THE GARGOYLICON: IMAGININGS AND IMAGES OF THE GARGOYLE IN LITERATURE AND ART is a compendium of visions and unique perspectives on this intriguing and enigmatic figure. Beyond its function as a water spout to send potentially damaging rain water away from walls and foundations of buildings, it has also been seen as both a symbol of Evil forces and, in seeming contradiction, as a protector against the same. Was it meant to also frighten the unbeliever into faith and keeping the "straight and narrow path," or, perhaps, to attract pagans due to its grotesque and monstrous appearance—the stuff of their legends? The poetry, fiction, and art in this tome offer a great variety of perspectives upon and interpretations of these wonders.