WEBVTT 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.419 From the unexplained to the mundane, come join 00:00:06.419 --> 00:00:15.039 us on a journey to the fringe. Hello and welcome 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:18.260 to Journey to the Fringe. Pro Orca, just in case 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:20.559 they ask or someone happens to be blaring this 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:23.559 podcast out from an ocean voyaging yacht. I feel 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:25.820 it's important we at least put it in, I guess, 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:28.120 a hearable form for the Orcas. I don't think 00:00:28.120 --> 00:00:29.559 they're going to bother learning an inferior 00:00:29.559 --> 00:00:32.479 language. Yeah, what if they start blasting Journey 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:34.600 to the French to keep the orcas away because 00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:37.159 they think that they're on their side? In which 00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:40.600 case, should we say right now? No, I think the 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:42.420 orcas are smart enough to be able to differentiate 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:45.380 somebody pleading for a truce or at least not 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:47.700 to be hung by them versus the people on the ship. 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:49.719 You're right. They can identify the rudder. They 00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:51.859 can identify who's a friend and who's an enemy. 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:54.460 I think so. Yeah, I think they just feel it out. 00:00:54.700 --> 00:00:56.700 Anyhow, we are your podcast hosts, Taylor and 00:00:56.700 --> 00:00:59.359 Chelsea, here today with a Chelsea episode. And 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:01.560 that's, I think, unless it's orca related, I'll 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:05.099 let her take over. If it was orca related, were 00:01:05.099 --> 00:01:08.099 you going to just do the orca? Yeah. It's kind 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:10.939 of like going into the pile for go fish and getting 00:01:10.939 --> 00:01:12.819 what you want. You just continue. Yeah, yeah. 00:01:13.219 --> 00:01:17.040 Wildly speculating. I would generally say that 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:20.989 my favorite bro is the Mothman. However. In saying 00:01:20.989 --> 00:01:24.310 Mothman, I feel like I'm boxing myself in a little 00:01:24.310 --> 00:01:27.310 because I found out that there's a whole wide 00:01:27.310 --> 00:01:30.650 world of winged humanoid cryptid type beings 00:01:30.650 --> 00:01:34.090 that I would love just as much as Mothman. And 00:01:34.090 --> 00:01:37.530 I say love loosely because it's based on a fear 00:01:37.530 --> 00:01:40.189 -based love. And I also say it loosely because 00:01:40.189 --> 00:01:43.329 I don't want Mothman to hear me and seek out 00:01:43.329 --> 00:01:46.670 his revenge later. Today, I thought I should 00:01:46.670 --> 00:01:50.480 expand my horizons. Let's take a look at one 00:01:50.480 --> 00:01:53.379 of the other options of winged humanoids. Today, 00:01:53.459 --> 00:01:56.799 that option is gargoyle. In contemporary fiction, 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.299 gargoyles are typically depicted as generally 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:04.739 winged humanoid race with demonic features, generally 00:02:04.739 --> 00:02:08.360 horns, a tail, talons, may or may not have a 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:11.500 beak. Yeah, that come to life in the night, and 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:14.759 I believe they fight crime over New York. Yeah. 00:02:14.900 --> 00:02:18.330 Yeah. Yeah, so we're talking about the same gargoyle. 00:02:18.810 --> 00:02:21.990 Gargoyles can generally use their wings if they 00:02:21.990 --> 00:02:25.849 have any to fly or glide as wings generally work 00:02:25.849 --> 00:02:29.569 and are often depicted as having a rocky hide 00:02:29.569 --> 00:02:34.009 or being capable of turning into stone in one 00:02:34.009 --> 00:02:36.979 way or another. of reference to their structural 00:02:36.979 --> 00:02:40.180 roots if they don't have wings they will scale 00:02:40.180 --> 00:02:43.000 the building's outer walls and either walk the 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:45.759 streets at night it seems so much less scary 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:48.400 if they're just walking See, I think that would 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:50.560 be worse because they can be way closer to you 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:53.020 if that's the case. Really? Do you think? Oh, 00:02:53.020 --> 00:02:55.740 yeah. I don't know. I seem to picture it as less 00:02:55.740 --> 00:02:58.379 menacing because the wings give them super power. 00:02:58.439 --> 00:02:59.979 Well, they still have the wings. They're walking. 00:03:00.060 --> 00:03:02.060 They're just like everyone else. But they still 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:05.460 have the wings. They're huge. Not the ones that 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:08.139 walk. They don't have wings. They don't? Or do 00:03:08.139 --> 00:03:10.060 you think they're like ostriches? They're just 00:03:10.060 --> 00:03:13.060 too bottom heavy. And they're just for decoration. 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:16.319 Huh. I never thought of it that way. I mean, 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:18.639 I guess when you look up, when you look at like 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:20.620 gargoyles on churches, I guess not all of them 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:23.539 have wings and they're like, some of them are 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:25.560 what, like two feet tall. I guess those ones 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:27.939 seeing walking around would just be really troublesome. 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:31.659 But like, I just assume they all had wings. It 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:34.599 was my assumption fully. I just, do you think 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:36.840 they're jealous of the guys that do have wings? 00:03:36.879 --> 00:03:39.219 Oh yeah. Especially like the two foot tall ones. 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:41.060 Like they're going to have to deal with a lot 00:03:41.060 --> 00:03:44.379 of inferiority complex. Like, yeah, yeah. I don't 00:03:44.379 --> 00:03:46.900 know what they're better at. Maybe they're good 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:51.379 listeners. I don't know. They'll walk the streets 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:53.460 at night or they'll just go inside the building. 00:03:53.539 --> 00:03:55.979 I don't know why. Gargoyles are known to protect 00:03:55.979 --> 00:03:59.979 buildings from evil spirits. Gargoyle comes from 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:02.620 the French. Oh, God, I meant to find this out. 00:04:02.719 --> 00:04:06.199 Now you have me guessing. Gargoyle? Probably 00:04:06.199 --> 00:04:10.039 not French at all, what I just said. But here 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:12.819 we are, unprepared. Which in English is likely 00:04:12.819 --> 00:04:16.459 to mean throat or is otherwise known as the gullet. 