Noble Maiden writes...

I have a question. Do gargoyles have their own concept of beauty among them? I mean, even Goliath unintentionally told Elisa he thought humans are ugly, which was very fun to watch.
But we have seen among people we are attracted to our own perspective of what's beautiful. So I was wondering if gargoyles are the same, or they have a concept that all among their kind are beautiful in their unique way?

LoboGuara5bruxaria writes...

Hey Greg, on more than one occassion someone have asked you how strong an average Martian is when compared to a average Atlantean, but you had responded that it is hard to give an straight answer since martians can augment their strength with their shape/denseshifting abilities and telekinesis. So allow me to ask you this:

1) How strong to you think an average Martian is in their... "Biologically Natural*" form without any telekinesis involved when compared to the average Atlantean? I am NOT asking exact numbers of "Y Character is X times stronger/weaker than Z character", but more on a "I think X is a bit stronger/weaker than Z" kind of way.

2) How strong to you think an Average Gargoyle from Gargoyles is when compared to Young Justice's Average Atlantean and "Biologically natural" Martian?

*I say "Biologically Natural" form of Martians (That one of large bipedals with narrow waists and exposed gums) than True Form, since for a species of shapeshifters "true form" would likely be the one they are personally most confortable to stay in. Am I right or wrong on that regard?

Tyler writes...

Why are Goliath and his took brothers so much bigger than the next generation of gargoyles

stranger59 writes...

Just a few questions regarding Gargoyle teeth and dental care:

1: Can they get cavities and chipped/missing teeth, or is that something the stone sleep's healing properties would take care of?

2: If they need any dental care at all, did Xanatos ever arrange a modern dentist for them, and would such care extend their lives the way it would for a Medieval human given such care?

3: Do gargoyles have baby and adult teeth as humans do, one set throughout life, or some other arrangement?

JERNEJ writes...

So let's say Gargoyles is brought into live action. What does them changing into stone look like? Is it like a magical fading effect or would it look like a bodily reaction that produces stone around them? I know it's a weird question I just think about these things.

Anonymous writes...

Are Gargoyles born with foreskins? Do any see the need for circumsicion if they are?

Geri writes...

Hi,

Sorry, I asked a question but forgot to put a link to the ramble it refers to and thought you might have trouble finding it. My question refers to this ramble where you discuss the idea that Gargoyles might have originally not used language and communicated psychically instead, an extension of how they didn't used to have names.

https://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?rid=387

I thought it was fascinating and I was wondering whether you've given it any more thought since then. Thanks.

Geri writes...

Dear Greg,

I'm a big fan of yours. I have a question, but first I just wanted to express my gratitude. I recently lost my grandfather. It was the first time someone close to me passed away, so it was especially difficult. It prompted me to reread Rain of the Ghosts and I found it very comforting during a difficult time. I thought your portrayal of the grieving process was very vivid and true to life, and I appreciate that you didn't just rush through it the way other works of fiction often do. I'd give anything for my grandfather to be in a bracelet so I could talk to him every night like Papa Bastian. I hope I get to read the rest of the books in the series and hear the audioplay version of the second book someday, but until then I'll happily support the other projects you're working on, especially Young Justice: Outsiders.

As for my question, a while ago I saw this ramble all the way from 2004 about whether Gargoyles might have communicated psychically rather than through words. I was really fascinated by it at the time and it spurred me to think about the nature and limitations of language. I even did some study of the philosophy of language when I got to college partly because of seeing that ramble. I was wondering, have you given that idea any more thought? For example, is it any closer or farther away from something you'd consider bringing into the text if you ever get a chance to make more Gargoyles stories? Thanks!

Iluvendure writes...

We know that Children of Oberon and humans can have children among them (Fox is the greatest example), while gargoyles and humans can not reproduce:
1. My question is this: Could a Gargoyle and a Children of Oberon together conceive a child in a supposed relationship?... after all the living nature of the "fairies" is strange

Thank you very much and forgive the inconvenience

Anonymous writes...

When the eggs hatch, do expecting mother gargoyles know instinctively which hatchling is theirs to nurse? Or do they just nurse any hatchling?

draph91 writes...

do solar and/or lunar eclipses affect gargoyles in any way when it comes to the stone sleep process?

DS writes...

You mentioned that gargoyles and gargoyle beasts are distinct from most mammals and are classified as "gargates." Given their traits of milk production and warm bloodedness while laying eggs, I'd be tempted to classify gargoyles as monotremes, a subset of mammals that includes platupi and the echidnas, though I would need to look at their biochemistry to be absolutely certain (which has obvious logistical issues). I remember reading in the archives that gargoyles are the first "sentient" race, emerging sometime in the same time magnitude as dinosaurs. Classing gargoyles as monotremes could fit in with that time frame, because birds/dinosaurs and mammals diverged some time in the Carboniferous, significantly before the Triassic. This would put them in the same ecological classification as other monotremes (which you had demonstrated reluctance to accept before vis a vis platupi), but given the long time period, I would EXPECT them to look more and be more different from other monotremes than, say, a sparrow does from a T-rex, since their most recent common ancestor was much longer ago. Oddly enough, the most difficult thing about figuring gargoyles out is the difference between Lexington and the rest of the clan, because four vs six limbs is a major difference, and figuring out that phenotypic difference that still leaves the two types of gargoyles able to create viable offspring wasn't very easy. However, I think I managed to crack it. It is most probably a trait of the MOTHER of the gargoyle, not the gargoyle in question proper (so if Lexington decided he wanted a kid and found a willing female gargoyle (ignoring for thought experiment purposes that he wouldn't be interested in women), he probably wouldn't be able to pass it on). At some point, some female proto-gargate from just as gargoyles and gargoyle beasts were starting to diverge had a mutation that probably added an extra pair of limbs on their back. These extra limbs could have been useful, and could have evolved over time to help gargoyles fly (well, glide) through the power of "jazz hands" (like how bats fly proper). Eventually, another female gargoyle had another mutation that essentially told her kid's biological plan to omit the first pair of "arms" and only have the second kind (the ones that look wingish). Both phenotypes produced viable offspring with roughly the same ability to reproduce, but the second mutation probably started out rarer because it came later. So the general timeline looks like this:

Mammals and dinosaurs diverge -> Platupi diverge from other monotremes -> Gargates diverge from other monotremes (this comes after platupi because female gargoyles have mammary glands, and probably came about as a result of developing the first rudiments of stone sleep) -> Dinosaurs come on the scene -> Gargoyles and gargoyle beasts diverge from each other (probably via gargoyles becoming bipedal) -> Gargoyles evolve six limbs and this variant overtakes the population while the two back arms become more winglike -> the Lexington variant of gargoyles evolves -> Dinosaurs kick it -> Gargoyles gradually become more intelligent as their longer lifespans and lack of natural predators (thanks giant meteor) makes intelligence a more viable strategy for survival to make them more cooperative.

I don't know if this perfectly fits with what you have, but I did the best I could with the information (both show/FAQ-wise and through a degree in biochemistry) I had. What are your thoughts?

Dragomir writes...

How physically strong are gargoyles exactly? We've seen them perform many impressive feats of strength over the course of the series that no human could ever match without some form of augmentation (bionic enhancements, genetic mutations, power armor, sorcery, etc), but if possible I'd like to know just how powerful they actually are, like, how much weight can the average gargoyle lift in comparison to a well above average gargoyle like Goliath or Demona? How many pounds? Or dare I say, tons? Like humans obviously not all gargoyles represent the pinnacle of their kind's athletic potential, hence why I listed Goliath & Demona as examples of peak physical performance, but even the weakest of gargoyles are seriously tough customers, as Lex has demonstrated more than once despite his size, or Hudson despite his age. So, yeah, I'd love to know how the strength levels of gargoyles ranging from below average, average, and above average, AKA strongest. Thanks for your time!

Cronny writes...

How does the commitment ceremony worked? Is it a gargoyle tradition of mating or similar to a wedding? Has there been a humans and gargoyles that can have sex?

ANR writes...

Is it possible for a Gargoyle to be on the Autism spectrum?

Clifton J. writes...

Two, related, questions about Gargoyle biology...kind of:

1. I'm just wondering, does alcohol affect gargoyles the same way it does humans? I mean, can they actually get drunk and hungover?
2. If they can get drunk or hungover, would they need to drink more than humans? Or do their bodies process it differently so that they would actually need to drink less?

Graham T. writes...

Topic: Gargoyle Biology

Question 1: Given the Gargoyles' wings are like bat or bird wings, nor noticeably have a smaller pair of hands, could there possibly have been a Gargate species that existed with two sets of arms, instead of a pair of arms and a pair of wings?

Question 2: Given the immense diversity between Gargoyle appearances, including the Loch Ness clan being semi-amphibious, do Gargoyles have a high genetic mutation rate or a special genetic adaptivity depending on the environment?

Jack Carpenter writes...

What's the smartest observation that you've ever seen a fan make about one of your shows?

Ashley D writes...

I was wondering can Gargoyles with Feathered wings fly, like Zafiro from the Mayan clan or Staghart of the London clan.

Juan M writes...

Are they any bisexual and trans gendered gargoyles in the gargoyle universe?Have we seen them without mentioning who they are. the tv show and comic were theyre closeted for now?

Thank you and the crww for a great cartoon ahead of time.

Chip writes...

Please bear with me...My question involves math. I will try to bullet-point and simplify it as best I can, if I can. I was thinking about gargoyle-beasts and their breeding cycles in relation to the cycles of the winged-gargoyle species.

1) You have stated in the past that beasts have four heats, and are capable of contributing an egg to the rookery following their own hatching, is this correct?

2) Assuming that question 1 is correct, a beast who hatched in '58 would be able to lay an egg in '68, whereas a winged-gargoyle from '58 would not be able to lay an egg until '08. Afterwards, that same female can lay an egg in '28, and '48. The beast from the same generation, however, can lay eggs in '68, '88, '08, and '28. At which point, they become too old to lay eggs. You have stated that beasts get the additional heat because they can mature faster. The question I ask is...Why is it not two additional heats? A female gargoyle from '58 can't lay until '08, but a female beast can lay after just 10 years. Why does the beast not get a final heat in the same year that a winged gargoyle from the same clutch does?

3) I'm sorry if my math or question is confusing. I was just hoping for clarity on this matter. If you don't feel like figuring out the math on this subject, I'll just default to my final, and most frequently asked question...

