In pondering the concept of The Grotesque in architecture, I believe that it carries more of a practical purpose than we think it does. While it may be important to discern the meanings of these grotesque symbols through analyzing the different interpretations that people have given them throughout the years, I feel that it is just as important to take into account messages that the original carvers wanted to convey: “While the monks debated, the carvers carved. What they themselves thought of what they were doing, they did not tell us; they worked with stone, not words.” (Blackwood, 660) Though most of us will already produce a question asking what the original carvers meant to imply in their works, I believe that the ambiguity is just what we need in helping us answer questions about where we are from.

A Babewyn- one of the many symbols of the grotesque.

In effect, because we are asking what these gargoyles, demons, and dragons are trying to teach, we coincidentally derive their purpose: to relay messages to us. Though it is almost a sure fact that it is unlikely that we will figure out what the messages are, the simple thought of knowing that these carvings are trying to relay messages from the past teaches and almost obligates us to never lose our ties with history. Thus, we are taught that our histories are important and should never be forgotten. Does the old cliché of “Those who do not know learn from the past are doomed to repeat it” surface in your mind? It did in mine.

To build upon the idea of the grotesque as a “messenger,” it is also noted that John Ruskin speculates that the “grotesque manner enables the artist to approach, through play and irony, matters which he would be unable to confront directly.” (Blackwood noting Ruskin, 663) In this instance, the grotesque is used as a means of expressing intentions and outlooks that people (the carvers) could have been silenced for during their period in history. Though it is again stressed that we may never know what these messages are, the sheer fact of knowing that they are there teaches us to appreciate history.

Though most grotesque figures are often characterized through “hybrid” animals and mythical beasts, I have never really associated the dragon as one of them- partly because I was raised on the belief that dragons are among one of the highest ranking and most noble creatures in nature. (or myth)

Like Eric and everyone else who was born in the year of the dragon ('88) according to Chinese zodiac, the dragon is supposed to symbolize a vast amount of good luck, fortune, and charisma.

My parents believed in this view so much that they decided to give me the nickname “Luong Luong,” which in Chinese literally means “Dragon Dragon.” As a result, I find it hard to accept the Western definition of what a dragon is supposed to represent, as a creature that is symbolic of Lucifer as we have seen in the St. Michael's window at the All Saints Chapel.

Though I can argue hours upon hours about what a dragon should represent due to my bias, I agree with the fact that the image of a dragon itself carries a message like those of other grotesque figures. And with my case, I find that the dragon inspires me to keep with my “roots” and know where I am from in terms of my culture. In a sense, I would even say that the image of a dragon helps one “know thyself.”