Episode 138: Dark Fae: Gargoyles

The folklore of gargoyles in a nutshell, translated to Afrikaans, and how I reimagined it for my writing.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2024 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about gargoyles in folklore here.

Get the transcript here.

Learn more about the author and her writing here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With over a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

This episode is brought to you by my Dark Court Sisters book series. Available in ebook, paperback and audiobook. Three sisters. Three destinies. Three ways to destroy the world. Go to ronelthemythmaker.com/darkcourtsistersseries for more.

You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion. Go to buymeacoffee.com/ronel to support me.

We’re continuing our exploration of Dark Fae.

Today’s Faery: Gargoyle

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

There are no original written texts about the folklore of gargoyles that I could find, but the modern folklore books I were able to access had a lot to say on the matter. So the story of the gargoyle’s origin is the dragon Gargouille who lived in the River Seine and blasted water instead of fire from its mouth. The local bishop was sent to hunt it, which he did and stuck its head on the local church as a warning to other monsters who thought to prey on the people. Since then, decorative water spouts were put on cathedrals and other gothic structures in the form of grotesque creatures to not just protect the walls from water, but also because they are guardian spirits magically preserved in stone, ready to break free to battle evil. These days, you can even have a free-standing one protecting your front door.

And now for my interpretation of the fae in an Origin of the Fae: Gargoyle

Gargoyles are protectors, set on the roofs of buildings to keep guard from airborne attacks. They swallow intruders whole. They are nearly invincible with their tough stone skin. They can camouflage themselves to fit their surroundings. They can crawl and climb any wall. Their teeth and claws are sharp and deadly. They can fly if they need to, as they all have wings that can burst forth from their backs even if they don’t appear to have any. They come in various shapes and sizes. If not set a specific task – a specific building to guard – they roam until they find a building they like and then infest it. There’s not much one can do to get rid of gargoyles as they are immune to iron and salt. They do obey the Dark King without pause. 

As a little bonus, let’s look at this faery translated to Afrikaans: Drakekopspuier

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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You can now support my time in producing the podcast (researching, writing and everything else involved) by buying me a coffee. This can be a once-off thing, or you can buy me coffee again in the future at your discretion.