4) When did the London Clan's beast population go extinct?

Thank you for taking the time and effort to answer these questions. We really appreciate it, and you. #WeLiveAgain

RobertDev writes...

Hello Greg,

I have been a big fan of yours for a very long time. In fact Gargoyles was my favorite show as a child. Now I am 29, and in addition to being a teacher, I am trying to make it as a novelist in NYC. Gargoyles, and you/your writing in general, inspired me a long time ago to pursue telling stories for kids or young adults that are complex and diverse in lieu of "talking" down to them. Since then I have had many more influences, but you really were one of the first. I think I may have been 6 or 7 when Gargoyles first came out and I certainly had my parents add to Disney's coffers with Gargoyle merch.

I have a few questions. I know you are not into hypotheticals or spoilers, so I will try to phrase my questions as proper as possible. Also, as these questions may not exactly fall under the same subject, I will submit multiple questions, as per the instructions.

Long ago I wrote to you about the biology of the Avalon clan. Specifically I asked whether or not it was possible for a mature Avalon couple to travel to the outside world, for say 9 months or a year (1 week or less on Avalon), sync with the natural state of the planet and produce an egg. That was met with an affirmative.

When further questioned as to whether or not they could do this multiple times over the course of their lifetime, producing many more eggs than the standard 3, you wrote that it would be a good topic of discussion during the biology panel (I think it was specifically called something else) at convergence. Unfortunately another Convergence has not occurred for some time and I still, all these years later, wonder about the biology of it all.

Could a gargoyle couple from Avalon come to the outside world every other, or every third, cycle (or whatever) and produce many more eggs than the usual three? Could they produce five or ten eggs? And would there be a detriment to the gargoyle's body in producing that many eggs if they could do all that?

I know this question is long and possibly overwritten but I recently re-watched my DVD sets (and reread the comics) and it got me thinking. I'd appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

I made a promise to myself, many years ago that if I ever became a successful writer I would find a way to work with you one day and/or help you bring Gargoyles back in some form. I still hope to do so. Best of luck to you sir and thank you for your influence and inspiration. Should I one day meet you in a professional capacity I will point out this entry.

John Harmon writes...

I have read that outside of the mating season, it was incredibly rare for a couple to conceive a gargoyle child, my question is this, is there any stigma that the clans put on such a unlikely birth? Or would the clan accept such an occurrence?

Anonymous writes...

You have said there were homosexual Gargoyles, are there also transgender Gargoyles that could transition? Also, how does surgery for Gargoyles work? Is that even a possibility for them, like something as easy as adding stone or shaping stone while they were in stone sleep, or operating on them while they were flesh or would it be impossible?

Emily writes...

Hello Mr. Weisman,
I have a question about Gargoyles for you that just popped in my mind about five minutes ago.
"If a gargoyle was to sleep at all during the night would he be able to stay awake longer during the day?"

Allison writes...

Hi, Greg, hope the tour's going well. Hope you have fun!

I've got a question about gargoyle eggs and customs. Does rookery parentage apply to every gargoyle in a generation of the right age to reproduce? For example, would Iago/Coldsteel be considered one of Angela's rookery fathers despite the fact that he never mated or had any involvement with producing eggs?

Mara writes...

When I visited Puerto Rico last fall (October of 2013) we went on a tour of the cave system in Camuy- which is awesome. On the tour, our guide commented that normally, human settlements only exist in caves that have a clear entrance and exit that face east and west- so that there is light in the cave during the day. For that reason, caves with north/south facings would be avoided.

Anyway, my question is- did pre-bronze age gargoyles tend to have settlements in cave systems over other areas- since their eggs need thermal energy access anyway?

Shana writes...

I want you to know I love Gargoyles! Although my two year old daughter doesn't care for the cartoons yet she does pretend to read my comics.

Any ways I do need a little help clarifying somethings.

Do all Gargoyles (not beasts) have some sort of wings or are there wingless Gargoyles? And what would happen if their wings ever got damaged or destroyed during their stone sleep?

Thank you for your time and trouble.

ashley. B writes...

Dose Brooklyn have a younger sibling I read gargoyles couples each normally have three eggs/ three children so I know he has a brother dose he have a younger sibling.

Anonymous writes...

Do gargoyle babies ever get colic?

Micey writes...

I read the gargoyles wiki on how they only have one mate for life but I couldn't find anything about how they actually chose their mates. Is it like a human and they just chose their mate by courting and falling in love with that gargoyle or does it have to do with certain things, like the horns, wing size, color, etc.?

Al writes...

Another Garg question that I didn't ask in the last post because I wasn't sure if they were related enough to post together...

I don't remember if you were the one to say this or if I read it in the GargWiki, but I seem to remember reading sonewhere that it was generally pretty easy to determine the parentage of a Garg because, like Angela, they will have the basic body structure of their same-sex parent with the coloring of the other.

Did I get this right?

If so, why does Gabrial not have the coloring of either Othello or Desdemona?
Normally I would just chalk it up to that rule not being thought of until after he was created - but he appeared alongside Angela who "introduced" us to that rule, so now I'm perplexed.

Eva Williams writes...

About gargoyle biology, is it possible for gargoyles to have color blindness?

Just curious.

Krysten Myers writes...

Can a gargoyle get diabetes like humans?

JC writes...

Hello Mr. Wiesman,

I have been reading the archives and I have a couple of questions regarding the more obscure Gaegoyle clans:

1) Youve mentioned that the Xanadu clan exists to protect the Beast lineage. My question is, are their Beasts all from Chinese stock, or have they incorporated other "breeds" (so to speak) into that gene-pool? Basically, Im asking if they all have the same basic appearance, or reflect all types of Beasts.

2) You also once said that the Lach Ness clan were aquatic in nature. Does that mean that they are truly amphibious (like frogs), or can they just hold their breath for long lengths of time (like dolphins)?

Thanks.

Anonymous writes...

Has anyone ever pointed out that your Gargoyles are not, in the original sense of the word, gargoyles, but grotesques, as they don't spew water from there mouths?

Matt writes...

So, with "Chaw" becoming canon you have established that at least some female beasts' eyes are red. First of all, I love this feature. It becomes a common tie in gargate physiology, it gives us a visual cue to determine beast gender (which would otherwise be readily lacking) and it just looks cool.

I do wonder though if you have any thoughts about any future appearances of Boudicca. Perhaps you've seen the Gargoyle Beast page on the GargWiki where Boudicca's eyes have been modified to be red rather than white as we saw in the show. Would you make this minor ret-con official if we see Boudicca in a Gargoyles project down the road? In your mind are all female beasts' eyes red? Or is there a reason that Chaw's are and Boudicca's are not?

What about the beast we saw briefly in Ishimura (with white eyes)? Is that beast male or female?

Matt writes...

Gargoyle Culture & Biology

So, in most social species there is an evolved strategy that encourages gene diversification and limits inbreeding. In lions, for instance, the males leave the pride at maturity to take over a different pride and mate with the females of that group rather than stay and have only their sisters and aunts and female cousins to mate with. In bonobos, it is the females that often leave to join new groups and find unrelated males to mate with.

Now, obviously, in the Gargoyles Universe, up until very recently there was very little genetic exchange between the surviving far flung and isolated clans. But back in their heyday, when the nearest clan to your own was well known and could be reached, was there any sort of social strategy to encourage genetic diversity or has finding a mate among your own rookery siblings always been the norm?

And now that the clans are becoming more known to each other and able to move from clan to clan more easily, will this issue cause more inter-clan mating? Does the mixing of the 2198 rookery eggs have anything to do with this or is that just a symbolic gesture of the Gargoyle Nation?

FireBlade writes...

Hi Greg!

I am a long time Gargoyles fan. I grew up with it actually. I've always loved it's depth, characters, story, and emotions. Honestly? Cartoons now-a-days don't even compare.

Anyway, I digress;
I was re-watching the show the other day and a question struck me... Can Goliath and Elisa have kids? I mean, Goliath is humanoid right? So, is it possible?

I hope it is because Goliath has gone through too much tragedy in his life to not be able to have a family with his soul mate I think.

That said, I haven't read the comic but I heard someone say that they break up in it... Is this true?? If it is, I just might cry....

Anyway, even though the series is long over, I still want to compliment you on such a fantastic masterpiece. It is a classic that will endure for a loooonnnggg time. :)

Thanks for your time! I know you are very busy.

Jessy writes...

Do the gargoyles actually see the sunrise or do they turn to stone at first light? I know that,we, as the viewers, see it, but the sun seems to rise and set much more quickly in the Gargoyles universe. I figured it is probably exaggerated to show the viewers what is about to happen; the gargs are going to wake or sleep.
I guess the next question would be, do they see the sunset? I feel somehow that this is more likely as they are often depicted waking at about that time, but it could be, again, an exaggeration.

sara writes...

hi Greg. im a huge fan of gargoyles. love your work on it. i have one question. i am not trying to challnge your work,but i would like to know why katana&brooklin's egg is perple. is it just genes?

Allison writes...

Hey, Greg! Love Gargoyles, excited for Rain of the Ghosts, and I just reread the comics and have a question about the clones.

We know that if gargoyles A and B are cloned, the clones, C and D, will have photo-negative coloration. Now, let's say A and C are female, and B and D are male. Let's also say that A and B do not become mates, but C and D do. The egg, E, is not artificially sped up, but develops over the ten year period. When E hatches, will its coloring resemble that of A/B or C/D?

Just curious about the practical application of the clones. Also, I think a Gargoyles Kickstarter would be a great idea! Have a nice day!

Richard writes...

I've been a fan of Gargoyles since ever, but i didnt know it co tinued i comics till two days ago!!!! OMG!!! THATS AWESOME! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! but now i have a questio about gargate biology. I read that they go into heat every twenty years, on years that end in "7" but ...

What about just physical maturity? At what age are they physically mature, and Is this different from when they are seen as adults by their clan?

no name writes...

Can halflings with a Gargoyle and a Third Race parent have children with humans - or human/Third Race halflings with Gargoyles?

Masterdramon writes...

Hey Greg! Hope that you're doing well, and that the holiday season is treating/did treat (depending on when you read this) your family happily.

What follows is a paper I recently submitted to my Contemporary Political Theory class at Pomona College, interrelating several of the concepts from the book we discussed that week ("You Are Not a Gadget" by Jaron Lanier) with the notion of namelessness in traditional gargoyle culture.