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:21.160 Latin gargula or gullet or throat. And similar 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:25.060 words derived from the root gar to swallow, which 00:04:25.060 --> 00:04:27.899 represent the gurgling sound of water. I guess 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:30.100 that makes sense that water is passing through 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:32.300 their throat. So they're just saying like quite 00:04:32.300 --> 00:04:36.209 literal. Yeah. Obviously gargoyles are known 00:04:36.209 --> 00:04:39.829 as a part of architecture. The term gargoyle 00:04:39.829 --> 00:04:43.850 refers to figures carved specifically to drain 00:04:43.850 --> 00:04:47.069 water away from the sides of buildings. I think 00:04:47.069 --> 00:04:50.189 I ordered this wrong, but we're getting gullet, 00:04:50.189 --> 00:04:55.029 throat, swallow, all going back to how they were 00:04:55.029 --> 00:04:58.170 directing water away from buildings. And they've 00:04:58.170 --> 00:05:01.879 been around for a long time. Even going back 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:05.420 to ancient Egypt in the form of a lion head at 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:08.600 that time, and then Gothic architecture, we see 00:05:08.600 --> 00:05:12.220 more of a gargoyle as we know it today, carved 00:05:12.220 --> 00:05:16.079 or formed grotesque. I really like that everybody 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:18.860 throughout history seems to agree, no, you got 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:21.240 to make where the water goes fancy, like somebody's 00:05:21.240 --> 00:05:24.620 spitting it. You have to do it in the form of 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:27.660 an animal, and it's coming out of their mouth. 00:05:27.899 --> 00:05:31.649 Like they're spitting it. It's one of those things 00:05:31.649 --> 00:05:35.850 that defies cultures and time. A grotesque is 00:05:35.850 --> 00:05:39.069 a broader version of a gargoyle, and I found 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:43.209 the architectural history so interesting of grotesques. 00:05:43.310 --> 00:05:47.110 Grotesques often depict whimsical, mythical creatures 00:05:47.110 --> 00:05:51.290 in dramatic or humorous ways. They have historically 00:05:51.290 --> 00:05:54.829 been a key element of architecture in many periods, 00:05:54.829 --> 00:05:57.329 including the Renaissance and medieval periods, 00:05:57.550 --> 00:06:00.509 and have stylistically developed in conjunction 00:06:00.509 --> 00:06:03.370 with these times. Although grotesques typically 00:06:03.370 --> 00:06:06.389 depict a wide range of subjects, they are often 00:06:06.389 --> 00:06:09.730 hybrids of different mythical human and animalistic 00:06:09.730 --> 00:06:12.490 features, which is funny that I'm reading that 00:06:12.490 --> 00:06:15.730 when we were in Barcelona, there's a building 00:06:15.730 --> 00:06:18.170 that had a bunch of gargoyles on the side of 00:06:18.170 --> 00:06:22.339 it. One of them was a unicorn. Well, and it's 00:06:22.339 --> 00:06:23.939 funny they're saying like an animal creature 00:06:23.939 --> 00:06:26.680 when like a gargoyle isn't really an animal per 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:29.100 se. Like the Egyptians used lions. And yeah, 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:30.860 I guess you could say a gargoyle is like animal 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:32.639 shaped, but it's not like depicting a specific 00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:37.480 real animal. Yeah, so gargoyle is a type of grotesque, 00:06:37.480 --> 00:06:39.920 which is, I don't know if the ancient Egyptian 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:42.860 ones fell under that, but we're splitting hairs. 00:06:43.420 --> 00:06:46.720 Many scholars describe grotesques as being used 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:50.000 to ward off evil and as reminders of the separation 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:53.620 of the earth and the divine. Grotesques are predominantly 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:56.279 carved into buildings of religious significance, 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:59.660 in particular churches and cathedrals. Despite 00:06:59.660 --> 00:07:03.639 their presence in religious spaces, their anthropomorphic 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:07.379 designs are largely not directly religious and 00:07:07.379 --> 00:07:10.819 instead are often more whimsical without religious 00:07:10.819 --> 00:07:14.930 connotations. commonly exist on high ledges and 00:07:14.930 --> 00:07:17.470 rooftops and are frequently positioned out of 00:07:17.470 --> 00:07:21.129 view from common areas. There are divided ideas 00:07:21.129 --> 00:07:24.569 as to the purpose of adding gargoyles to religious 00:07:24.569 --> 00:07:27.750 structures. Some state that gargoyles were meant 00:07:27.750 --> 00:07:30.649 to illustrate evil and sin, while others have 00:07:30.649 --> 00:07:35.189 posited that protests in architecture were apotrophic 00:07:35.189 --> 00:07:38.370 devices. In the 12th century, before the use 00:07:38.370 --> 00:07:41.449 of gargoyles as rain spouts, Saint Bernard of 00:07:41.449 --> 00:07:44.329 Clairvaux was famous for speaking out against 00:07:44.329 --> 00:07:47.410 gargoyles carved on the walls of his monastery's 00:07:47.410 --> 00:07:51.089 cloister. St. Bernard emphasizes the absurdity 00:07:51.089 --> 00:07:53.709 of these beastly figures, pointing out their 00:07:53.709 --> 00:07:57.410 strange combinations of bodily parts. St. Bernard 00:07:57.410 --> 00:08:01.949 was a... Oh, the dog guy. I guess so. Was he 00:08:01.949 --> 00:08:05.129 a dog by chance? He was. He spoke out against 00:08:05.129 --> 00:08:10.420 them, saying things like woof and grr. St. Bernard 00:08:10.420 --> 00:08:14.259 were Cistercian, meaning he was unimpressed by 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:17.560 the more ornate and expressive decoration used 00:08:17.560 --> 00:08:20.519 in any given cathedral church. Because of this, 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:23.800 he was repulsed by gargoyles and found them insulting 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.860 to the church. Gargoyles, traditionally believed 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:29.899 to ward off spirits, have inspired various interpretations 00:08:29.899 --> 00:08:33.580 over time. Some view them as remnants of pagan 00:08:33.580 --> 00:08:36.279 mythology, while others suggest they were designed 00:08:36.279 --> 00:08:39.419 to imitate humans rather than demons. Yeah. Yeah, 00:08:39.539 --> 00:08:42.240 I guess that makes sense. Why would demons be 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:44.620 intimidated by things that look like them, after 00:08:44.620 --> 00:08:48.960 all? Yeah. Such as the acid -spewing gargoyles 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:53.200 at Amiens, meant to deter wrongdoers. Anthropomorphic 00:08:53.200 --> 00:08:56.759 gargoyles like harpies or cynocephali symbolize 00:08:56.759 --> 00:08:59.440 the punishment of sinners. Others serve purely 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:02.399 decorative roles, like the monkey statue of Jacques 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:05.039 Poirot's palace, reflecting the personal tastes 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:08.840 of exotic influences. Ultimately, gargoyles likely 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:11.679 held different meanings depending on their context 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:15.259 and viewers should avoid assigning a single purpose 00:09:15.259 --> 00:09:18.820 to all of them. As Lester Brittenham cautioned, 00:09:18.840 --> 00:09:21.860 gothic sculpture is, yeah. He said we shouldn't 00:09:21.860 --> 00:09:24.340 assign like one purpose to all of them, but isn't 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:26.580 like every one of their purpose to spew water? 00:09:26.700 --> 00:09:28.720 Like name wise? Yeah, I was going to say that 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:33.120 once I got to the end. I'm pretty sure that was 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:35.440 the purpose of them. Sounds like some of the 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:37.100 people just didn't like the way they looked. 