Gargoyle
The gargoyle as it popularly conceived is actually based off of a dragon story. The version of the story I have immediately available to me takes place in year 520 AD in Rouen the capital of Normandy. One day creature to be known as the the gargouille of “gargler” in the local tongue emerged from the Seine surveyed the land an bellowed forth a great tidal wave of water. The creature systematicly saturated the land with great waves of water ruining farmlands, and killing many farmers.
St. Romain, archbishop of Rouen, watched the unfolding destruction and vowed to do something about it. The lair of the dragon was known to be a cave on the banks of the Seine. St. Romain pleaded with the locals for aid but no one would help him on his quest except a lone prisoner who was already condemned to death.
As soon as the two brave men entered the cave the gargouille reared as it prepared to churn forth it’s great torrent of a breath weapon. St. Romain bravely stepped forward and using two fingers made the sign of the Cross. Immediately the gargouille was cowered it’s pent up breath weapon dribbled impotently between it’s jaws.
So complete was the creature cowered that it freely allowed itself to be shackled led into Rouen. The vengeful townsfolk came in droves and demanded it’s death. In accordance with their demands the gargouille was burnt until only ashes remained. These ashes were cast into the Seine.
Although the gargouille was slain it’s legacy lived past it’s death. The prisoner was pardoned and set free, and for years afterwards the archbishop of Rouen was given the right to pardon one criminal each year on Ascension Day.
The gargoyles that decorate buildings today were originally water spouts designed to cast water far enough from the building so it wouldn’t decay the foundation. As is the nature of these things these water spouts became decorative and they inherited their name and water spouting abilities from gargouille.
Note: A “gargoyle” that doesn’t spout water isn’t a gargoyle. It’s actually a grotesque.
Shuker, Karl. _Dragons_. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.