Our Gargoyles Rock: Difference between revisions

 

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== [[Film]] ==

* [[The Movie]] of ''[[Tales from the Darkside]]'' has a female gargoyle which can turn into human.

* ''[[Cast a Deadly Spell]]'' (1991) features a Gargoyle which perches on the evil warlock's mansion like an ordinary statue. However he can bring it to life and send it out on missions to spy on people or kill his enemies.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

** Also, unlike many depictions of monstrous gargoyles, Discworld gargoyles retain their waterspoutish nature, using their ears and wings to direct rain through the back of their heads and out their mouths, filtering out anything potentially tasty that passes through (especially pigeons). This means that their mouths are always open and their speech is affected quite a bit.

*** It was mentioned once, by either Vimes or Carrot, that the gargoyle was a sort of troll evolved specifically to survive in the city.

* In the [[Allie Beckstrom]] universe, gargoyles are merely statues animated by elaborate and expensive spells—until Allie accidentally puts her magic into one. "Stone" then becomes a self-powered individual with the intelligence and personality of a dog.

* In the ''[[Codex Alera]]'' series, all normal humans have [[Elemental Powers]]. Those with [[Dishing Out Dirt|earth-controlling powers]] can sometimes summon and control animate elementals, or sometimes bind them on (or ''in'') walls and buildings to serve as guardians. The physical shape of earth elemental guardians, like all elementals, varies depending on the individual elemental and/or the human controlling them.

* "God Bless The Gargoyles", a children's book by Dav Pilkey, describes the original role of the gargoyle as a symbol of protection, then how people gradually forgot that the terrifying faces were meant to drive off evil and grew afraid of them themselves. The argument here being "for crying out loud show 'em a little love".

* ''[[The Monster Hunters Survival Guide]]'' cribs it's Gargoyles mostly from the [[Gargoyles|Disney series]], with the Author expressly saying that they're not evil, and can even be allies.

 

* The ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story "The Daemons" has Bok, a gargoyle animated by Daemonic powers.

** The Weeping Angels also share most characteristics with gargoyles. They don't usually perch on ledges, though.

* Gargoyles in ''[[Charmed]]'' are creatures in statue form who come alive to ward off evil, and are so powerful that not even [[Ultimate Evil|the Source]] can get by them.

 

== [[Tabletop Games]] ==

* The ''[[Warhammer Fantasy]]'' board game ''Hero Quest'' has a gargoyle—a large winged humanoid resembling a [[The Lord of the Rings|Balrog]]—that is a [[Giant Mook]] and the toughest normal opponent in the game. ''[[Expansion Pack|Kellar's Keep]]'' [[Shout-Out|completes its Moria analogy]] by having an end boss in the form of an especially powerful gargoyle.

* In ''[[Fading Suns]]'' gargoyles are mysterious and possibly sentient artifacts in form of statues that crop up on [[Precursors]] ruins and jumpgates. Individuals with mystical abilities can sense their power, but not discern anything specific. They generally suppress effects of [[The Dark Side]] (for [[Psychic Powers]] and [[Religion Is Magic|Theurgy]] alike) around and if carried on a spaceship, keep [[Eldritch Abomination|Void Krakens]] away. Additional effects are individual; at least one produces omens.

 

== [[Video Games]] ==

*** Coincidentally, the Stoneskin Gargoyle Cape, an equippable item dropped by another gargoyle, has also become infamous because [[Memetic Mutation|it's white and it's longer than your average cloak or cape]].

* The ''[[Golden Sun]]'' gargoyles are flying [[Winged Humanoid]]s with very high physical defense.

* Gargoyles are a recurring enemy in the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series, resembling demonic [[Winged Humanoid]]s. In at least one game, using a Soft (which cures petrification) on them will [[Revive Kills Zombie|kill them instantly]] - [[Don't Explain the Joke|because they're made of stone!]]

* In ''[[Kingdom Hearts]],'' the Gargoyles are vaguely bat-like flying Heartless that will either melee you or spit magic at you. The sequel introduced other types of Gargoyles that were basically the the stereotypical animated statues.

* ''[[Gargoyle's Quest]]'' a [[Spin-Off]] of ''[[Ghosts 'n Goblins]]'' starring everyone's favorite [[Boss in Mook Clothing]], the Red Arremer, known in his own series as Firebrand.

* Rufus in ''[[A Vampyre Story]]'' certainly doesn't rock: he has to sit through all sorts of humiliations.

* Gargoyles—red-skinned, horned, winged humanoids—pop up in the ''[[Ultima]]'' series, though in early games they are called "Daemons". ''[[Ultima VI]]'' reveals more about them: they are {{spoiler|a good race living in the Underworld, who follow their own system of values, similar to the human system of virtues. They were enmies in the earlier games mainly due to cultural misunderstandings.}} The winged gargoyles are the leaders are guides of the non-intelligent wingless ones.

** The previous installment in the series had a one-time instance of actual stone gargoyles coming to life and attacking you. They were one of the nastiest enemies in the game due to being hard as all hell to kill, and splitting in two when you strike them.

* In ''[[Age of Wonders]]: Shadow Magic'', Gargoyle is an unit created by Dwarves (and has Good alignment like them). It sees in the dark, has magic strike (i.e. hits just as well creatures resistant to physical damage), is immune to mind control, most debuff magic and damage types other than physical and lightning, and has such resistance that what it doesn't ignore outright, it usually shrugs off. Except plain old clobbering, and they can take a lot of that, too - not the best defense or health around, but while a single ''very lucky'' cannon shot is ''just'' enough to kill it, none of the game's melee juggernauts can one-hit a gargoyle in full health (and as a flyer, it would have to be downed before any of those except dragons could attack it at all).

 

* In ''[[Exterminatus Now]]'' gargoyles are [http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2008-05-17/comic/mort-to-it-than-zombies/touchy-subject-is-touchy/ angels] of [http://exterminatusnow.co.uk/2006-08-25/comic/four-of-a-kind/good-gods/ Mort].

 

** This species of gargoyles had variations from all over the world, usually somewhat resembling the local legendary creatures, and always dedicated to protecting some location or population. As the main character explains a few times, it is a Gargoyle's nature to find a place to call home and defend it to the death. When the local humans APPRECIATE this protection, it can work out very well for all parties as the Gargoyles can offer superior strength and resilience to fight off invaders or other threats while the humans can protect them during their vulnerable daylight hours. When the nearby humans DON'T appreciate their presence... [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|gravel supplies tend to swell...]] Most Gargoyles clans (of those few remaining by the present day) have given up on having anything to do with humans as a result.

* The gargoyles in the Disney version of ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' come in two varieties: the [[Comic Relief]] trio of legless [[Winged Humanoid]]s who can summon swarms of pigeons and talk, and the animalistic heads that adorn the roofs (one of which turns alive as Frollo clings to it). Turning into stone is only done when they sleep or show Quasimodo he's disappointed them.

* [[Evil Is Cool|Chernabog]] in ''[[Fantasia]]'' is arguably a titanic gargoyle: he looks quite demonic and turns into stone during the day.

* In the ''[[Space Ghost]]'' episode "The Gargoyloids", the title monsters are gargoyles - <small>IN SPACE</small>!

[[Category:Our Tropes Are Different]]

[[Category:Index of Fictional Creatures]]