00:09:37.179 --> 00:09:40.019 Maybe it scared them. Maybe. Maybe that's the 00:09:40.019 --> 00:09:41.759 person who came up with this intimidates me and 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:46.259 not the demons. Yeah, maybe. As Lester Burbank 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:49.240 Bordaham cautioned, Gothic sculpture is rich 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:52.080 in symbolism, but over -interpretation should 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:55.440 be avoided. Don't, you ever hear that? Like in 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:56.519 art history or something? Don't think too much 00:09:56.519 --> 00:09:59.919 about it. Don't, don't overthink this. It's Gothic 00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:03.879 sculpture. it is not to be overthought if anything 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:07.240 don't overthink gothic architecture a french 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:11.639 legend tells of saint romanus a 7th century bishop 00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:17.360 of rowan rowan who saved the region from a fire 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:21.169 -breathing dragon called lagargui described as 00:10:21.169 --> 00:10:24.309 having bat -like wings and a long neck. The beast 00:10:24.309 --> 00:10:27.730 was either subdued by Romanus with a crucifix 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:30.929 or captured with help from a condemned man. Though 00:10:30.929 --> 00:10:34.009 the monster was burned, its fire -hardened head 00:10:34.009 --> 00:10:36.929 and neck survived and were mounted on the church 00:10:36.929 --> 00:10:41.309 to ward off evil. In honor of the saint, Rune's 00:10:41.309 --> 00:10:45.529 archbishops gained the right to free a prisoner 00:10:45.529 --> 00:10:48.210 during his annual procession. Would you want 00:10:48.210 --> 00:10:51.100 that? Yeah. Okay. I mean, I guess you could sell 00:10:51.100 --> 00:10:53.620 it for money at a certain point. Oh, hold on. 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:56.559 Hold on. What part of that are you asking if 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:58.600 I want? Oh, no, the reward of getting to free 00:10:58.600 --> 00:11:00.779 a prisoner once a year. No, I don't think so. 00:11:00.779 --> 00:11:02.940 No, that feels like a weird responsibility. And 00:11:02.940 --> 00:11:05.309 like, I don't know. I don't think I would do 00:11:05.309 --> 00:11:07.649 the research, and I would feel guilty about that. 00:11:07.909 --> 00:11:10.529 I don't know. You know what, though? In my mind, 00:11:10.590 --> 00:11:14.169 and this is my mind, and if this is the times 00:11:14.169 --> 00:11:17.009 of old, I just picture everyone in a prison like 00:11:17.009 --> 00:11:19.490 Aladdin, and they're all just, like, good -hearted 00:11:19.490 --> 00:11:21.750 young men who were just... There's diamonds in 00:11:21.750 --> 00:11:24.169 the rough. ...to their family. So, yeah, who 00:11:24.169 --> 00:11:25.509 are actually diamonds in the rough. But then 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:26.809 are you actually... Are you going to put the 00:11:26.809 --> 00:11:28.830 effort in, or are you going to feel like, I don't 00:11:28.830 --> 00:11:30.309 know, last minute, you're going to try to, like, 00:11:30.309 --> 00:11:32.509 guess? Or are you going to just accept, like, 00:11:32.549 --> 00:11:34.929 whoever pays you to say like my kid didn't do 00:11:34.929 --> 00:11:37.610 this here's 20 bucks free them it could be a 00:11:37.610 --> 00:11:40.129 mix of both i'm just gonna like it depends it 00:11:40.129 --> 00:11:42.230 doesn't feel like a reward it feels like a responsibility 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:47.799 It does. And it depends on what I have going 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.299 on in my life in that time, I've got to say. 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:53.899 And how much thought and time I had to put into 00:11:53.899 --> 00:11:56.539 that thought. But also now that I think about 00:11:56.539 --> 00:11:59.440 it, they didn't seem to put any like asterisks 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:03.320 on that power. So you could the day before get 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:06.500 to use that power. You could go commit any crime 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:08.559 that the punishment isn't like instant death. 00:12:08.779 --> 00:12:10.600 And then you could say, I'm the person I want 00:12:10.600 --> 00:12:13.100 to free. That's true. But I mean, you're putting 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:17.259 a lot. The town's probably all prisoners. You 00:12:17.259 --> 00:12:19.340 don't know how many prisoners there are. That 00:12:19.340 --> 00:12:21.500 would be banking on that you're the only prisoner. 00:12:21.539 --> 00:12:24.279 No, you get to pick. Right? Oh, if you picked. 00:12:24.419 --> 00:12:26.860 Oh, yeah. I'd be the one committing all the crime. 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:28.360 I mean, you don't want to spend like the whole 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:30.519 year in there, but like you just commit close 00:12:30.519 --> 00:12:33.700 to your like annual I get to pick and then just 00:12:33.700 --> 00:12:35.860 say it's me. I pick me. Yeah. Do you know how 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:38.179 many people I'd be threatening in those few days 00:12:38.179 --> 00:12:40.840 coming up to the procession? Like, don't fuck 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:44.539 with me. I could murder anyone and let myself 00:12:44.539 --> 00:12:47.820 out of jail in two days. We could only wish. 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:52.659 Times were so simple. Anyhow. I know I did describe 00:12:52.659 --> 00:12:55.700 what gargoyles look like a little bit, but I'm 00:12:55.700 --> 00:12:58.379 going to do it again. Because this is about gargoyles 00:12:58.379 --> 00:13:00.440 after all, and I feel like you really need to 00:13:00.440 --> 00:13:02.879 know what they look like. They're creatures who 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:06.379 ward off evil spirits and presents. Sorry, I 00:13:06.379 --> 00:13:08.860 was expecting the next words out of your mouth 00:13:08.860 --> 00:13:11.700 to be like, Disney describes gargoyles as... 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:16.799 In Aladdin. I don't know why it said presence 00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:19.860 there churches often had these creatures on the 00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:23.460 roof to ward off the devil and demons somewhere 00:13:23.460 --> 00:13:26.600 along the way gargoyles were seen as evil and 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:29.000 were taken down somewhere along the way they 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:32.519 were also used to divert water off the rooftop 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:36.460 are they Did I cover this? It's my episode. Were 00:13:36.460 --> 00:13:40.480 they used as decoration? Yeah. Maybe I'll talk 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:42.779 about it. It seems like they're implying that 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:45.120 they were later used as decoration. Well, they 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:47.379 are. Yeah. And like the whole point is like to 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:49.799 make the water falling look fancier as if it's 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:52.639 being spit out by some ungodly demon like thing. 00:13:53.389 --> 00:13:56.049 Exactly. Who doesn't like that? I'm surprised 00:13:56.049 --> 00:13:58.789 we don't use them to this day on houses. I really 00:13:58.789 --> 00:14:01.049 wish we did. I actually have a couple gargoyles 00:14:01.049 --> 00:14:03.730 in my house and they are not doing that. They 00:14:03.730 --> 00:14:06.269 are just purely to keep the evil spirits. I feel 00:14:06.269 --> 00:14:08.029 like it's one of those industries that just priced 00:14:08.029 --> 00:14:10.529 itself out of the average person's expenditure. 00:14:11.190 --> 00:14:14.649 True. Yeah. You would need a mason to do that. 