Editing Gargoyle (section)

== Animals ==
The [[ancient Egypt]]ians, [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]], [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]], and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] all used animal-shaped waterspouts.<ref name="Benton 1997" />{{rp|11}} During the 12th Century, when gargoyles appeared in Europe, the Roman Catholic Church was growing stronger and converting many new people.  Most of the population at this time was illiterate, so images were very important to convey ideas.  Many early gargoyles depicted some version of a dragon, especially in France.  In addition to serving as spouts for water, the gaping mouths of these gargoyles evoked the fearsome destructiveness of these legendary beasts, reminding the laity of the need for the church's protection.<ref name="Varner 2008" /> The reason why many gargoyles are depicted as these dragon-looking, unidentifiable monsters is because it is said the founding bishops of churches would rid their respective towns of these kinds of beasts.<ref name="Camille-2004" />

Human qualities were sometimes ascribed to specific animals—that is, the animals were [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphized]]. This was especially common for pagans, and using these ideas helped conversion to Catholicism.<ref name="Benton-1996" /> Some animals (such as the [[rhinoceros]] and the [[hippopotamus]]) were unknown in western Europe during the Middle Ages, so gargoyles of these species (such as the ones at [[Laon Cathedral]]) are modern gargoyles and therefore did not have symbolic meaning in medieval times.<ref name="Benton 1997" />{{rp|20}}

The Lion was the most prominent figure for animal gargoyles, likely due to their frequent appearances in other medieval art and even art in antiquity. Lions became a symbol of [[Christ]] and, therefore, were said to have the same characteristics as Christ. Supposedly, the lion's tail had the power to erase its tracks, and because of this could elude the devil.<ref name="Benton-1996" /> The lioness was said to give birth to dead cubs, which would resurrect 3 days later, like Jesus Christ.<ref name="Benton-1996" /> Among these divine attributes, lions were generally believed to be virtuous in a multitude of ways, such as being extremely loyal and in control of their emotions<ref name="Benton-1996" />