Gargoyles and their Small Companions

 

On many buildings you often see gargoyles accompanied by small creatures. Today we’re going to discuss these little creatures and I’ll show you a fantastic example of this type in the lovely French city of Narbonne.

Gargoyles often include small beings placed underneath the main figure and in different positions: suckling, being trodden on, grasped, mocking, playful, and so on. They are generally dynamic little figures that are added to gargoyles to give them a narrative touch.

Some gargoyles are animals or monsters depicted with their offspring, sometimes in the act of feeding them.

 

 

However, when they are figures with a more demonic connotation, these small companions have a clearly diabolic meaning; sometimes they could also be considered offspring of demons. Generally speaking, they have negative, evil connotations, both for their gestures and attitudes and for the positions they occupy, as they are usually placed on the lowest and basest parts of the gargoyle’s body. In his research on the gastrocephalus, Burbank Bridaham says that head in the belly can convey the idea that the centre of the brain has descended to the lower parts of the body, giving these figures a negative connotation. This placement in the lower part of the body and its meaning can also be linked to the meaning of these small evil creatures.

 

 

Other times, we see gargoyles with a religious meaning, where figures representing good are seen crushing small demons that represent evil (the struggle between good and evil), or vice versa, although this is less common.

 

 

Burgos Cathedral (Spain)

 

As we mentioned at the beginning, we want to highlight a remarkable set of gargoyles that we discovered on a trip to Narbonne (France), specifically those in the cloister of the Gothic cathedral of St. Just and St. Pasteur, all of which are sensational gargoyles.

The Cloister of Narbonne Cathedral

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography consulted

BURBANK BRIDAHAM, L., The Gargoyle Book. 572 examples from Gothic Architecture, New York, Dover Publications, Inc., 2006.