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:18.179 Gargoyles are guardians, protectors, and they 00:14:18.179 --> 00:14:21.279 do no harm to anyone. Gargoyles are often seen 00:14:21.279 --> 00:14:24.580 as evildoers and often hide in the shadows to 00:14:24.580 --> 00:14:27.620 do this, which is directly contradicting what 00:14:27.620 --> 00:14:30.519 I just said. Gargoyles have been known to step 00:14:30.519 --> 00:14:33.240 in the light for someone strongly willing to 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:35.659 see them and have been known to bond with anyone 00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:38.340 who truly believes they are good. Oh man, so 00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:40.980 like this is all just evidence that none of us 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:44.570 truly believe enough, I guess? I really... do 00:14:44.570 --> 00:14:47.429 feel like i do believe in them yeah or did like 00:14:47.429 --> 00:14:49.409 most people that listen to this podcast have 00:14:49.409 --> 00:14:51.389 like a very different understanding of garcoils 00:14:51.389 --> 00:14:53.090 and they're like yeah these things are real like 00:14:53.090 --> 00:14:55.649 you just like them so much and we're just the 00:14:55.649 --> 00:14:57.789 outsiders who don't think of them as anything 00:14:57.789 --> 00:15:03.289 but stone It's really hard to say. A gargoyle 00:15:03.289 --> 00:15:06.470 is a creature that comes to life during the night 00:15:06.470 --> 00:15:09.909 and turns to stone during the day. They are often 00:15:09.909 --> 00:15:13.490 to be believed by many to be alive and can see 00:15:13.490 --> 00:15:16.570 through their stone exterior. Those who truly 00:15:16.570 --> 00:15:19.250 have respect for such a creature tend to bow 00:15:19.250 --> 00:15:21.909 their heads in respect and the creature often 00:15:21.909 --> 00:15:25.330 will return their respect. Hmm. See, now I don't 00:15:25.330 --> 00:15:28.710 do that. I've never bowed my head to a gargoyle. 00:15:28.750 --> 00:15:31.710 Not even the ones in my house. the gargoyle can 00:15:31.710 --> 00:15:34.570 be of any shape and size some have beaks others 00:15:34.570 --> 00:15:37.690 have hooves there are many different types of 00:15:37.690 --> 00:15:40.490 gargoyles but the most common are the feline 00:15:40.490 --> 00:15:43.529 looking ones with chains on their necks while 00:15:43.529 --> 00:15:46.269 the chain means a few things the most common 00:15:46.269 --> 00:15:49.309 one is control to chain a beast is to control 00:15:49.309 --> 00:15:53.090 the beast Gargoyles, while enjoy being bonded 00:15:53.090 --> 00:15:55.590 to someone, often do not like being controlled. 00:15:55.809 --> 00:15:58.590 They also will never harm anyone in any way for 00:15:58.590 --> 00:16:01.210 anyone. Gargoyles are often the best guardians 00:16:01.210 --> 00:16:03.850 and protectors because not much can harm them. 00:16:04.110 --> 00:16:06.909 And you know, in just thinking about it, this 00:16:06.909 --> 00:16:08.929 isn't a part of my notes or any of the research 00:16:08.929 --> 00:16:11.669 that I've done, but when you look at architecture, 00:16:11.990 --> 00:16:15.350 there's nothing really other than a gargoyle 00:16:15.350 --> 00:16:18.210 that is put onto a building like a gargoyle. 00:16:18.210 --> 00:16:21.179 And of course, anything that has a face i would 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:24.779 say just theorizing here you would think something 00:16:24.779 --> 00:16:28.019 on a building like that would be given realistic 00:16:28.019 --> 00:16:30.759 characteristics that they come alive at night 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:32.720 or something like that because well especially 00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:35.179 when you make them like creepy like that yeah 00:16:35.179 --> 00:16:37.700 i mean even if it wasn't like oh i guess they're 00:16:37.700 --> 00:16:41.019 statues i don't think that there are statues 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:44.679 do do people think of statues like that I think 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:47.779 there's one episode of Doctor Who where it's 00:16:47.779 --> 00:16:49.879 like the entire concept of the episode is when 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:51.879 nobody's looking at a statue, they can move. 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:54.539 Yeah, like today's special. Like you put on a 00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:57.139 hat. Who I'm sure stole it from Swedenberg or 00:16:57.139 --> 00:17:00.799 something. Probably. I'm focusing on gargoyles 00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:03.779 in this episode. There are other popular legends 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:06.180 around them that I'm not going to focus on too 00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:09.240 much here, but here is a little snippet for your 00:17:09.240 --> 00:17:12.750 consideration. Golems. They are usually made 00:17:12.750 --> 00:17:16.829 of magically animated or transformed stone. but 00:17:16.829 --> 00:17:20.430 have animal or chimera traits and are often guardians 00:17:20.430 --> 00:17:23.450 of a place such as a cathedral or castle. They 00:17:23.450 --> 00:17:26.829 can also be depicted as vessels for demonic possession 00:17:26.829 --> 00:17:30.930 or as a living species resembling statues. Most 00:17:30.930 --> 00:17:33.470 fictional gargoyles throughout the 20th century 00:17:33.470 --> 00:17:36.210 have been evil creatures or horror villains, 00:17:36.470 --> 00:17:39.250 but the notion of gargoyles as heroic defenders 00:17:39.250 --> 00:17:43.390 gained popularity in the 1990s following the 00:17:43.390 --> 00:17:47.289 animated series Gargoyles. And it is not uncommon 00:17:47.289 --> 00:17:50.130 to see them depicted as sympathetic characters 00:17:50.130 --> 00:17:52.950 who may work together with humans. Yeah, you 00:17:52.950 --> 00:17:54.450 know what? Now that I think about it, there's 00:17:54.450 --> 00:17:58.470 not that many works of like movies or TV shows 00:17:58.470 --> 00:18:01.769 that I can think of where gargoyles are bad guys. 00:18:02.190 --> 00:18:04.569 Despite the fact they look like bad guys. Yeah. 00:18:04.690 --> 00:18:08.130 And I think that just comes back to the legends 00:18:08.130 --> 00:18:11.130 around it that they're protectors. With that 00:18:11.130 --> 00:18:14.549 being said, let's talk sightings. The best part 00:18:14.549 --> 00:18:17.170 of any episode. And before we go too far, I'm 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:19.650 pretty sure one of the Mothman sightings in Chicago 00:18:19.650 --> 00:18:22.869 described it as gargoyle -like. Yeah. Okay, good. 00:18:23.009 --> 00:18:25.849 It did. I think that's a part of what's happening 00:18:25.849 --> 00:18:29.049 in Chicago as well. And I do talk about that 00:18:29.049 --> 00:18:31.289 a little bit. I think. Yeah. Well, what with 00:18:31.289 --> 00:18:33.089 the Pope being from there and all. Is that why 00:18:33.089 --> 00:18:35.089 they picked him? Is that why they've been rising 00:18:35.089 --> 00:18:37.710 up so much? Is because the Pope needs to be from 00:18:37.710 --> 00:18:39.910 there or they'll keep rising or something? Did 00:18:39.910 --> 00:18:43.430 the gargoyles elect him? Hold on. How many gargoyles 00:18:43.430 --> 00:18:47.670 are on the Catholic Church? The Vatican. Is it 00:18:47.670 --> 00:18:51.230 run by gargoyles? We'll never know. They would 00:18:51.230 --> 00:18:54.349 never tell us. Now let's talk sightings. First, 00:18:54.529 --> 00:18:57.490 I'm going to focus on a rather large encounter 00:18:57.490 --> 00:19:01.390 of the butler gargoyle in Butler County, Pennsylvania. 