My professor (unfamiliar with the show, but very intrigued when I explained it to her) really got a kick out of the piece, and I earned a more-or-less "A-" equivalent for it. But as long as I've got it sitting around, I figured you might enjoy giving it a read as well.

[NOTE: You may want to review this post you made on Ask Greg in 2004 beforehand, as it is cited frequently: http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?rid=387].

Now, without further ado, the essay. It has been edited from the submitted version only by rearranging paragraph breaks...

The 1994 animated television series Gargoyles posits a highly intelligent species which dominated the Earth prior to human genesis and ascendance.

These gargoyles possess a unique culture which predates humanity's by a significant period, but the first on-screen depiction of the gargoyle species takes place in the 10th century, after millions of years of convergent evolution between the two cultures.

Indeed, the pilot episodes depict the essential death of one lingering component of gargoyle culture, at least for the series protagonists: that gargoyles lack personal names. This idea is first discussed in a conversation between two gargoyles and a human boy:

TOM: I'm Tom. What's your name?
GARGOYLE #1: Except for Goliath, we don't have names.
TOM: How do you tell each other apart?
GARGOYLE #1: We look different.
TOM: But what do you call each other?
GARGOYLE #2: (shrugs) Friend.

For context, "Goliath" is the leader of the clan of gargoyles to which the protagonists belong, and their liaison to the humans with whom they share an uneasy alliance; those humans felt incapable of dealing with a nameless entity, and Goliath did not bother to reject the name they selected for him.

Still, he does not use the name in communicating with his own clan until a betrayal by their human allies and a magical curse cause the protagonists to sleep as statues and then reawaken in 20th century Manhattan.

Here they meet and befriend Elisa Maza, a police detective who is both confused by and - for reasons she has trouble articulating - uncomfortable with this traditional lack of names. The following exchange takes place between Elisa and the clan's elderly mentor:

ELISA: Are you coming on the tour…uh, what do I call you, anyway?
GARGOYLE: Must you humans name everything? Nothing's real to you till you've named it, given it limits!
ELISA: It's not like that! It's just that…well, uh…things need names.
GARGOYLE: Does the sky need a name? Does the river?
ELISA: The river's called the Hudson.
GARGOYLE: (sighs) Fine, lass…then I will be 'the Hudson' as well.
ELISA: Great! Hudson it is.

From that point onward, that particular gargoyle is known as Hudson, and only Hudson.

The younger gargoyles who survived the centuries follow suit; the two who conversed with Tom become Lexington and Brooklyn, for example. And Goliath more-or-less fully accepts the moniker afforded him by the Dark Age humans.

As Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman points out, "naming is clearly addictive," and once they are established the convenience they offer makes doing away with them virtually impossible. Thus, for the Manhattan Clan of gargoyles, namelessness largely remains a thing of the past for the remainder of the series.

In "You Are Not a Gadget," Jaron Lanier describes the phenomenon experienced by these gargoyles using the term "lock-in."

As Lanier puts it, "lock-in…removes design options based on what is easiest to program, what is politically feasible, what is fashionable, or what is created by chance." Furthermore, the process "also reduces or narrows the ideas it immortalizes, by cutting away the unfathomable penumbra of meaning."

Despite originally referring to programming language, this is a perfect description of the process that "Hudson" has been subjected to in the previous scene.

Names are a method of defining identity, which necessarily must involve "giving it limits." But in traditional gargoyle culture, identity has greater meaning than that; it is amorphous, and changes with the circumstances.

The gargoyle who first made a compact with the humans at Castle Wyvern is the same gargoyle who mated three times and produced three progeny; he is the same gargoyle who fought the evil Archmage and received a wound that blinded him in one eye; he is the same gargoyle who slept for centuries and once awakened, found himself fascinated with the television show "Celebrity Hockey."

Does one name - Hudson - really encapsulate all of these aspects of his identity?

In-and-of-itself, all it signifies is that the place Hudson awoke in was modern-day New York (a cut line from the episode's script even has Elisa commenting, "Good thing we weren't facing Queens," emphasizing with humor how off-hand and esoteric the choice was).

That name was "locked-in" as the full and entire representation of the character from that point onward, solely because it was politically feasible (it makes dealing with Elisa and later human allies far more expedient), it was fashionable (every other intelligent being in 1994 New York has a name, so why not the gargoyles?), and it was created by chance (quite literally in this case, as the "Queens" quote illustrates).

And the result is that the very meaning of his identity is narrowed. He is no longer capable of being someone at a particular moment, and someone else in the next.

He is always Hudson.

There is an even greater story here, however, which Weisman's later musings have helped to illuminate. As he once observed, "Gargoyles don't seem to have a native language. They acquire human language, perhaps much the same way that they acquire names…And language, in many ways, is just sophisticated naming."

This is a compelling point. As he later notes, a different and arguably much more persuasive response that Elisa could have offered is that the river is called "the river."

Languages are systems for describing objects, concepts, actions, etc. using strict and uniform definitions, confining them to names that society calls words.

But does a name like "the sky" really fully encapsulate the meaning inherent within the depths that humans observe from below? Does it even begin to provoke a holistic understanding of its astronomical, religious, chemical, or poetic contexts?

And even more to the point, what of metaphysical concepts like "justice"? Can a single clear definition even exist for such a weighty and nebulous notion - and if not, does sticking the name "justice" to it not necessarily limit it?

Lanier certainly appears to believe so. As he conceives it, the system of symbology under which all current human languages operate is itself a lock-in; at best, a "middleman" between intent and "directly creating shared experience" that he wants to work to cut out.

His method for doing so is improvements on virtual reality, until researchers develop "the ability to morph at will, as fast as we can think."

Lanier envisions a world where the rather simplistic words "I'm hungry" will not be the only way to communicate the sensation which has brought them on - instead, he sees potential in the power of virtual reality technology to place us in the bodies of others, as a way to intimate the sensation itself.

Humanity would no longer have to be limited to extracting some piece of the concept it calls "hunger," giving it that name, and using it as code so that others who know the symbology of the English language will understand some approximation of that concept.

The concept would simply be understood, and communication would be a straightforward matter of imparting that understanding.

But perhaps there is an even better solution than this - although one that is, unfortunately, largely forgotten.

Presented with the puzzle that gargoyles are highly gregarious and intelligent by nature and yet appear to lack any notion of their own language, Weisman has mused that perhaps, long before human language evolved and became the locked-in method for communication, the gargoyle species possessed "mild psychic abilities that left them with no need to create language."

While emphasizing that he was only asserting a possibility, the communication he imagines - where it was not "words that they intuited (or transmitted or read or whatever) but emotions, maybe images or sensations" - sounds exceedingly similar to what Lanier hopes to achieve through virtual reality.

Such communication would be consistent with what audience knows about pre-human gargoyle culture, where definition and identity are situational as opposed to consistently codified.

But if that is the case, it leads to a rather lamentable conclusion. As Weisman puts it, "perhaps the very language skills that gargoyles learned from the human race dampened their psychic intuitiveness;" in other words, lock-in of a very particular method of communication (symbology) "locked-out" another method that presented communicative possibilities human technology can currently only dream of.

The initial insistence on not using personal names, then, can be considered a lingering hold-out of a bygone era where every concept was considered unlimited, and every sensation intimated in their full depth.

In dealing with nascent human cultures, gargoyles must have gradually accepted the limiting of concepts like "sky" or "river" because this made interspecies congress significantly more efficient, but they resisted the longest on the limiting of the very depths of the self.

But with the permanent instatement of "Hudson" and the rest, there does not appear to be room to return to the possibilities an unlimited identity presents. Human language has killed them.

Of course, both the gargoyle race and their culture are fantastical constructions, but that does not necessarily mean that humans cannot learn from their fictional example.

While humans do not seem to share these "mild psychic abilities" (although there are some who would vehemently disagree with that statement) that Weisman hypothesizes, that there are methods of sensation and communication which precede language skills is clearly documented.

As with gargoyles, members of the species Homo sapiens did exist well before the development of the earliest known language, and while current understanding of those early cultures is limited at best, there is also a much more immediate example to turn to.

Newborns spend a few years before they learn to define the world around them in the code of words - the sun is an experience to them long before the strictly defined, limiting name of "the sun" is ever applied to it.

The depths of what could be learned from observing children raised without learning language skills, interpreting sensations and intimating them to others via methods of their own device, are boundless; of course, the enormous ethical travesty presented by such experiments means they are not a viable avenue for inquiry.

So instead, humans turn to fiction - attempting to realize through others what that they have long since lost, and yearn to find again.

Greg Weisman has often described gargoyle culture, and pre-human gargoyle culture specifically, as something of a wish fulfillment for him. "I'm such a human," he laments with a written-out sigh, "But I aspire to gargoylosity."

Well, if the virtual reality morphing that so excites Jaron Lanier can indeed allow humans to experience sensation as a pre-human gargoyle (or a pre-language human, or a baby, or even a cephalopod) did/does - if it has the potential to turn the clock back as well as forward, and show what it is like for things simply to be, without the cumbersome and restrictive middleman of naming them - then perhaps that is an aspiration that more humans should share.

Rikki writes...

I've browsed through the archives and didn't come across a question like this but apologize if I did miss something simliar to this question that has been previously answered.

Do gargoyles ever mate just for the sake of being intimate with their mate and receiving pleasure or do they usually just mate when it comes time for reproduction?

Derek writes...

I have a question about Gargoyle genetics and cloning. Apologies if this makes your head hurt, it's made mine hurt.
In Marvel comics, when they cloned X-23 they used just Wolverine's X chromosomes as the Y sample was damaged and a male clone wasn't viable.

I was looking up reptiles, as Gargoyles as I understand it are closer to reptiles than mammals. In reptile genetics it's the females(ZW) that have two different chromosomes not males(ZZ). So if Sevarius had a sample of say Angela, but only the Z was viable would he'd still be able to create a male clone of her, right? Females clones for Gargoyles would be the trickier of the two?

Anonymous writes...

Are gargoyles classified as mammals?

Anthrokid writes...

What happens to a gargoyle's body in the daytime when it dies a natural death (not being smashed up during the day)? Does the body still turn to stone in the daytime and just remain that way? Or nothing happens, meaning there would have been evidence to gargoyle bodies.

Mel Cel writes...

