Do you know the difference between Gargoyles and Grotesques?
Gargoyles are waterspouts that are designed to throw rain water away from the outside wall of a building.
Derived from the Old French gargouille, meaning throat, the term was first used to describe carved lions and spouts on ancient classical buildings. It later became more familiar as a term used to describe the grotesque creatures and human forms disgorging water from the parapets of medieval walls and towers.
Grotesques were originally buried Roman ornamental decorations that were discovered during the Renaissance in subterranean ruins known as grotte, hence grotesques. We now associate the term with unnatural, ugly or distorted forms, which can have the power to shock or scare those that cast their eyes over them.
Both gargoyles and grotesques have been attributed with the power to ward off evil spirits, guarding the buildings they occupy and protecting those inside.