00:19:02.190 --> 00:19:05.829 the butler gargoyle is described as a towering 00:19:05.829 --> 00:19:09.269 winged humanoid with a grotesque appearance this 00:19:09.269 --> 00:19:12.390 creature has been cited sporadically since at 00:19:12.390 --> 00:19:15.769 least 2011 with some accounts stretching back 00:19:15.769 --> 00:19:19.630 to the early 1990s but is this creature a genuine 00:19:19.630 --> 00:19:23.890 paranormal entity a product of folklore or simply 00:19:23.890 --> 00:19:27.230 a case of mistaken identity let's dive into the 00:19:27.230 --> 00:19:29.630 mystery of the butler gargoyle and uncover what 00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:32.170 makes it one of pennsylvania's most most intriguing 00:19:32.170 --> 00:19:35.890 cryptids. The butler gargoyle is a cryptid primarily 00:19:35.890 --> 00:19:39.410 associated with the towns of Chikora, East Brady, 00:19:39.750 --> 00:19:43.750 Rimsburg, and Keppel's Corner. Witnesses describe 00:19:43.750 --> 00:19:46.950 it as a humanoid creature standing seven to nine 00:19:46.950 --> 00:19:50.650 feet tall with a muscular build, leather -like 00:19:50.650 --> 00:19:54.109 or pale grayish skin, and bat -like wings. Its 00:19:54.109 --> 00:19:57.190 head is often reported as flat or resembling 00:19:57.190 --> 00:20:00.009 a bicycle helmet. Well, those are two very weird 00:20:00.009 --> 00:20:03.329 things. Sometimes with a ridge or pointed ears 00:20:03.329 --> 00:20:06.569 and its face has been described as smashed, swept 00:20:06.569 --> 00:20:10.049 up, or even absent. The creature's claw -like 00:20:10.049 --> 00:20:13.630 hands, backward bent legs, and deliberate movements 00:20:13.630 --> 00:20:17.250 contribute to its eerie demonic appearance, earning 00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:20.029 it comparisons to traditional gargoyles and even 00:20:20.029 --> 00:20:23.289 the Mothman. Unlike many cryptids, the butler 00:20:23.289 --> 00:20:26.809 gargoyle appears unafraid of humans, with witnesses 00:20:26.809 --> 00:20:30.710 noting its calm, purposeful demeanor. It is typically 00:20:30.710 --> 00:20:33.690 sighted at night or twilight, often crossing 00:20:33.690 --> 00:20:36.289 roads, standing in fields, or disappearing into 00:20:36.289 --> 00:20:39.210 woods, adding to its mystique as a creature of 00:20:39.210 --> 00:20:41.970 the shadows. So let's talk the first documented 00:20:41.970 --> 00:20:45.109 sighting. The most widely recognized first sighting 00:20:45.109 --> 00:20:48.630 of the butler gargoyle occurred March 18, 2011. 00:20:49.420 --> 00:20:52.440 on a rural road between chikora and east brady 00:20:52.440 --> 00:20:55.279 in butler county a business it's always a business 00:20:55.279 --> 00:21:00.559 a businessman driving at night initially mistook 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:04.059 the creature for a deer oh but was stunned to 00:21:04.059 --> 00:21:06.660 see an eight foot tall figure cross the road 00:21:06.660 --> 00:21:10.059 in just three steps He described it as muscular 00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:13.279 with leather -like skin, darker tan or light 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:17.059 brown, to be clear, a flat head with a ridge, 00:21:17.259 --> 00:21:20.519 pointed ears, claw -like hands, and wings tucked 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:23.740 against his body. He is seeing incredible detail 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:26.579 on this. The creature did not look at him and 00:21:26.579 --> 00:21:29.200 walked into the woods, leaving the witness shaken. 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:32.420 The encounter was reported to paranormal researcher 00:21:32.420 --> 00:21:36.210 Stan Gordon as noted in Cryptid Quest. Sounds 00:21:36.210 --> 00:21:39.369 very official. Some sources, such as Cryptid 00:21:39.369 --> 00:21:42.289 Wiki, mention an earlier sighting in June 1993 00:21:42.289 --> 00:21:47.410 near Allentown, Allegheny County, where a group, 00:21:47.410 --> 00:21:50.430 including a man named John, his girlfriend's 00:21:50.430 --> 00:21:53.490 son, and son's fiancee, saw a seven -foot -tall 00:21:53.490 --> 00:21:55.829 creature while looking out at Baker's Point. 00:21:56.089 --> 00:21:59.130 This creature was described as fur covered with 00:21:59.130 --> 00:22:02.410 wings, a protruding jaw. He had an underbite. 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:06.200 and muscular legs, and walk past their car without 00:22:06.200 --> 00:22:10.180 fear before flying away. However, this sighting 00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:12.559 is less detailed, differs in description, fur 00:22:12.559 --> 00:22:15.220 versus leather -like skin, and is in a different 00:22:15.220 --> 00:22:18.019 county, which makes me wonder if it wasn't of 00:22:18.019 --> 00:22:20.279 a related but different creature. Maybe a flying 00:22:20.279 --> 00:22:22.960 Bigfoot, perhaps. You know, I wouldn't rule that 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:25.460 out. Maybe they're just not reporting on the 00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:28.960 Bigfoot with wings. The 2011 sighting remains 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:31.920 the primary starting point due to its detailed 00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:35.019 documentation and subsequent reports, and I would 00:22:35.019 --> 00:22:37.829 agree that first sighting the detail on that's 00:22:37.829 --> 00:22:41.190 incredible following the initial march 18 2011 00:22:41.190 --> 00:22:44.950 sighting several other reports emerged in butler 00:22:44.950 --> 00:22:48.009 county suggesting a cluster of encounters these 00:22:48.009 --> 00:22:50.730 were documented by stan gordon and shared on 00:22:50.730 --> 00:22:53.650 platforms like phantoms and monsters march 26 00:22:53.650 --> 00:22:57.109 2011 keppel's corner two witnesses stopped their 00:22:57.109 --> 00:23:00.109 car in shock as they saw an eight foot tall dark 00:23:00.109 --> 00:23:03.230 tan creature with a smashed face muscular build 00:23:03.710 --> 00:23:07.650 Long arms, claws, and wings leap across the road. 00:23:07.869 --> 00:23:10.369 The witnesses were so convinced of their sighting 00:23:10.369 --> 00:23:12.940 that they offered to take a lie detector test 00:23:12.940 --> 00:23:17.859 march 2011 east brady a motorcycle rider approximately 00:23:17.859 --> 00:23:22.019 75 feet away encountered an eight to nine foot 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:24.960 tall creature with very dark leather skin swept 00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:28.559 up eyes a pointed head wings and muscular build 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:31.000 the creature bolted into the woods and the witness 00:23:31.000 --> 00:23:34.079 described it as straight from hell i'm just picturing 00:23:34.079 --> 00:23:36.039 what he just described and i don't even know 00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:38.480 what swept up eyes and a pointed head would even 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:44.569 look like What? March 2011, Rimsburg. Two witnesses 00:23:44.569 --> 00:23:47.930 about 35 feet away saw a nine foot tall creature 00:23:47.930 --> 00:23:50.849 with dark brown skin, long arms, broad shoulders, 00:23:51.069 --> 00:23:53.849 a pointed head, another pointed head, flat forehead, 00:23:54.130 --> 00:23:57.430 pointed ears, bat -like wings. I gotta say, the 00:23:57.430 --> 00:23:59.309 descriptions that you're giving for all these, 00:23:59.390 --> 00:24:01.930 it's very hard for me to envision, but I'm sure 00:24:01.930 --> 00:24:03.890 they seem natural when you're actually seeing 00:24:03.890 --> 00:24:06.069 it. Well, when you're seeing it, you're probably 00:24:06.069 --> 00:24:08.150 like, there's no other way to describe it but 00:24:08.150 --> 00:24:11.210 a pointed head. Like, is it like Patrick Starr? 00:24:11.769 --> 00:24:15.630 Like, is that a good comparison? I guess, now 00:24:15.630 --> 00:24:18.529 that you say that, yes. Bat -like wings with 00:24:18.529 --> 00:24:21.049 see -through mesh and four claw -like fingers. 00:24:21.349 --> 00:24:25.309 Jeez. Its eyes were squinted and swept upwards. 00:24:25.690 --> 00:24:29.069 Huh. With a slit -like mouth. The witness also 00:24:29.069 --> 00:24:31.289 described it as straight... Am I reading the 00:24:31.289 --> 00:24:34.390 same thing? I guess. They had a lot of description. 