Hi there! First and foremost, thanks so much for creating this show (and everyone else who worked on it). It was the main trigger that set me down the path of the animation industry. Loving it!
Q1: Are the gargoyles truly natives to planet earth?
Q2: What have they evolved from, and do they have their own version of 'Adam & Eve'?
Q3: (Continuation of Q2) Did their race's stone sleep originated from there on? how and why (spell/curse)?
Q4: How do female gargoyles retain their ability to nurse their young, considering that their young would only hatch a decade later?

Comet writes...

Sorry if this has already been asked. I searched the archives but didn't find what I was looking for.
Gargoyles can dream in stone sleep, but what happens if they have a nightmare that would a human cause to wake up? Gargoyles can't normally wake up outside of their biological rhythm, as far as I know.

Anonymous writes...

Do gargoyles age at the same rate as humans?

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Well, I can't claim to be a biology major, though I've studied it in an amateur way. But I would like to respond to Caitlin's post about stone sleep.

In most ways, gargoyles' metabolisms probably slow down a lot while in stone sleep. But I think Caitlin missed/forgot about one thing: they can't be 100% inactive, because their healing kicks into overdrive during the day. So some process, which uses up nutrients to build new tissue, must continue during sleep. Since they heal so quickly during the day, this process might use up a good chunk of the energy that would run the regular metabolism during the day.

Personally, I just assume that the blood still flows and they still breathe, however slowly, while they sleep. It was a Disney cartoon, so it's not like the stone rubble could bleed rivers of red during the Wyvern Massacre!

Caitlin writes...

Ok, this is not so much question as it is theory, but follow me for a bit if you like.

I've been reading through the biology archives and I had some thoughts regarding the stone sleep. Being a Zoology major, I tried to analyze some things, such as one particular factor- bodily functions like metabolism. A fan once asked if the metabolic functions still took place while they were in the stone slumber, and you were unable to answer, not being a biologist. I mean that in no harmful or derogatory way. I am just giving some insight from a biologist's perspective (I hope). I think that we can look at some analogues from real life- bats. I know it's not a perfect analogy, but some bats do go into a state of torpor (semi-hibernation) and some others actually go into a true state of hibernation. During hibernation, body temperature drops and metabolism slows to a near stop. The heart rate may also drop significantly.
Now, given that all of a gargate's tissues become the organic stone-like material, this means that even the blood is stilled, seeing as the muscles of the heart no longer pump. This seems like a hibernation to me. The fact that the tissues are "stone" probably means that the tissues do not need to constantly be fed oxygen or other nutrients via blood, and therefore do not need blood to flow or metabolism to run.
The "stone" state of the cells is also reminiscent of the dormant states of some bacteria. Essentially, the bacteria will create a "shell" when conditions are not right for survival and will become active again once conditions improve (if). The dormant state has no biological functions going on (that is if I remember correctly).

In short, the gargates are completely dormant until they awaken, and therefore are, for all intensive purposes, "stone".
I hope this was insightful/useful. I love thinking about these kinds of things. Feel free to ask me to elaborate or de-mystify anything biological (in this post or otherwise, if you'd like). My email is dbznut@carolina.rr.com

Joe writes...

Greg,
I've looked for the answer to this question and couldn't find it. Maybe you've already answered it but can the Gargoyles see when their eyes are glowing or do they have some extra sense that humans don't have?

Greg Bishansky writes...

And now, here's a question about gargoyles, clones, attraction, and gender traits. I really miss the Blue Mug A Guests, this would have been a perfect question for them.
Male gargoyle clones' eyes glow red, and the female clones' glow white. The complete opposite of natural hatched gargoyles. I was just wondering, how would gargoyles who might attempt to mate with clones deal with this?
The only way I can extrapolate is by picturing human women with gender specific traits that only a man would have, or vice-versa. Most heterosexuals would consider such things to be massive turn-offs, unless they're a bit kinky. I know it's not as extreme as a female with a penis, or a male with a vagina. But I'm trying to extrapolate. Maybe like a beard on a woman, or breasts on a man. Okay, that feels a bit off too.
Now, we didn't see Brooklyn get anywhere with Delilah, he probably never even saw her eyes glow. And considering he was just seeing her as a body, an available female, I wonder just how much of a turn-off that would have been for him if he did make even a little progress.
On the other hand, we have Demona who was with Thailog for at least half a year, and assuming she is 100% heterosexual, I am wondering if that would have unnerved her at all. But, she definitely seemed very physically into him, so maybe she has bisexual tendencies, or she's just really kinky, or maybe she just didn't care one iota. I don't know.
What are your thoughts on this?

anon writes...

I realize this may have been answered before, but would the manhattan clan be tolerant of homosexuality? What about other clans?

Justin writes...

Hello Greg,
Just a musing/ question based on a post of Matt's

<Matt writes...

3. Aside from Hudson, were any of True and "Kermit"'s rookery parents still alive as of 997?
Thanks, Greg!
Greg responds...

3. Potentially.>

My question is this...
Hudson hatched in 878. So as of 997 most of the surviving members of his rookery would be pushing the bio equivalent of 60.

So it stands to reason that the 898 and potentially the 918 rookery generations may also have had eggs lain in 968 resulting in the 978 gen.

Take the Wyvern Cell as our place holder here. We see Second and Sacrifice ( whom we can assume they had there 2nd egg in the 998 rookery as there is a garg on Avalon who looks almost identical to Second)

So again, it stands to reason they wouldn't start breeding on Sacrifice's 2nd heat.
Same I suppose goes for Chomp and Chaw, they most likely had a kid in the 978 and 998 rookeries too.

Just a thought

Anonymous writes...

My sisters and I have recently had a huge Gargoyles marathon and some things I noticed made me wonder about how they sleep. So the Gargoyles turn to stone and at sunset their skin cracks and breaks off. Now I noticed that when they strike poses you can see into their mouths and even that is stone. So at sunset, when they awaken, are they chewing and spitting out Gargoyle flakes or do they slowly thaw from the inside out and crack like a hard boiled egg?

A Gargoyles Fan writes...

First and foremost, I probably should've looked more carefully when asking the previous question, and I'm sorry for that.

I've checked around the archives, and taken a better look, and haven't found an answer for this.

Sevarius stated once that if a Gargoyle didn't go through stone sleep, they would have to eat several cows in order to get the energy they need. Demona doesn't go through stone sleep anymore, so how does she get the energy she needs for when she becomes a gargoyle once more?

Matt writes...

In the time long ago when there were gargoyle clans all over the world, how common was mating between members of different clans? Did gargoyles nearly always choose a mate from their own clan or was inter-clan mating fairly common when multiple clans existed in a general area?

Thanks Greg!

Anonymous writes...

About gargoyle's senses:

1-Their hearing seems sharper than humans, but just how much? Can they hear as well as a dog does? A cat? (like a gargate, I know, lol, but just to give a general idea :D)

2-Their night sight seem to also be far sharper than humans, for obvious reasons. Can they see as well as a cat does in the dark? Or less or more?

3-Brooklyn sniffs at Elisa, so maybe scent is an important factor for them? Just how acute is their scence of smell?

Thank you!

Anonymous writes...

Brian writes...
If I could pet a gargoyle's wings, what's the closest thing they would feel like?
Greg responds...
Depends on whose wings.

Say...Demona's?

VoLpE writes...

Hi Greg. Hope your 2011 is off to a good start. Gotta question for ya. Are Gargoyles with feathered wings (such as Griff, Zaphiro) susceptible to molting?

Thanks :)

Kyle writes...

Hey Greg, I have a question about the ageing of Gargoyles. Do they age slower or at the same rate as humans?

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

A recent question about the relationship between Hudson and Demona got me thinking...

There was one off note in the question (the rest of the analysis was pretty cool)- Hudson would not have any discomfort at the idea that his rookery children were mated to each other. Given that the chance of multiple births is statistically zero and the strong predilection to marry within ones own rookery there is nearly no chance of biological incest ever happening so there would be no sibling taboo.

I recalled a factotum that caught my attention a few months back- Even the most gung-ho kibutzes in Israel got rid of true communal child raising in the 70's because their children were forming sibling bonds and not marrying. Of the thousands of children raised in the system, about 30 married within their own community and not even one married within his or her age group. (err... I suppose, by definition, two would be the minimum for that....) These children were raised with the intention of being future potential spouses but humans are hardwired not to look at siblings that way, even none biological siblings. A similar problem arises in some endangered animal sanctuaries - I remember a documentary mentioning that if male and female rhinos are housed together they eventually stop mating completely - it may have been anthropomorphizing, but they called it developing a sibling relationship. Obviously there are degenerates and incest does happen, Egyptian royalty was designed with sibling marriage, but we are biologically wired against it even when it is not based on blood and therefore dangerous on a Darwinian level.

It makes sense that Gargates, having evolved as very different species with different circumstances would be fundamentally different at times, but they are so very similar in some ways is it surprising when the differences pop up.

1) Do gargoyles have an incest taboo or does it just not come up?
2) If they do not have it, or, at least no strong one, what do they think of it when it occurs with humans? (I don't mean abuse, rather, for example, if they read about Egyptian kings marrying siblings does it give them pause or it just passes as an oddity.)
3) Are there any other instances that come to mind of there being a basic difference between humans and gargoyles? Not a culturally based one - or if it is culturally, it as outgrowth of their biological reality.

Sorry this last one is so vague. It is hard to think of examples. You once answered that racism puzzles Goliath. It makes sense that a species that seems to have nearly uinlimited skin color possibiilities even within a small and relatively isolated population would think the human skin tone based racism is plain odd. (Granted, gargoyles might have their own version of nonsensicle racism that makes no sense to humans.) I can think of where similar differences would be rooted- they are completely nocturnal, they have wings, the do not share the sleeping experience in any way etc…- but it still seems more the sort of thing that occasionally pops up and surprises you. Maybe...a creature with usable wings would be hardwired against agoraphobia or fear of heights. err. Maybe, not so much, they can still fall if their wings get bound up, so at minimum the concept of falling might lurk somewhere even in their minds.

thanks

Ariell Choy writes...

As humans, we can express ourselves culturally, emotionally and even spiritually through the arts (music, dance, drama, literature, etc). Do gargoyles practice the arts? Do gargoyles even have the capacity to create art? I have always wanted to know since having seen the episode "Kingdom" in which Broadway, Lexington, and Brooklyn return home to the Clock Tower after having attended a rock concert in which Brooklyn proclaims "did you hear that guitarist wail?"

