Sticking out along the cornices of many Gothic Cathedrals are little beastly beings with angry madcap faces known as Gargoyles. It is safe to say they are not poised there, eyes outward, gnarly teeth at the ready, for their health. They are certainly meant as sentries, presenting a sort of anti-evil force field to protect the precious and fragile faith of the mighty but not invulnerable Lord. Technically, those serried beasts we see lining up along the highest edges of Gothic structures are not gargoyles, since they don’t spout for the most part, but rather they are called Grotesques. Over time the term gargoyles seems to have encompassed these grotesques, and so for the purpose of this entry on the subject, gargoyle may in fact be considered a synonym for a grotesque. During the Middle Ages when most of the Gothic Cathedrals were built and likewise the gargoyles protruding from their sides were affixed, the vast majority of the people could neither read nor write. This left quite a bit of the lesson teaching left to the sermons of the priests and the visualizations of the church. And what is more visual than the Gargoyle? As part and parcel of the finishing touches on these grand gothic edifices, the Gargoyle was a menacing and leering signature of Gothic architecture. As varied as the serried faces of the gnarly beasts, from the griffins of Egypt to Ireland, the faces of old beardless men, dragons, lions, griffins, panthers, and little green men, trolls, devils and angels. All gracefully finishing off the majesty of so many Gothic structures across the face of the earth.