00:24:35.130 --> 00:24:39.480 Yeah. As noted with its abnormal arm movements, 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:43.579 the original witness from March 18 reported two 00:24:43.579 --> 00:24:47.000 additional sightings. Early April 2011 on the 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:49.720 same road in daylight, the witness saw the creature 00:24:49.720 --> 00:24:53.240 hunched beside a hay bale appearing three feet 00:24:53.240 --> 00:24:56.740 taller than the bale. Holy shit. It had a grayish 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:59.759 cast black claws on the ground and wings above 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:02.440 its shoulders staring directly at the witness. 00:25:02.619 --> 00:25:04.980 Oh no, I don't like that. I see Chelsea just 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:09.099 to bring it all back now that is a walking gargoyle 00:25:09.099 --> 00:25:12.240 that is terrifying it's not flying at this point 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:14.299 no he has wings no he has wings but he's not 00:25:14.299 --> 00:25:19.279 flying but he has wings april 2011 mid april 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:23.519 2011 He saw him at dusk, 500 yards from the previous 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:26.180 sighting. The witness saw the creature from the 00:25:26.180 --> 00:25:29.500 side and back as it entered the woods. These 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:32.740 multiple reports in a short period fueled speculation 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:35.180 about the creature's presence in Butler County. 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:39.339 Now I gotta say, an overwhelming part of a gargoyle 00:25:39.339 --> 00:25:42.680 is that it would never hurt humans and it's protective. 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:46.420 Where do you draw the line on testing that? Yeah. 00:25:46.779 --> 00:25:49.359 Because obviously if it's a gargoyle, it's not 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:50.609 going to hurt you. It's going to protect you. 00:25:50.609 --> 00:25:52.009 Well, I guess that's how you know whether or 00:25:52.009 --> 00:25:54.049 not you're seeing a gargoyle or not is whether 00:25:54.049 --> 00:25:57.130 or not it hurts you. But... Because it can't 00:25:57.130 --> 00:25:59.990 be a gargoyle if it hurts you. Was anybody hurt 00:25:59.990 --> 00:26:03.230 by a mothman? I can't remember now. I don't think 00:26:03.230 --> 00:26:05.730 we've covered anywhere. You know, I don't think 00:26:05.730 --> 00:26:08.710 we've covered many actual interactions with cryptids 00:26:08.710 --> 00:26:11.829 or other creatures or there's an injury. It always 00:26:11.829 --> 00:26:13.970 seems to be close, but like nobody's actually 00:26:13.970 --> 00:26:15.730 been injured in anything I can think of. Now, 00:26:15.789 --> 00:26:19.640 I will say with the mothman... And I'm interested 00:26:19.640 --> 00:26:22.339 to see if it comes up here. You get the overwhelming 00:26:22.339 --> 00:26:26.220 sense of dread and fear. And I'm guessing this 00:26:26.220 --> 00:26:28.359 hasn't come up yet, but there's no mention of 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:32.019 like a sulfur smell. Not as of yet. So I'm interested 00:26:32.019 --> 00:26:35.359 to see if those things do come up because maybe 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:37.900 that is what's setting a gargoyle apart from 00:26:37.900 --> 00:26:41.819 a Mothman is that sense of fear. I don't know. 00:26:41.859 --> 00:26:44.519 But to me, like this could potentially at this 00:26:44.519 --> 00:26:47.039 point be the same thing, except I've never heard 00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:51.059 with Mothman. and maybe it's just misfiled that 00:26:51.059 --> 00:26:53.759 he had a pointed head or upward -looking eyes. 00:26:53.980 --> 00:26:56.539 There seems to be a lot more variation in the 00:26:56.539 --> 00:26:58.460 head with the gargoyle, almost like, you know, 00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:00.400 because their heads can erode or something like 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:03.539 that. You think it's just like... Yeah, due to 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:09.720 water. It's all pointier. Yeah, it's true. After 00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:13.339 the flurry of 2011 sightings, reports of the 00:27:13.339 --> 00:27:15.900 butler gargoyle became less frequent but continued 00:27:15.900 --> 00:27:20.200 to surface. Mid -July 2012 onwards, campers and 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:23.200 others in Butler County reported seeing a similar 00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:26.119 large winged creature in the same general areas, 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:28.740 though these sightings lack specific details 00:27:28.740 --> 00:27:32.819 as noted in Phantoms and Monsters. June 5, 2017, 00:27:33.160 --> 00:27:36.700 a significant report came when a delivery truck 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:40.259 ran off the road about a mile from previous sighting 00:27:40.259 --> 00:27:44.220 locations the driver visibly shaken told a witness 00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:47.680 that what he saw was not a bear as claimed by 00:27:47.680 --> 00:27:51.500 state police but a winged demon from hell rumors 00:27:51.500 --> 00:27:54.539 circulated that others had seen similar creatures 00:27:54.539 --> 00:27:57.380 around this time though no further details were 00:27:57.380 --> 00:27:59.599 confirmed according to phantoms and monsters 00:27:59.599 --> 00:28:03.920 now chelsea at this point Is it really safe to 00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:07.140 say the gargoyle is non -harmful if like by implication 00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:10.099 of what it's done this person has crashed? Is 00:28:10.099 --> 00:28:13.339 this kind of like how Batman has like a moral 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:15.599 code where he can't kill people but he can leave 00:28:15.599 --> 00:28:18.640 them like completely damaged and destitute and 00:28:18.640 --> 00:28:23.400 basically dying by the implications? I want to 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:26.940 say I have a good feeling. I feel like I felt 00:28:26.940 --> 00:28:29.579 them out like a little bit. I feel like, no, 00:28:29.720 --> 00:28:31.920 they wouldn't do this. I feel like this is probably 00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:39.109 Mothman. What if it's a dick? No widely documented 00:28:39.109 --> 00:28:42.809 sightings have been reported since 2017, and 00:28:42.809 --> 00:28:46.650 searches for encounters in 2025 yield no results, 00:28:47.009 --> 00:28:49.769 suggesting the creature has either gone quiet 00:28:49.769 --> 00:28:53.930 or remains unreported in recent years. The Butler 00:28:53.930 --> 00:28:57.210 Gargoyle legend may have deeper roots in Butler 00:28:57.210 --> 00:29:00.230 County's history. Some sources like Paranormal 00:29:00.230 --> 00:29:03.170 Strange Wiki suggest its origins trace back to 00:29:03.170 --> 00:29:06.150 the early 20th century, with sightings of a creature 00:29:06.150 --> 00:29:09.009 lurking in rural areas and atop buildings. These 00:29:09.009 --> 00:29:11.690 claims are vague and lack specific dates or witnesses, 00:29:11.970 --> 00:29:14.630 making them more folkloric than factual. There 00:29:14.630 --> 00:29:17.170 are also references to historical events that 00:29:17.170 --> 00:29:20.369 might be connected to the cryptid. The Chicora 00:29:20.369 --> 00:29:23.720 meteor explosion, an event in the area possibly 00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:26.339 linked to unusual activity, though no direct 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:30.359 evidence ties it to the gargoyle. 