Dax Orbit writes...

I did a little looking around the frequently asked questions list and searched through the archives, so my apologies if I missed this question being answered.

Looking over the clans seen in Gargoyles, I noticed that only the Mutates had any markings. In example, stripes, spots, anything of that caliber. Is it possible for a natural gargoyle to possess these types of markings?

Thanks very much.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Bad Guys #5 & 6: I wanted to post my Bad Guys reactions all at once, but I wrote my #4 reaction long before this one. So here's the rest, in no particular order.

I just noticed that nobody is willing to sit next to Fang. I wouldn't either!

I continue to wonder about the (constrained) choices made by the members of the squad -- there's lots of tension in Losers about this. They don't know any more about their boss than they do about the Illuminati. Less, in fact, and it's the revelation that Oldcastle and Thailog work for the Illuminati that persuades the Squad not to join. But they still know so little about their own boss... for all they (and I) know, he's could be just as bad. If Robyn knows more she isn't telling, and the rest know basically nothing. They've been given very little choice, of course. They know the Illuminati are untrustworthy... but they can only hope that their mysterious boss is any better. Dingo finally asks, but somehow I doubt Interpol is the truth!
Of course I know the Illuminati are bad news. But I don't know any more about the Director than the Squad do. From what I've seen, they take an "ends justify the means" attitude just like the Illuminati does.
I was seriously worried that Matrix would join the Illuminati and spell Bad Things for basically the whole planet. The Redemption Squad is composed of criminals on the run from the law, and if anyone pointed out to Matrix that the Australian shaman's logic in Issue #1 wasn't actually logical (Dingo can't fight for law and order if he's breaking the law!) then the Illuminati might have looked more attractive to Matrix than its current situation. Fortunately the Matrix isn't bright enough to figure that out. At this point, Matrix is largely at the mercy of whoever controls its access to information about how laws actually work!

Humorous moments: Yama falling asleep mid-sentence, Matrix eating a fork, Yama freaking out over his broken sword, and Doll calling Matrix "that thing."

Yama being impaled on a sword and continuing to fight with no noticeable weakness is hard to believe, especially since Goliath was so much worse off after a much less serious wound in Long Way Till Morning, and completely incapacitated in Bash by a knife wound that definitely did not impale him. It shows how tough a warrior Yama is, but... makes him look literally immortal, Highlander style. This is one place where gargoyle healing abilities are not believable to me without magic.

And Dingo's childhood was finally revealed ... the creep who raised him is the same guy who murdered his mother! That's creepy, ick. The look on John's face is suspicious from the start, but I did not expect that. No wonder Dingo became a criminal.

Yama continues to be impressive. And the scene with Matrix holding up the light under the huge Illuminati banner just looks cool.

I have to wonder why the Illuminati is hoarding priceless art objects, and not even using them for anything. I'm impressed but surprised that Dingo cares enough to prevent their destruction.

Overall, Bad Guys is a good comic, but it leans heavily towards the superhero genre (Oldcastle's gang even seems to include super powers) and as with the Pack, that doesn't appeal to me nearly as much as the other elements of Gargoyles. (Fortunately, nobody except Tasmanian Tiger has a goofy supervillain costume). Not that I wouldn't buy more Bad Guys, if more were published and I could afford it.

Thanks for the stories.

Robert writes...

Hi Greg,

I don't ask a lot of questions, although I am a huge fan of the show, have been since I was 6 years old. (And I have read through ALL the archives.)

I previously asked this question on the Gargoyle Reproductive System - http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=12116 -

And I was wondering what it would take to get a sort of online panel and/or online Gathering. It would not be like the in-person gatherings but it could be interesting...

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Hello Greg. Congratulations on clearing out that gigantic queue, and thank you for opening for more questions.

I have a question or two in response to answers you gave relatively recently here.

Rebel asked you if Lexington and Hudson got to watch the sun rise in London due to jetlag, and you said yes.
http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=11957

That must have been an awesome and memorable experience for them. I remember Hudson remarked at the end of The Mirror that he wished he could have seen the sun, just once, before changing back into a gargoyle. Goliath actually spent a whole day awake thanks to the Eye of Odin, but I don't imagine he's eager to describe that particular experience to the others...

I wonder about Brooklyn, Katana, and Nashville, too -- whether they ever saw the sun. Unless the Phoenix took care to deposit them during the same time of day that it plucked them from every time it moved them, they probably experienced at least some jetlag. For that matter Goliath, Angela, and Bronx must have had jetlag during the World Tour. Or did Avalon compensate for that somehow?

Lambda writes...

Hi Greg,
I just realized something very sad. Because gargoyles only age at half the rate of humans, by the time the Trio/Angela and Goliath are in their 40s and 50s respectively, Elisa, Fox, Matt, Xanatos and all their other 'original' human friends will have either died or be quite elderly.

1.How do the gargoyles cope with knowing they will outlive these friends (pending unnatural deaths)? It has to be depressing, especially watching your friends grow old before your eyes.

2. Was this something Elisa and Goliath considered before admitting their feelings for one another?

Thanks!

James writes...

If a person either spraypaints/tags a gargoyle in stone will it break off in shard with the stone or show up and if someone were to use a dremmel or other small grinding/stonecarving tool and put a design on the stone would it show up or break off and what about additions made of ground up gargoyle stone turned into clay/plater what have you and added and somehow dried quickly (hair dryer or heat gun of some kind) would the appliance become part of them or again just break off basically my querie is this how badly damaged does a gargoyle have to be in stone for it to translate to flesh and along the same token ho bad does he have to be damaged before he doesn't wake up a broken off finger an arm and if pasted back on in stone will it heal?I don't actually visit this site alot so could you please either send the answers direct or send a link to the page you answer these questions in an email to jamesmitchell29486@yahoo.com thank you and have a pleasent tomorrow

Random Fan writes...

Anouther question that should reach you by the holiday season. Happy Holidays!
You've gone over the importance of the equanoxis in the garg verse as they are important to garg breeding, but what about the soltices? seeing as how they are the longest and shortest nights of the year do they have any significance to gargs beyond a diffrent time frame?

Lizzy writes...

1. What would happen to a Gargoyle if only a part of it was destroyed during the day? For example, if a piece of a wing or finger was broken off, would the injury be permanent like an amputation, or would the piece regenerate during the next hibernation?

2. How resistant to erosion are gargoyles during their stone sleep? The Manhattan clan survived a thousand years of exposure to the elements and yet showed no signs of breaking down.

Robert writes...

Hello Greg. I find the reproductive system for gargoyles fascinating. Something I am wondering though is how magical forces, like Avalon, affect the reproductive process.

Is it possible for mature gargoyles who live in Avalon to leave Avalon, say 6 months before September 21 on a year for which eggs are to be conceived 2007, 2027, 2047, etc, lay their egg in 2008, 2028, 2048, etc, return to Avalon for the period of more or less one Avalon Year only to return to the natural world and par-take in the process all over again, thereby essentially having 3 eggs in under the normal 20 year cycle?

If so, would it be possible to have more than 3 eggs (I know you have said that a gargoyle who has more than three eggs is rare but possible in some circumstances.) What about 10 eggs? Technically a gargoyle would be in physical prime for 40+ years. Could a gargoyle who lived on Avalon produce 40 eggs (regardless of whether or not she would want to).

Also what sort of nutrients go into an egg? When humans give birth, many of the mother's nutrients go into the child, occasionally to the determent to the mother. Would a gargoyle in this situation only be able to have three, maybe four or five tops because of the amount of strain taking place to the mother's body?

On this topic, how many eggs could Demona produce? As an immortal, can she continue to make eggs for the rest of her life? Or is she limited to three (two more)?

Thank you for you time.

Random Fan writes...

I know you hate biology questions, but I think this ones realatively painless, so you might not bite my head off. Of course you reserve the right to bite peoples heads as you see fit so I may be a little a head of my self hear. Any way I should stop rambleing and get to the question. From what you've revealed so far on gargoyle geneologies a pattern seems to emerge. it seems like you have a 1st gender 2nd gender 1st gender pattern on couples eggs, of course I'm probably just reading to much into what little you've reaveled on the subject but it bugs me now and I'm hopeing you ,oh master of the garg universe,could confirm or denie, or at least have some comment that would put my thought to rest. thanks for the consideration and sorry for misspellings

Drew Middlemas writes...

Hullo, just wanted to say first of all that I enjoyed Clan Building and Bad Guys immensely, and I hope that someday we get to see more Gargoyles stories being told.

Anyway, I have a question that I suppose loosely connects to the 2198 spin-off (I'm not sure if this has already been asked; I couldn't find it on the archives). What would happen to a gargoyle if they were ever up in space? Since technically there's no day or night in space, how would that affect them?

Thanks in advance, and wishing you all the best with your future projects.

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

Do Gargates nurse? I think that egg laying mammals nurse, so it isn't inconceivable. Why else evolve to have breats? (Though I vaguely remember something about Duck Billed Platapai sweating milk.)

Laura 'ad astra' Sack writes...

I was sure this was in the archive, but when I checked I couldn't find it. The clones coloring is different because of the forced maturation process. Is that also why Thailog's eyes glow red instead of white.

(I could've sworn I remembered you answering it, but when I looked to confirm the answer, even going into the Thailog section and manually searching for 'red' turned up nothing.)

TK writes...

Dear Mr. Weisman,

After Goliath falls in love with Elisa, would her menstrual cycles have any biological effect on him? Yes, I know...that's a very ODD question, to say the least. Thank you, regardless.

Rebel writes...

Hi Greg, I have some questions for you about the functions of gargoyle stone sleep. I checked the archives and saw lots of questions about stone sleep, but as far as I could tell, no one asked these questions specifically.

We know that stone sleep serves the following functions:
-rest and rejuvenation
-healing of injuries
-storing of energy (as hypothesized by Sevarius)

However, based on what we've seen in the series and comics, it seems like it probably serves other functions as well. So I have some questions for you about other possible functions of stone sleep.

1. Does it cleanse the gargoyle? We've never heard any mentions of gargoyles bathing and there probably wasn't a shower in the clock tower. So does dirt, grime, and body emollients turn to stone with the gargoyle, or does it sit on top of their stone skin and get sloughed off when the gargoyle awakens?

