Holy Terrors and Nightmares in the Sky

 

Holy Terrors:  Gargoyles on Medieval Buildings by Janetta Rebold Benton

Nightmares in the Sky, text by Stephen King, photographs by f-stop Fitzgerald

Reviewed by Jeanne

Many, many years ago there was a made for TV movie called “Gargoyles.” I remember nothing of the plot or cast, but the whole concept of gargoyles made a huge impression on me.  I tried to find information on gargoyles but there wasn’t much out there beyond a definition in an encyclopedia which had nothing to do with the monsters in the movie.

As it turns out, I’m not the only one who remembers that movie: Stephen King refers to it in Nightmares in the Sky, calling it a really terrible movie—but admitting that the gargoyles had a certain power.

Long before sometime decided to make gargoyles into monsters, these stone figures adorned buildings but even so kept an air of mystery about them. It’s difficult to put a date to most, as they rarely show up in records of buildings, and even the origin of the name is in disputed. Their function, however, is clear.  They’re waterspouts.  The backs are hollow, and the openings protrude away from the building to keep water from flowing down the masonry.  There are similar figures which are not waterspouts, but those are more properly called grotesques or chimeras.

Holy Terrors is a wealth of information about these fascinating figures.  The book’s focus is on medieval European examples, though it does mention that animal waterspouts were found on Etruscan and Roman buildings. Photos abound, showing and discussing all sorts of figures. Some poses occur in several locations, such as “face puller” (which is just as described), while others are unique.  Some are distinctly human; others may be based on a real animal, and yet others are definitely more mythical creature.  Some of the more interesting ones are found on the rear side of a building, often a more mischievous figure, including figures that have water coming out of, shall we say, a different orifice.

Much of the book is devoted to categorizing and trying to determine if there is an overriding significance to the gargoyles: were they religious in nature? Were they just for fun? Were they artistic expression?

Yes.

 I like that the book doesn’t supply one explanation.  After all, these figures were created over centuries and the reasons for the creation may be as varied as the stone masons who created them.  I also appreciate that the author points out that we tend to view the Middle Ages as some of dark, joyless time when actually people have always managed to find humor and happiness. 

Most of all, I loved the photographs.  While some are small, they’re very clear and detailed.  My only quibble is that sometimes the figures discussed were on different pages than the text, so I’d be flipping back and forth to read the commentary while looking at the photo.

Nightmares in the Sky takes a bit of a different tact.  King’s commentary is more about the visceral appeal of gargoyles, along with speculation on the origins, rather than a detailed examination. That’s not a bad thing, just different. I found his thoughts on the subject to be quite entertaining, especially since, as noted above, he too remembered that obscure TV movie. His essay seems a bit more informed by his subjects, which are American gargoyles, and thus quite a bit younger than those discussed in Holy Terrors.  The photos are beautifully rendered, some in color.  There’s no individual commentary about the photos, but at the end of the book there is a list which tells where each photo was taken.

I enjoyed both books, and recommend them for others who like to look to the skies for stone creatures old and new.