1970s sightings 00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:33.440 reports of a hair -covered creature north of 00:29:33.440 --> 00:29:36.940 Butler County in the 1970s, which could indicate 00:29:36.940 --> 00:29:39.359 a broader history of cryptid sightings in the 00:29:39.359 --> 00:29:42.579 region. Fairly vague. One questionable sighting 00:29:42.579 --> 00:29:45.660 mentioned in the cryptid wiki occurred in Chicora, 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:48.160 where witnesses claimed to see a Mothman -like 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:51.000 creature after leaving a bar, but this report 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:53.180 is often dismissed due to the witness's likely 00:29:53.180 --> 00:29:55.740 intoxication, highlighting the controversy around 00:29:55.740 --> 00:29:58.380 some accounts. So let's jump right to Reddit 00:29:58.380 --> 00:30:00.960 after... I knew Reddit would have some juicy 00:30:00.960 --> 00:30:05.180 stories. Oh yeah. User delicious underscore step 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:09.240 underscore 1814. When I was around 19 years old, 00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:11.960 there's one occasion when I went up to the rooftop 00:30:11.960 --> 00:30:14.819 of my house around 8 p .m. to fix an issue with 00:30:14.819 --> 00:30:17.400 the pump device that supplied water to the storage 00:30:17.400 --> 00:30:20.130 tank. As I reached the roof and leaned forward, 00:30:20.269 --> 00:30:22.930 I looked up and just a few steps away from me, 00:30:22.990 --> 00:30:25.809 there is a creature with its back turned to me. 00:30:26.069 --> 00:30:29.990 Holy fuck. First of all, based on other stories 00:30:29.990 --> 00:30:32.410 I've read or heard, I could compare it to something 00:30:32.410 --> 00:30:36.369 people call gargoyle or maybe a mothman. I saw 00:30:36.369 --> 00:30:39.049 how the full moonlight reflected off its head, 00:30:39.150 --> 00:30:41.950 which seemed to have a texture like black leather. 00:30:42.069 --> 00:30:44.029 I could make out point. Do you think they're 00:30:44.029 --> 00:30:47.490 wearing a suit? This one might be. But overall, 00:30:47.630 --> 00:30:49.630 no, I haven't gotten that feel from gargoyle 00:30:49.630 --> 00:30:52.470 sightings so far. Well, they keep saying it's 00:30:52.470 --> 00:30:55.490 like leather. What has skin like leather? Like 00:30:55.490 --> 00:30:59.490 literally nothing. Cows? We literally make leather 00:30:59.490 --> 00:31:04.250 from skin, Chelsea. That's true, but I wouldn't 00:31:04.250 --> 00:31:07.250 go up to a live cow and be like, wow, leather. 00:31:07.750 --> 00:31:09.670 Well, if it didn't have hair, though, you would 00:31:09.670 --> 00:31:11.369 see the skin and it would be thick. What about 00:31:11.369 --> 00:31:15.390 a rhino? That's true. Okay, okay. Or like hippos. 00:31:15.390 --> 00:31:18.140 I misspoke. Yeah, I misspoke. Which I would say 00:31:18.140 --> 00:31:20.220 would be like the most rock -like of mammals, 00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:24.220 in fact. True. It does have rock -like skin. 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:28.559 Okay. Black leather skin. I could make out pointy 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:31.539 ears and a pair of protrusions that I assumed 00:31:31.539 --> 00:31:34.819 were wings. Okay, so tiny wings, if he's calling 00:31:34.819 --> 00:31:38.180 them just a pair of protrusions. Everything happened 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:41.259 so fast. From the moment I climbed onto the roof, 00:31:41.339 --> 00:31:44.799 looked up, and saw it. I immediately made a sound 00:31:44.799 --> 00:31:48.839 of confusion, huh? Which caused that thing to 00:31:48.839 --> 00:31:51.880 instantly turn around. The last thing I remember 00:31:51.880 --> 00:31:55.200 was a pair of yellow eyes and a sort of Batman 00:31:55.200 --> 00:31:58.420 -like effect, and it raised its wings over my 00:31:58.420 --> 00:32:02.700 face. What the? I'm, I hate that. The swings 00:32:02.700 --> 00:32:05.119 had to be bigger than just like little nubs on 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:08.480 his back then. And what is a Batman -like effect? 00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:12.380 I don't know. Did like music start playing? By, 00:32:12.380 --> 00:32:16.319 like, John Williams. And he talked in a real 00:32:16.319 --> 00:32:20.799 deep voice. I do know someone who does a good 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:23.079 Batman voice. I was proud of it like that. I'm 00:32:23.079 --> 00:32:26.619 certain. I experienced a time lapse because of 00:32:26.619 --> 00:32:30.180 feeling the flapping of wings over my face. I 00:32:30.180 --> 00:32:33.099 lost my balance backwards, falling off the edge 00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:35.279 of the roof. This is for sure Mothman. This is 00:32:35.279 --> 00:32:37.799 no way. Yeah, I almost feel like the ones where 00:32:37.799 --> 00:32:41.180 there's like passive severe injury to people. 00:32:41.339 --> 00:32:43.940 It's Mothman, you are right. Like he seems like 00:32:43.940 --> 00:32:45.720 the kind of dick who won't hurt people directly. 00:32:46.019 --> 00:32:48.819 Yeah. Yeah, I'm just getting the vibes now. We've 00:32:48.819 --> 00:32:51.019 never actually covered that with Mothman, but 00:32:51.019 --> 00:32:53.519 knowing how gargoyles are now, I just feel like 00:32:53.519 --> 00:32:57.039 that's Mothman. But when I landed, it was like 00:32:57.039 --> 00:33:00.160 I had just dropped down hard onto my butt in 00:33:00.160 --> 00:33:02.339 a completely different position on the rooftop. 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:05.539 What? I quickly looked around, but I couldn't 00:33:05.539 --> 00:33:07.980 see anything. I think it must have been the adrenaline 00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:11.059 because I got off the rooftop almost in one jump. 00:33:11.220 --> 00:33:12.700 What the fuck is this guy doing? I thought he 00:33:12.700 --> 00:33:15.349 fell from the rooftop. I thought he fell, but 00:33:15.349 --> 00:33:17.390 I don't think. And now he's jumping off the roof 00:33:17.390 --> 00:33:20.750 using the edge for support and ran into the house 00:33:20.750 --> 00:33:24.049 feeling extremely disoriented and confused. Was 00:33:24.049 --> 00:33:26.750 he Mothman? Was there maybe two levels of roof 00:33:26.750 --> 00:33:28.950 that he fell from one roof onto the lower roof? 00:33:29.190 --> 00:33:30.650 But I feel like he should have explained that. 00:33:30.650 --> 00:33:33.190 It doesn't seem like he did fall. I even started 00:33:33.190 --> 00:33:35.750 doubting whether I had really seen anything at 00:33:35.750 --> 00:33:38.309 all. But that whole night, I couldn't sleep just 00:33:38.309 --> 00:33:40.690 thinking that maybe I had seen something and 00:33:40.690 --> 00:33:44.720 that it could come back and visit my house. What 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:46.400 an odd way to put that. So no dread there at 00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:49.579 all. But also this person kind of had like a 00:33:49.579 --> 00:33:52.740 very verbal huh, right? When he saw the wings. 00:33:53.140 --> 00:33:55.380 Yeah. This is a weird guy. This is a weird guy. 00:33:55.599 --> 00:33:59.559 Yeah. When I told my mom, all I got were skeptical 00:33:59.559 --> 00:34:02.519 expressions. I only told one of my friends and 00:34:02.519 --> 00:34:05.180 I haven't shared the story with anyone else since. 00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:10.289 Greetings from Mexico. Okay. Next story. Good 00:34:10.289 --> 00:34:12.469 for him. I have an experience I would like to 00:34:12.469 --> 00:34:15.190 tell you about. I did not know this site existed. 00:34:15.389 --> 00:34:18.010 Read it? And I was telling my brothers about 00:34:18.010 --> 00:34:20.590 it a few weeks ago at my son's birthday party. 