2. Does it cleanse the gargoyle's clothes? If stone sleep cleanses a gargoyle, it seems logical to me that it would clean the gargoyles' clothes as well. After all, the Humility Spell would turn a gargoyle's clothes to stone because he considers those clothes to belong to him. But, presumably, he would not consider any dirt that is on those clothes to be his, so it seems like any dirt on his clothes might get shed when he wakes up. This could explain why the gargoyles in the show are always wearing the same clothes and we've heard no mentions of doing laundry.

3. Does stone sleep serve as a way to expel wastes? When gargoyles wake up, they end up shedding a bunch of skin. Where does all that mass come from? That's probably at least a pound or two of stone skin being shed per gargoyle, and they do it everyday. If gargoyles are shedding all that stone skin AND pooping, it seems like they would constantly be losing mass or having to eat more to put on mass. Yet if the mass from their food goes towards the outer-most layer of stone skin everyday, that makes sense to me from a conservation of mass perspective. That's why I'm wondering if the stone skin that gets shed every night is mostly gargoyle solid waste.

Not a question about stone sleep functions, but a question about it in general

4. Did Lexington and Hudson get to watch the sun rise (or at least part of it) when they were in London? It seems logical that if their awakening got delayed due to jet lag, maybe their falling asleep got delayed too.

Anonymous writes...

Okay, so the London Clan has a strict limit of two eggs per breeding couple to avoid a Clan population that could not be supported at Knight's Spur. This I understand. What I'm curious about is Coco's comment about how the limitation is enforced by isolating Gargoyles from their mates “during the FEMALE'S final heat”. Does this mean that the mating seasons only affect the fertility of female Gargoyles and that male Gargoyles might possibly be fertile throughout most of their life and not just during the mating seasons? I mean, if male Gargoyles can only become fertile at the same ages as the females (50, 70, and 90 years old), then how could Yama and Sora have a third child (not that they necesarily WILL have a third child, or any children for that matter, I'm just saying COULD they have a third child?) Sora's third potential egg would be laid when she's 90, at which point Yama would be 110 years old (he's from an older rookery). Females cannot become pregnant at the age of 110 and if males are the same way, Yama would not be able to impregnate Sora with a third egg at the ag of 110. So, do male Gargoyles follow the same fertility pattern as females or could Yama and Sora potentially have a third child?

RandomStan writes...

If a gargoyle got a permanent tattoo (as opposed to henna), would it stay on their skin or would teh stone sleep break it down the next sunset?

Kozispoon writes...

"Do gargoyles suffer from gargoyle-specific illnesses or handicaps?"

Dean Cain writes...

Here's a question about Lexington, and how Gargoyle culture pertains to him.

According to you, Gargoyles show affection to each other by stroking each others' hair.

Lexington is (As far as I know), the only bald Gargoyle. He is also (As far as the fans know) the only homosexual gargoyle. Did him not having hair factor into him leaning toward homosexuality? Or did that just happen to fall into place?

Gargoyle Fan writes...

in Goliath and Elisa's relationship can Hummans mate with Gargoyles.has it done so in the past?

Hyun-Ae writes...

Hello, Mr. Weisman. I was curious about Gargoyle twins, but I don't have any questions on the subject as much as I do have some rambles. Please keep in mind I am no expert on biology and I may be completely off. Having said that, here are my thoughts on twins.

I did a little research on egg twins -- double yolked eggs -- and thought it could _possibly_ be attributed to gargoyles. A twin yolked egg occurs when (for example) a chicken's ovary will make two yolks at once. The shell is formed over both yolks, and results in a longer, larger egg being laid. With chickens, twin chicks hatching is almost non-existent. Eggs must be turned so that the chick's head can reach the air cell to breath while inside the egg. Then it will peck it's way out if all goes as planned. In the case of twins, they fight each other inside the egg, fail to reach the air cell and suffocate. Human intervention can result in both chicks surviving (the egg is opened for the chicks) but, yet again, it's rare.

Okay, I know Gargoyles are _not_ chickens, but it still got me to thinking. IF a female gargoyle did lay a twin yolked egg, it would stand out as being a bit bigger than the other eggs. Surely the soon-to-be parents would notice this and probably deduce what the larger egg meant. I believe you said that gargoyle parents do not aid the hatchlings to break out their shells, but MAYBE an exception could possibly be made for the unhatched twins since such a phenomenon doesn't happen often anyway. IF the developing babies survived to the point of hatching and IF they either a) somehow managed to successfully escape their egg themselves, or b) had adult intervention, you would be left with fraternal twin gargoyle hatchlings, not identical twins. In theory, this could also further support the idea that no two gargoyles look exactly alike.

Oof, sorry if I am making no sense. I never was good at being succinct, but I suppose that's why they are called 'rambles'. Anyway, these are just some ideas on the subject and I thought you might like to hear them. :) Of course please feel free to disregard anything I've said. I am not out to "trip you up" or tell you what is what in the world you created.

On another note, I just wanted to say that Gargoyles is a wonderful, thought provoking universe with deep, multiple layered characters and absolutely terrific stories! I am deeply sorry that I will not be able to attend the final Gathering (you have no idea how sorry!!) but I'm still glad to have been given the chance to experience the world of Gargoyles. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!

the shadow writes...

I'd like to Know something.Why does it take ten years for a Gargoyle egg to hach

Clark Cradic writes...

Can gargoyles recieve the same negative side effects from cigarettes or alcohol like humans do or does their stone sleep negate these effects?

Clark Cradic writes...

Can Oberon's Children breed with Gargoyles?

Matt writes...

I have a question about this response you gave to Rebel:

Rebel writes...
Which part of the world did gargoyles first arise in? For example, humans apparently arose in Africa and then migrated almost everywhere else, and then evolved. I'm curious to know which continent gargoyles first came from. If you'd care to narrow it down even further, that'd be great, since a continent is a really big place.

I did a search to see if this had already been answered, but I didn't see anything. If you've answered it already and I missed it, my apologies.

Greg responds...
Pangea.

Response recorded on April 22, 2009

Did you mean that the gargoyles species as it exists today originated on Pangea or that gargates as a whole originated on Pangea?

Nelio writes...

Thank you again Mr. Wiseman for answering these question from your fans. I have two related questions for you this time.

1. In regards to stone sleep, I had always imagined that the Gargoyles always biologically shift into "stone". The Gargoyles wiki talks about how when gargoyles are "stone" they are not actually stone but just really hard material that resembles stone. Assuming this is all true, I was wondering if then in the case of a broken statue, if you would be able to see the internal biology of the gargoyle such as bones, organ, blood vessels, etc. Granted they would be stone, but would they still be there?

2. This relates to Cold Stone and the stone pieces of his make-up. It was stated in the show that Cold Stone is made up of stone from three different gargoyles. Assuming that the various parts of the gargoyle anatomy would still exist in a stone state, would these not be visible upon inspection of Cold Stone's body?

3. When Demona turned the citizens of Manhattan to stone in City of Stone, was their stone sleep the same or similar to the Gargoyles? More importantly did their anatomy stay in tact like I am imagining the Gargoyle's do when they undergo stone sleep?

I have a lot of cool, though slightly morbid imaginer in my head about all of this. As always, I look forward to your response.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

This isn't really a question, but a conversational response to a question Rebel asked.

"Which part of the world did gargoyles first arise in? For example, humans apparently arose in Africa and then migrated almost everywhere else, and then evolved."

While there has been disagreement for years about precisely where and when our species evolved, the evidence is now accumulating very strongly on the side of the "Out of Africa" theory. The evidence is pretty strong now that our species had fully evolved into our modern form before migrating out of Africa, although other human species had migrated to Asia and Europe before we did.

rick writes...

Dont think Im perverted for asking this but after seeing Goliath and elisa's relationship on the show I just got really curious,is it possible for gargoyles to mate with humans not reproduce just simply mate.

Matt writes...

Just a quick question. I don't need any specifics or anything, but I wonder if you've ever decided what happens to gargoyles/beasts during solar eclipses. You mentioned you might have a story to tell there, have you ever figured it out?

It'd be interesting to see what happens. A gargoyle in a cave still wakes and sleeps normally because it isn't about sunlight, but about biological clock stuff. So, a solar eclipse shouldn't bother them... right? I dunno. An interesting thought. Any ideas?

Thanks Greg.

Rebel writes...

Which part of the world did gargoyles first arise in? For example, humans apparently arose in Africa and then migrated almost everywhere else, and then evolved. I'm curious to know which continent gargoyles first came from. If you'd care to narrow it down even further, that'd be great, since a continent is a really big place.

I did a search to see if this had already been answered, but I didn't see anything. If you've answered it already and I missed it, my apologies.

Clark Cradic writes...

I've loved this show ever since I was a kid. In fact you could say this show helped me get through elementary school cause I'd rush to get my homework completed so I could go right the tv when I got home to watch the newest episode. Now that I'm older I still get this wonderful since of nostalgia when I watch this and start asking questions about the Gargoyles I never thought of as a kid, specifically their biology and culture since I loved those electives in high school.

1. Are gargoyles more likely to get certain traits and characteristics if they're from a specific clan? If so, is it just genetics or do they aide them in their territory? If not, does that mean that all gargoyles are generally the same with just different looks that are just for show?

2. How do gargoyles see the sun? Do they see it with a sort of reverence like Demona and Hudson did in The Mirror, or do they see it more of a curse due to their vulnerability?

3. Are there any diseases only gargoyles can get?

The Flaming Tortoise writes...

Hi Greg,

Good to see this place open again!

My question is basically, how do Gargoyle populations sustain themselves? With females having (almost always I've believe you've said) a maximum of three eggs, and as you said in reference to why gargoyles practice communal parenting: "Perhaps this is the result of the high Gargoyle mortality rate. " would it not be an intense struggle to just maintain a clan's population?

And with this in mind, even considering that in modern day mortality rates for gargoyles has probably dropped significantly, wouldn't the practice of the London clan of limiting each pair to two eggs total be very risky for the continuation of their clan?

Thanks for you time

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Well, I sadly can't buy the individual comic issues anymore. Since Disney won't let SLG publish any after 9/31, I'll have to wait for the trades. I can't afford to buy each issue twice.

I do have a question about the Labyrinth Clan, who are sort of topical:

We know that gargates gain energy by absorbing heat or sunlight during the day, and that if a gargoyle were deprived of this for enough nights in a row, she would eventually start feeling some kind of negative effects.

Given this, what will happen to the clones as they continue to sleep underground every day? It's dark and probably cold and damp down there.

