In today’s entry, we continue examining one of the most suggestive and expressive aspects of gargoyles: bodily gestural expression and its expressive force.
In the first entry devoted to this topic, we analysed two common gestures in gargoyles: pulling at the mouth —and at other parts of the body— and placing the hand on the throat. On this occasion, we will continue exploring other bodily gestures as a clear manifestation of plasticity in art.
Other Gestures and Postures of the Body and the Hands
Hands Placed on Different Parts of the Body
The movements of the hands are highly varied in gargoyles. Indeed, they may appear positioned on different parts of the body: not only on the mouth or the throat, but also on the head, the chest, the face, the ears, the genitals, the knees, or the lap, among others. Likewise, they perform a variety of actions, such as holding an object or a small creature, praying, or working.
Generally, these gestures are accompanied by a strong expressiveness, revealing emotions and feelings such as suffering, anger, despair, pain, joy, devotion, or introspection. However, they may also adopt a playful, comic, or grotesque character, without the intention of conveying specific sensations, functioning simply as humorous representations.
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- Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
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- Church of St. Gangolf in Trier (Germany)
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- Church of Our Lady in Trier (Germany)
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- Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
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- Church of Our Lady in Trier (Germany)
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- Mirepoix Cathedral (France)
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- Perpignan Cathedral (France)
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- Palencia Cathedral (Spain)
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- Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
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- Brussels City Hall (Belgium)
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- Burgos Cathedral (Spain)
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- Batalha Monastery (Portugal)
The Gesture of Sticking Out the Tongue
Associated with this type of cheerful and mocking imagery is the gesture of sticking out the tongue. Research into its meaning indicates that it constitutes a form of mockery that could be interpreted as a disrespectful and contemptuous attitude towards the sacred, as well as a common gesture used to represent malicious beings and individuals of low social status. This is particularly evident in demonic figures which, from the late Gothic period onwards, evolve into representations that are more comic than terrifying.
Some authors argue that the protruding and prominent tongue derives from the classical Gorgon, although it also appears in representations of the Egyptian god Bes, probably known to Coptic monks, according to Link. The exact meaning of this gesture can only be a matter of interpretation. Its intention may simply be to display a coarse and threatening gesture, often accompanied by foliate heads (green man). However, it may also convey a more complex meaning.
Traditionally, the exhibition of the genitals has been understood as a means of warding off evil forces. In this regard, Sheridan and Ross argue that the protruding tongue may have been perceived as possessing similar powers, so that these heads, positioned at the heights of sacred buildings, may have served to keep demonic forces under control.
Likewise, the art historian Michael Camille interprets this gesture as a form of offence found in many medieval faces, based on the apotropaic power of the classical Gorgon, in which the tongue acts as a substitute for the penis and its power to avert the evil eye. This small protrusion emerging from the creature’s mouth, according to the author, defines it as a masculine element; the tongue was considered a dangerous and obscene organ.
For his part, Rebold Benton relates the gesture of sticking out the tongue to Satan, who displays it in order to mock his victims. A prominent tongue also symbolises traitors, heretics, and blasphemers.
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- Bordeaux Cathedral (France)
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- Brussels City Hall (Belgium)
Postures of the Legs
Gargoyles also display a wide range of leg postures, whose dynamism and vitality generally reveal a remarkable plasticity in the figures. Various gestures and movements can be observed, which also suggest actions —such as dancing, attacking, or fighting— as well as seated, rampant, crouching, or kneeling figures, with the head or body inclined, or with crossed legs, the latter interpreted as a sign of pride.
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- Tours Cathedral (France)
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- Bern Cathedral (Switzerland)
Contortionist Figures
Some figures, especially human ones, display contortionist gestures. Jacques Le Goff notes that contortionists, together with prostitutes, constituted archetypes of a gestural practice associated with demonic possession, and during the thirteenth century they were considered outcasts.
For his part, Saint Isidore, in his Etymologies (seventh century), states that circus games were created for pagan celebrations: “Therefore, those who attend them as spectators are considered, by their very presence, to serve the worship of demons.”
Grotesque. Cathedral of María Inmaculada in Vitoria (Spain)
Once again, history and art come together to reveal the fascinating connection between images and their symbolism within the framework of gargoyles in the history of art, as well as the attraction they convey and the profound learning and enjoyment they offer, both through their artistic beauty and their meaning. These figures always lead us back to a symbolic universe linked to the historical, social, moral, and psychological factors that shaped the collective imagination, not only in the Middle Ages, but in all periods.
Bibliography
CAMILLE, M., El ídolo gótico. Ideología y creación de imágenes en el arte medieval, Madrid, Ediciones Akal, S. A., 2000.
CAMILLE, M., The Gargoyles of Notre-Dame. Medievalism and the Monsters of Modernity, Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 2009.
GÓMEZ GÓMEZ, A., El Protagonismo de los otros. La imagen de los marginados en el Arte Románico, Bilbao, C. E. H. A. M./E. A. H. I., 1997.
GRIVOT, D., Le diable dans la cathedrale, Paris, Editions Morel, 1960.
KENAAN-KEDAR, N., Marginal Sculpture in Medieval France. Towards the deciphering of an enigmatic pictorial language, Hants (England) and Vermont (USA), Scolar Press and Ashgate Publishing Company, 1995.
LE GOFF, J. y TRUONG, N., Una historia del cuerpo en la Edad Media, Barcelona, Ediciones Paidós Ibérica, S. A., 2005.
LINK, L., El Diablo. Una máscara sin rostro, Madrid, Editorial Síntesis, S. A., 2002.
REBOLD BENTON, J., Holy Terrors. Gargoyles on medieval buildings, New York, Abbeville Press, 1997.
SAN ISIDORO DE SEVILLA, Etimologías, II (Libros XI-XX), texto latino, versión española, notas e índices por J. Oroz Reta y M. A. Marcos Casquero, Madrid, Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, de La Editorial Católica, S. A., 1982.
SHERIDAN, R. y ROSS, A., Grotesques and Gargoyles. Paganism in the Medieval Church, London, David & Charles: Newton Abbot, 1975.
This entry was originally published in March 2019 and updated in March 2026.
Doctor of Art History and researcher specializing in the study of gargoyles.
I am Dolores Herrero Ferrio, and my thesis, “An Approach to the Study of Gargoyles of Gothic Cathedrals in Castilla and León”, is dedicated to the study of these fascinating figures.
If you like gargoyles and art history, you will also enjoy my book, “The Gargoyle and Its Iconography,” a book I have written with great care for those interested in the world of gargoyles.
I have created my own Encyclopedia of Gargoyles, a Gargopedia to share with you, where you will discover all the secrets and wonders of these enigmatic sculptures.
I hope you enjoy this Gargopedia as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and remember that each gargoyle has a story to tell, and here you will discover them all.