00:34:20.710 --> 00:34:23.750 In brackets, they were laughing at me. I live 00:34:23.750 --> 00:34:28.019 in... Itasca, Illinois, and two years ago in 00:34:28.019 --> 00:34:31.260 August 2020, I went out at about 9 p .m. at night 00:34:31.260 --> 00:34:34.559 and was putting something in my car. About 50 00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:37.679 to 75 yards away, I saw something land in the 00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:40.619 street. It looked like it was crouching, and 00:34:40.619 --> 00:34:44.059 it looked the size of a coyote, or maybe bigger, 00:34:44.159 --> 00:34:47.119 sitting in an upright position. It was too big 00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:50.159 to be an owl, but kind of looked like a bat -owl 00:34:50.159 --> 00:34:52.860 -looking creature, like a gargoyle with little 00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:55.809 horns on it. his head i was focusing on it for 00:34:55.809 --> 00:34:58.730 about a minute and kept asking myself what the 00:34:58.730 --> 00:35:01.510 hell is that in a sudden burst with its wings 00:35:01.510 --> 00:35:04.710 it kind of hopped up and exploded out of a crouching 00:35:04.710 --> 00:35:07.289 stance with a thunderous stroke of its wings 00:35:07.289 --> 00:35:10.449 and disappeared into the trees i yelped and stepped 00:35:10.449 --> 00:35:13.170 back a bit as i could not believe my eyes it 00:35:13.170 --> 00:35:16.630 looked like a five foot black bat animal thing 00:35:16.630 --> 00:35:19.969 jumping or flying into the trees i've been reading 00:35:19.969 --> 00:35:22.710 about other sightings in the area and my sighting 00:35:22.920 --> 00:35:25.480 as what others have seen. I got a good look at 00:35:25.480 --> 00:35:28.239 the creepy thing, but I do not believe that it 00:35:28.239 --> 00:35:30.599 observed me because I was watching it quietly. 00:35:31.159 --> 00:35:33.940 Strickler was able to interview the man via telephone. 00:35:34.139 --> 00:35:36.460 Oh, this is from Phantoms and Monsters. Quote, 00:35:36.460 --> 00:35:39.000 the witness stated that he was quite surprised 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:41.199 when he noticed the creature, Strickler said. 00:35:41.320 --> 00:35:43.800 It was crouched under a fairly bright streetlight 00:35:43.800 --> 00:35:46.400 and about 50 yards in front of him in his neighborhood. 00:35:46.659 --> 00:35:49.119 This location is approximately two miles west 00:35:49.119 --> 00:35:52.059 of O 'Hare International Airport. As he watched, 00:35:52.139 --> 00:35:54.679 It was apparent that it had bat -like wings and 00:35:54.679 --> 00:35:57.239 that the face was similar to a gargoyle's depiction 00:35:57.239 --> 00:35:59.940 with small horns on its head. The coloring was 00:35:59.940 --> 00:36:02.739 gray to black. There was no eye color recognized. 00:36:03.179 --> 00:36:05.659 The man reportedly went on to tell Strickler 00:36:05.659 --> 00:36:08.340 that the creature stood five to six feet in height 00:36:08.340 --> 00:36:10.760 and that the body was somewhat emaciated but 00:36:10.760 --> 00:36:13.440 defined. Interesting. The arms were attached 00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:16.440 to the wide wings that spanned far off the body. 00:36:16.940 --> 00:36:19.860 it was definitely a humanoid form strickler said 00:36:19.860 --> 00:36:22.900 he used the word explode to describe the sudden 00:36:22.900 --> 00:36:25.659 burst of energy when it took flight after just 00:36:25.659 --> 00:36:28.619 one flap of the powerful wings the sound of the 00:36:28.619 --> 00:36:31.599 wings and ascent burst like thunder it quickly 00:36:31.599 --> 00:36:34.260 flew into the trees and disappeared as noted 00:36:34.260 --> 00:36:36.800 by strickler the sighting location is approximately 00:36:36.800 --> 00:36:39.760 two miles west of o 'hare international airport 00:36:39.760 --> 00:36:42.880 which has been the epicenter of recent winged 00:36:42.880 --> 00:36:45.340 humanoid sightings in the lake michigan mothman 00:36:45.340 --> 00:36:48.099 investigation with over a dozen sighting reports 00:36:48.099 --> 00:36:50.980 coming from the airport itself since August of 00:36:50.980 --> 00:36:53.920 2019 and many more reported in the surrounding 00:36:53.920 --> 00:36:57.039 communities. Reports from the larger investigation 00:36:57.039 --> 00:37:00.019 have come from every state bordering Lake Michigan 00:37:00.019 --> 00:37:04.880 and date back to 1957. So yeah, that's my episode. 00:37:05.420 --> 00:37:07.599 Thoughts? Well, I have one thing, Chelsea, that 00:37:07.599 --> 00:37:10.329 I think is its own conspiracy in itself. that 00:37:10.329 --> 00:37:12.630 I googled while I searched while you were doing 00:37:12.630 --> 00:37:15.170 your episode. How many gargoyles do you think 00:37:15.170 --> 00:37:20.090 there are in the Vatican? Oh, good one. I want 00:37:20.090 --> 00:37:23.710 to say there are some because it said specifically 00:37:23.710 --> 00:37:28.530 on cathedrals or what have you. Hundreds, I'm 00:37:28.530 --> 00:37:31.389 going to guess. There are zero. What? Because 00:37:31.389 --> 00:37:33.789 it is built in Renaissance and Baroque styles, 00:37:33.849 --> 00:37:36.590 not Gothic. And it actually tries to hide most 00:37:36.590 --> 00:37:39.599 of the water drainage throughout. Yes. Well, 00:37:39.679 --> 00:37:42.599 that's disappointing. So gargoyles are their 00:37:42.599 --> 00:37:46.739 own form of architecture. And yeah, it's kind 00:37:46.739 --> 00:37:49.500 of crazy that there's none there. But the rest 00:37:49.500 --> 00:37:52.320 of all of the Catholic churches, they're everywhere. 00:37:52.500 --> 00:37:55.559 Maybe it's because they are within the Catholic 00:37:55.559 --> 00:37:58.179 church, running the Catholic church. It could 00:37:58.179 --> 00:38:04.300 be. They're inside. But yeah, that's my episode 00:38:04.300 --> 00:38:06.679 on gargoyles. Oh, that's awesome. Perhaps there 00:38:06.679 --> 00:38:08.880 will be maybe a part two. And I never thought 00:38:08.880 --> 00:38:12.880 about comparing Mothman to a gargoyle. But even 00:38:12.880 --> 00:38:15.260 like we talked about early on, there was that 00:38:15.260 --> 00:38:17.559 one sighting even before these ones that we talked 00:38:17.559 --> 00:38:19.480 about where that person described the Mothman 00:38:19.480 --> 00:38:22.300 sighting as gargoyle -like. That's true. And 00:38:22.300 --> 00:38:25.320 if you don't know Mothman, but you know gargoyles. 00:38:25.320 --> 00:38:26.559 That's what you're going to describe it as. Or 00:38:26.559 --> 00:38:28.780 maybe a giant bat, which is basically what a 00:38:28.780 --> 00:38:32.070 gargoyle is. It's true. I mean, for any paranormal 00:38:32.070 --> 00:38:34.429 thing encounter that you're going to have, you're 00:38:34.429 --> 00:38:37.469 going to use whatever or anything in life. You're 00:38:37.469 --> 00:38:39.309 going to use whatever, you know. You're going 00:38:39.309 --> 00:38:41.130 to use your experience to describe it because 00:38:41.130 --> 00:38:42.650 that's the only thing you can derive it from. 00:38:42.809 --> 00:38:45.969 Exactly. And they do have a lot of things in 00:38:45.969 --> 00:38:48.809 common, which is why I felt like, especially 00:38:48.809 --> 00:38:53.010 after the Hubei flying entity, that we look into 00:38:53.010 --> 00:38:55.829 these because obviously there's more than just 00:38:55.829 --> 00:38:58.519 the Mothman. There's a lot going on. Oh yeah, 00:38:58.599 --> 00:39:01.360 and this is its own sub -episode category I think 00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:03.159 we can continue on with because there's a ton 00:39:03.159 --> 00:39:05.579 of very similar creatures like this throughout 00:39:05.579 --> 00:39:08.679 the world. Yeah. So I thank you, Chelsea, for 00:39:08.679 --> 00:39:11.400 taking us down this rabbit hole. I'm loving it. 00:39:11.519 --> 00:39:13.880 I'm excited for the next one. And with that, 00:39:13.940 --> 00:39:16.340 I have been Taylor, here with Chelsea. We are 00:39:16.340 --> 00:39:17.980 Journey to the Fringe. Thank you all for listening 00:39:17.980 --> 00:39:22.960 and we'll see you next week. Bye. Thank you for 00:39:22.960 --> 00:39:25.400 listening to Journey to the Fringe. If you have 00:39:25.400 --> 00:39:28.159 liked what you have listened to, please like, 00:39:28.300 --> 00:39:31.800 share, subscribe, or follow depending on what 00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:34.360 venue you are listening to us through. Also, 00:39:34.400 --> 00:39:37.280 please, if possible, leave a five -star review 00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:40.440 as that really helps us in the algorithms. Should 00:39:40.440 --> 00:39:42.739 you wish to interact with us, please check us 00:39:42.739 --> 00:39:45.860 out on your social media of choice. I bet you 00:39:45.860 --> 00:39:48.360 we are there. And if you really want to communicate 00:39:48.360 --> 00:39:51.280 with us and give us ideas for new episodes or 00:39:51.280 --> 00:39:53.480 tell us that were wrong and terrible either way 00:39:53.480 --> 00:39:56.739 please send us an email at journeytothefringe 00:39:56.739 --> 00:39:59.760 at gmail .com for now I'll see you in the next 00:39:59.760 --> 00:40:00.179 episode