Annie writes...

Hello I have a question. It may be a stupid one but its something I'm curious about. If someone, say for example broke the finger off a gargoyle durring the day while the gargoyle was stone then glued it back on before the gargoyle woke up, would the gargoyle wake up healed like it never happened or would they wake up with a stone finger glued to a stump?

Matt writes...

Since Sevarius was the first person in the series heard to use the term "Gargate", did he, in fact, invent this term in the Gargoyles Universe?

Curious writes...

I have two questions about gargoyle homosexuality:

We know there are homosexual male gargoyles, but are there any lesbians?

How do homosexual gargoyles fit into the gargoyle social structure? Do they face any difficulties socially because of their sexual orientation, either similarly or unexpectedly different from humans?

Alberto Loera writes...

Una has elements of a unicorn, Coco looks like a wild boar, and Zafiro has a lot of reptilian elements, are there any animals that you don't think could be incorperated into a gargoyle design?

Matteo writes...

I know you got a tad cranky the last time this was asked, but I was wondering if I could be a little more specific. You said that a gargoyle in stone sleep might still wake-up after taking MINIMAL damage (if not life threatening). My question is If Jackal succeded in altering Goliath's face into his own would he wake up looking like Jackal, or be considered dead?
If you don't want to answer that I understand, but while i'm on the stone sleep subject I was also curious about something else. If a destroyed gargoyle was ground down and resculptured would he be "reborn?"

DarkFae writes...

Since Demona turns into a human by day, courtesy of Puck in "The Mirror" (awesome episode), would she still lay eggs like a normal gargoyle or have liveborn offspring? Would it depend on her form at the time? What she mated with?

Anonymous writes...

what do gargoyles eat

Anonymous writes...

Do you know if Brooklyn is right or left handed?

Matt writes...

Gargoyle Beasts

1. Back before humans became a serious threat to gargoyle clans, like lets say 5,000 years ago, did most/all clans have beasts members?

2. Why exactly did gargoyles "domesticate" the beasts? Did they actively bring them into the clan or have the two species always kinda stuck around together?

3. We've seen a beast member among the Ishimura Clan. From dialogue we learn that the clan has lived peacefully with humans for some time. Given that beasts reproduce sooner and more than gargoyles, why is the beast population of Ishimura so much smaller than the gargoyle population?

4. Did beasts evolve from winged gargates, merely losing their wings to become more terrestrial at some point? You've said before that beasts may have vestigial wing bones or something.

Thanks Greg!

dph writes...

Previously in Ask Greg - http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=10471 ,

dph writes...

Thank you for your previous response to my question about Ophelia. IYou have stated that the ability of a female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to become pregnant is tied to Earth's natural cycles. Are the abilities of female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to lay eggs also tied to Earth's natural cycles?
Greg responds...

Uh... probably.

Without getting to graphic, if a female gargoyle was artificially inseminated with the proper cells on the right day of the year but not in the right year, would her body start forming an egg so she could possibly lay an egg in an odd year?

Missi writes...

Kind of a random question, but when the Gargoyles lived in the clock tower, where did they use the bathroom? (Of course, this is assuming that they would need to considering they eat and it has to come out somewhere). While watching the show, I never saw some sort of random door or anything, so I figured I'd ask.

John writes...

I looked through the archives and you seem to get this question somewhat often but I would really like to know at least vaguely what the heights of the major gargoyles are (within half a foot would work). At the very least could you give the height of Lexington? He tends to not stand up straight a lot and its a little hard to tell.

If its really that bothersome forget it but as I'm sure you know the estimates from fan vary so much even a guess from you would probably be more accurate. I suppose even one height would help as I could just estimate from that...

I'd appreciate any help on the subject but I would blame you if you have better things to do.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

This isn't a question, it's really an answer to a question you once asked, and hopefully you'll find it useful or at least interesting.
Some years ago, somebody asked you if gargoyles are warm-blooded, and you answered:
<<"I guess so. Is there a third category?">>

Well, there ~is~ a third category, sort of. Animals can be partly warm-blooded and partly cold-blooded -- in-between, or "a little from column A, a little from column B," so to speak.

I'm sure you can imagine a mixture of warm-blooded-ness and cold-blooded-ness, but if you are interested in the details, they are on Wikipedia, in the articles "Cold-Blooded" and "Warm-Blooded." I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing you about science, so in short: being cold-blooded or warm-blooded are just the two most common combinations of six different metabolic traits, but other combinations do exist in nature. Just looking at canon and canon-in-training information, it appears to me that gargates have some cold-blooded traits (they absorb thermal energy, they apparently sleep in suspended animation, and they eat less than a mammal of their size) and some warm-blooded traits (they have hair, they're active in cold weather). I'm very interested in what your thoughts are about gargoyles, if you still feel they might be in a "third" category. I'm so curious about their biology.

holly clark writes...

where do gargoyles come from?

Anonymous writes...

I got a question about Staghart. (No, not THAT question!) Are his antlers deciduous or do they stay on all the time like true horns?

melissa writes...

Hiya.
Little question about the stone healing. I noticed that some of your characters have piercings. Would they heal up if the rings weren't in when they went to sleep? Can gargoyles get tattoos? Also, do gargoyles have belly buttons? I'd think being oviparous means they wouldn't.
Thanks!

Chimaraz writes...

Is the practice of raising eggs communally based on tradition for Gargoyles, or is it more of an instictual biological imperative? The answer we usually get is that it's the Gargoyle way, but is it the Gargoyle way because they're told they've always done it that way, or is it the Gargoyle way because instinct tells them that if they lay an egg in the rookery, all eggs in the rookery are theirs? It is the most sensible course of action, based on their reproduction, but did the practice arise because of how they reproduce universally as a species, or do they reproduce universally as a species because of how they practice parenting?

... Chicken or egg?

dph writes...

Thank you for your previous response to my question about Ophelia. IYou have stated that the ability of a female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to become pregnant is tied to Earth's natural cycles. Are the abilities of female gargoyles and female gargoyle beasts to lay eggs also tied to Earth's natural cycles?

Anonymous writes...

Is there any gay or lebian gargoyles?

dph writes...

Previous in Ask Greg you've stated (from this page - http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=10195)

Matt writes...

I've been crunching some numbers concerning the Avalon Clan and their breeding cycles.

Now, the beasts on Avalon should have already started breeding by 1996. No eggs should've hatched yet, but there should be one egg on Avalon waiting to hatch in 2038.

The gargoyles however are another matter since they must be much older than beasts to reach breeding age.
Lets take Ophelia for example. In 1996, Angela and Ophelia (who hatched in 1058) are about 39 years old. The need to be about 50 before their first mating. For Angela, in the real world, this will come 11 years later when she concieves the egg containing Artus in 2007. For Ophelia on Avalon however, 11 more years will equal 264 real world years! Which means she wouldn't be old enough to mate until the year 2,260 AD (To get her in tune with the Earth rhtyms we'll say the fall equinox of 2,267AD.)

So, what I'm wondering is, you've said that the Avalon Clan would be bringing eggs to Queen Florence Island in 2198, but I think they are only gonna have a beast egg or two to bring since none of the gargoyles will be old enough yet, is this correct? What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks Greg.
Greg responds...

I'm not sure your premises follow...

I'm fairly certain Ophelia will lay an egg at the same time as Angela -- assuming she's alive at the time. The physical maturity to lay an egg may be reached before the planetary bio-rhythm is, if that makes sense.

The truth is... I've worked all this out in the past, but I just don't have the energy or the time right this minute to go back and confirm my math. But I think I'm right.

Also, previous in Ask Greg you've stated - ( http://www.s8.org/gargoyles/askgreg/search.php?qid=7564 )

Faieq writes...

A while ago I noticed a short ramble of yours entitled 'While I'm thinking of it...' It was rambled on Monday 4th March 2002. I won't repeat the whole thing here, however the beginning started off with you repeating an exchange between you and Aris Katsaris concerning the date Angela and the other eggs on Avalon would have hatched and underneath your response you wrote;

"With all this in mind...

I know I've established -- both here and in my own head (particularly with regards to G2198) that eggs hatch on the Spring Equinox.

But does anyone remember whether (and where) I've established what month the eggs are laid in?

I can't recall if this has come up yet.

Anyone know? And would this solve my problems at all?"

Recently I remember another question previously submitted on Friday October 13th by Aris Katsaris that may help you.

"Aris Katsaris writes...
A small tidbit that you revealed through the last contest was that the hatching of the eggs takes place in March 21st - the Spring Equinox, that is.

Now, I always felt it would be on an equinox or a solstice- those are the only dates that make sense really... Is the laying of the eggs also done on the Spring Equinox (ten years earlier ofcourse)?

How about the egg's conceiving? Have you decided how much time is spent between the eggs's conceiving and laying?

Greg responds...
That's interesting. Maybe.

As for conception, maybe I'll make it a six month term and put it on the fall equinox.

The truth is I chose March 21st because it's my son's birthday. But sometimes things in the Garg Universe just seem to come together. It's cool that way.
recorded on 10-20-00"

From your above response I assume that the eggs would be laid on the spring equinox, with the females being fertile on the fall equinox from the previous year.
I don't know whether this would clarify any problems over when the eggs hatched, but I hope it helps.
Greg responds...

I agree, it helps. Thanks.

I also don't know if it fixes my math problems, but I'm hopeful. And I like the idea of females being in heat at the fall equinox and laying their eggs in the spring (and the eggs hatching ten years later in the spring). For a race, that is so attuned to the bio-rhythms of their planet, it just feels right.

I don't think that literally all the eggs are conceived on the EXACT same night. Same with laying. Same with hatching to some extent too. There's probably something like a three night window for these things (say, two nights on either side of the equinox).

Now, here's my questions: Assuming that the fall equinox of 2008 is at night time on Avalon,
1)is the window of opportunity for Ophelia to became pregnant on Avalon a few hours or a few days? I know this sounds rather dumb, but given that time passes more slowly on Avalon and the in real world, you've there a window of opportunity of 2-3 days before and after, I was wondering if that window of opportunity was shortened on Avalon because of the difference in the way time passes.

2)Normal gargoyle pregnancies are 6 months. If that time was spent on Avalon, that amounts to 6 months * 24 Avalon time differential to equal 144 months or 12 years in the real world. If Ophelia was to become pregnant in 2008 and stay on Avalon the entire duration of her pregnancy, her egg wouldn't be ready to be laid until 2020. 2020 is 2 years after eggs normally laid in 2008 would normally hatch. Would Ophelia be able to lay the egg in 2020 or would she have to wait until 2028 to lay the egg?

