Also on this note, hey Mike, why do you have a picture of the chimeras from Notre Dame de Paris clipped to your DM book? Also Lucas’ face here I just can’t
At first I thought these were the gargoyles of Ravenloft Castle which would make sense for their campaign because that’s where Strahd lives but these look very different from Strahd's gargoyles.
Actually what they look like are the chimeras of Notre Dame except with a few differences, particularly with the one on the right which is named the “Eagle Eating Grapes.” It’s basically the exact same photo...but without the grapes.
These were designed by my man Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. (Source.) Let’s move past the fact that Viollet means violet in French. (Violet = blindness)
It's interesting because the gargoyles on Notre Dame and other cathedrals were put there to collect rainwater like a drain & gutter system to prevent it from ruining the structure. The UD is known to not have any water in it, and here we have symbols of keeping water away…
But also the Eagle Eating Grapes isn’t a gargoyle, it’s a chimera, meaning it’s not designed to steer water away. It’s purely decorative. The eagle symbolically represents spiritual insight because the eagle can see the farthest of any bird. The grapes, being food and also used to make wine, are like symbol of spiritual nourishment.
The fact that the grapes are missing from this photo means we have this animal poised to be eating something but with nothing to eat, which is a classic Gothic symbol of longing without resolution. (Source.) So basically something is incomplete even though the set-up is there. Fucking insane.
Grapes also grow on vines. Remember how they called out that the vines were missing in the final battle. Just had to throw that in there.
…Grapes are purple. (Idek if that’s related, just makes me laugh.)
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