ecology explains that a gargoyle requires neither food or water to survive. In some ''D&D''-related works, gargoyles and their kin (see ''Variants'', below) are even erroneously depicted as biological creatures capable of natural reproduction. A gargoyle is usually chaotic evil. Gargoyles are sentient, cunning, and malevolent to the extreme. Their favorite sport is to capture intelligent beings and slowly torture them to death. Due to its stone body, a gargoyle has the ability to hold itself so still that it appears to be a statue. Standard gargoyles possess wings which give them flight capability. The gargoyle is fully detailed in

Paizo Publishing Paizo Inc. (originally Paizo Publishing.) is an American role-playing game publishing company based in Redmond, Washington, best known for the tabletop role-playing game ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder''. The company's name is derived ...

's book ''Classic Horrors Revisited'' (2009), on pages 16–21. Jacobs, James, Rob McCreary, and

F. Wesley Schneider F. Wesley Schneider is an American game designer and author known for his work on the ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' and for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). He was the co-lead designer on the ''D&D'' 5th Edition adventure anthology '' Journey ...

. ''Classic Horrors Revisited'' (Paizo, 2009)\

Video games

'' Gargoyle's Quest: Ghosts 'n Goblins'' is an

action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...

game for the original

Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...

. Developed by

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...

, it was released on May 2, 1990, in Japan, then North America in July, and lastly Europe in 1991. The playable character

Red Arremer ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'', known in Japan as , is a Run and gun game, run-and-gun platform game, platform video game series created by Tokuro Fujiwara and developed by Capcom. The first entry in the series was ''Ghosts 'n Goblins (video game), Ghost ...

(Firebrand in the U.S.) made his debut in the video game series ''

Ghosts 'n Goblins ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'', known in Japan as , is a run-and-gun platform video game series created by Tokuro Fujiwara and developed by Capcom. The first entry in the series was '' Ghosts 'n Goblins'', released in arcades on July 7, 1985. The seri ...

'' as an antagonist character, of which this is a spin-off. ''Gargoyle's Quest'' was followed by the

NES The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

prequel '' Gargoyle's Quest II'' in 1992 and the

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Eur ...

sequel ''

Demon's Crest ''Demon's Crest'', known in Japan as ''Demon's Blazon'', is a platform game, side-scrolling platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third video game starring Firebrand (an enemy ...

'' in 1994. According to the fictional game lore, Firebrand is a gargoyle predestined to carry on the

namesake A namesake is a person, geographic location, or other entity bearing the name of another. History The word is first attested around 1635, and probably comes from the phrase "for one's name's sake", which originates in English Bible translations ...

and identity of the Red Blaze – the powerful force that fought back the Destroyers long before this game takes place. As his destiny foretold, Firebrand saves the Ghoul Realm from brutal conquest by traversing the Ghoul Realm, building his powers, and preparing to fight against the Destroyers' king, Breager, so as to ensure the protection of the Ghoul Realm once more. ''Gargoyle's Quest'' was warmly received by contemporary and later critics alike, and sold well enough to warrant a prequel on the NES only two years later. Gargoyles also appear in the 1997 first-person shooter

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the c ...

Monolith Productions Monolith Productions, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Kirkland, Washington. The company has been a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment since August 2004. History Monolith Productions was founded on October ...

and take two forms, one of flesh and one of stone The Yuri Topolov version of Gargoyle appears in the ''

Lego Marvel's Avengers ''Lego Marvel's Avengers'' is a Lego-themed action-adventure video game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Wind ...

'' 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.

Others

Animatronic Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...

gargoyle statues are a popular

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

or haunted attraction commodity. In ''

Monster High Monster High is an American multimedia-supported fashion doll franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. Aimed at children aged 7 to 14, the franchise features characters inspired by monster movies, sci-fi ...

'',

Rochelle Goyle ''Monster High'', a fashion doll and media franchise created by Garrett Sander and released by American toy company Mattel on 11 June 2010, features a variety of fictional characters, many of whom are students at the titular high school. The fem ...

is the daughter of the gargoyles. The H.I.M. music video Kiss of Dawn features many Gargoyles and Grotesques.

References

{{Horror fiction Fictional monsters Fictional species and races Grotesques