Woods writes...

In the Rock Hudson and Lexington wake up at 7:45 this is accounted to jet lag but in New York it would only be 2:45pm, so wouldn't have made more sense for Hudson and Lex to wake at elevenish in London

Rebel writes...

Unfortunately, my comic book guy didn't get the TPB in yet, so I'll have to wait until next week to offer my praises. *sigh* So far I've heard good things from everyone else who already has it.

In the meantime, I do have a question about #7 that I meant to ask before. After Brooklyn decides to stay in Manhattan, Goliath says that Hudson can lead the expedition in London. I know Brooklyn has great leadership skills (after all he is the second) and Hudson is a proven leader, but to me that line made it seem like Goliath doesn't think any of the other clan members could be leaders, if given the chance. Surely Broadway and Lexington have SOME leadership capabilities, even if they are not as suited for a leadership role as Brooklyn. And if I had to guess, I would say Angela could DEFINITELY be a good leader, given an opportunity. After all, she's smart, intuitive, and she's got great parentage as well as her experience as second-in-command of Avalon on her side--though her leadership "style" would certainly be different than Goliath's or Brooklyn's.

So basically what I'm wondering is:
1. Does Goliath think any of the other clan members have leadership abilities?
2. Do YOU think any of the other clan members have (or will have) leadership abilities?
3. If any of them do, do you think they'll ever get a chance to show it?

I know it's kind of a silly question since the Manhattan clan already has a second-in-command, but I was just wondering. I informed a lot of my internet friends about the TPB, and many of them are now making plans to buy it :).

simon jardine writes...

are there any homosexsual Gargoyles, if not is it posible for there to be any?

Matt writes...

I've been crunching some numbers concerning the Avalon Clan and their breeding cycles.

Now, the beasts on Avalon should have already started breeding by 1996. No eggs should've hatched yet, but there should be one egg on Avalon waiting to hatch in 2038.

The gargoyles however are another matter since they must be much older than beasts to reach breeding age.
Lets take Ophelia for example. In 1996, Angela and Ophelia (who hatched in 1058) are about 39 years old. The need to be about 50 before their first mating. For Angela, in the real world, this will come 11 years later when she concieves the egg containing Artus in 2007. For Ophelia on Avalon however, 11 more years will equal 264 real world years! Which means she wouldn't be old enough to mate until the year 2,260 AD (To get her in tune with the Earth rhtyms we'll say the fall equinox of 2,267AD.)

So, what I'm wondering is, you've said that the Avalon Clan would be bringing eggs to Queen Florence Island in 2198, but I think they are only gonna have a beast egg or two to bring since none of the gargoyles will be old enough yet, is this correct? What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks Greg.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Greetings, Greg.
I've been waiting a while to post this.

This summer at my Grandma's house I watched a National Geographic Channel special called "The Science of Dogs." Do you get that channel? The scientists wanted to find out how dogs can be bred to look so different from one another, so they started sequencing DNA. They found out that all canids have certain sections of their genomes that mutate easily and rapidly, and can create large physical differences with only small mutations. Apparently other mammals don't have these genes. Because of this, dogs can be bred to look very different from wolves, while other domestic animals like cats and cows all look pretty much the same.
So it seems that "chameleon genes" (or "dog genes"?) already exist in real life! Though gargoyle variation is rather more dramatic than the differences between dog breeds. I think wolves and other wild canids all look the same as their siblings, despite their "chamelon genes," because each species is optimally adapted to a particular habitat and niche, and each individual needs to be as well-adapted as possible. I wonder why it is that gargoyles (and beasts), instead of all having the same adaptations to where and how they live, look so different from one another.
So I don't find the "chameleon gene" idea implausible. I think it is highly unusual but still biologically plausible. I also watched a nature show (long time ago) that included a segment about a plant in Hawaii which basically has exactly that. No two plants look alike, they can be anything from a tree to a tiny herb or weed, or a long vine. Though I don't remember what that plant is called.

Tanya writes...

As answered in a previous question, Gargoyle females (can) bare eggs at 'biological ages 25, 35, and 45'. What about the males; what's the age limit for their potency? Also, does age difference play a great role in choosing a mate or is it mostly love and good genes? Finally, how common is it to take a new mate after a previous mate has passed away?

K9 the First writes...

"""Greg responds...

Family's good, thanks.

Camouflage... I don't know. Maybe that helps, but you don't need it to explain stone sleep evolution."""

True, but I'm the kind of guy who soaks this kind of stuff like a sponge. I guess I was pseudo-inspired by that Animal Planet documentary 'Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real', where they figured all the dragon stuff out from Evolutiary relatives(crocs and gators) to Fire breathing.

"""Stone sleep is a huge protection against predators in the pre-tool age. Claws and teeth don't bite through stone (or rather the organic stone-like substance that Gargoyles turn into). Even scent is altered. A stone gargoyle is of little interest to and in almost no danger from other animals. It's not until Humans developed tools -- thousands of years after Gargoyles evolved -- that stone sleep became a liability."""

Yes, I figured as much. Though the scent thing is surprisingly new to me. Why, I do not know. *shrugs*

K9 The First writes...

I appologize ahead of time for and all spelling/grammar errors.

[i]Derek writes...

How could Zafiro and Obsidiana mate, anatomically there completely different?
Greg responds...

You mean one's a guy and one's a gal?[/i]

*chuckles* Okay, I think what he meant was: How could Zafiro and Obsidiana mate, if Obsidiana was humanoid from the waist down, but Zafiro was serpentine from the waist down.

And I'm not sure if you've dwelled on this, or even thought of it, but Zafiro is technically the only gargoyle to be shown fully naked in the show. (which, considering the location and the traditional dress of the deep inner jungle natives, it's not that shocking really)

Anonymous writes...

Greg, does the Greek god Priapus smile on Gargoyle males with large beaks?

By that I mean, does the rumor about men with big feet/ears/noses hold true with gargs like, say, Brooklyn?

Manu writes...

If gargoyles die without enough sunlight, wouldn't their adjustment to 12-hour sleep cycles in the poles kill them during the 6 months of night?

Galahad writes...

I know you don't want to go into the specifics of Samson's parentage because it doesn't matter in Gargoyle culture but from what I've read on GargWiki <http://gargoyles.dracandros.com/> about Canon-in-training characters, you've hinted that "Artus will most closely resemble Broadway and Hudson," "Gwenyvere may most closely resemble Angela and Demona," and Lancelot "may resemble Goliath to some degree." (Did they misquote you?) You've said that Samson would also resemble Goliath. Sense Lancelot, among Broadway and Angela's children, resembles Goliath the most, wouldn't it be logical for fans to assume that Samson is the son of Lancelot, who he probably resembles as they both resemble Goliath? You don't have to say if I'm right or not, just tell me whether or not my logic is flawed in some way.

coloer writes...

if a green and blue gargoyle mated would the hachling skin color be yellow

Demon@ writes...

Hello Greg!
We were discussing gargoyle`s anathomy a few weeks back and while commenting that gargoyles are the only vertebrates with 6 limbs I wonder about dragons. We have only seen one in the series and it certainly was a magic thing, though not related to Oberon`s children.
Do you have something about dragons in the gargoyles universe? Like what are they or if they are common? Or to whom they are related?

Thanks for any answer you give me :) Bye

Kathy writes...

Does the gargoyles age same way with human? I was thinking that gargoyles age slowing as human does, could you give me sample please. I have search in the box by typing age too many but not the right one. Old same way and included more letters attach to the word old. I remember seeing an tv show on Gargoyles "Grief" was confused by what Goliath said to Eliza. Forgot what he said.

Rebel writes...

Okey dokey! In my previous post, I had far too many topics in one question, so I am hoping that I have made this particular question inclusive enough to make the cut.

Anyway, hi Greg! I have some questions about hair in Gargoyles (insignificant topic, I know). Why do the artists keep making Angela's hair brown? In the show it looks black. Brooklyn has white hair in youth, whereas in "City of Stone", Demona's red hair turned white with age...so...was Hudson's hair always white or did it change with age? If it changed, what color was it; I would like to know this for possible fan art. Will any of Demona's descendants inherit her spiky red hair? I love the color and the spiky-ness of it and I'm really hoping a major future character gets it (note I am not asking you to specify WHO gets it, just whether *someone* will). And finally, will Brooklyn's children have black hair? It seems like most of the Asian gargoyles have black hair but I'm really hoping Brooklyn's children don't, as it seems kinda over-done in the Gargoyles universe.

Charisma82 writes...

Hey! I understand the difference between having a biological and a rookery brother/sister/father/mother and so on and so forth. Gargoyles do not recognize their biological parents as their parents like we (humans) do; they have many parents. I also know that most gargoyles (at least the ones we see the most) find a mate that was born/hatched at the same time as them, but this is not the case for all of them (like Yama and his mate). I've also come to assume that gargoyles don't look for ways to relate themselves to each other biologically (I remember you saying that Broadway doesn't know Hudson is his biological father, and wouldn't have need to think so). So, I'm thinking that it could be possible for two gargoyles that were closely related biologically (like a brother & sister), could end up as mates. If they had children, wouldn't the children have deformities? So I'm wondering, would gargoyles try to stay away from other gargoyles that look a lot like them, so that they won't become mates and therefore won't have children so that their children wouldn't end up looking deformed and have problems in life? I'm having a difficult time trying to get this question put into words here, so I hope you get what I'm saying.

Thank you for your time and all that you do.

-Charisma82

mike myers writes...

are gargoyles apart of the reptilian species or something else?

Bazell writes...

Is there any specific, ritualized behavior associated with Gargoyle mating habits (as in, different from humans)?
I'm not trying to ask any, um... dirty questions here, but are Gargoyles anatomically equipt the same (or analogous) as humans?
Speaking of which, Gargates are mammals arn't they? What else would breasts be for, if not for suckling young?

Bazell writes...

In "A Long Way To Morning," Demona, Hudson and Goliath do not turn to stone until the clouds clear and the sunlight shines through - with the sun clearly well over the horizon, suggesting a bit of time has passed after sunrise. However, in "The Silver Falcon," Broadway turns to stone even though he is in a basement, cut off from the light of the sun, suggesting a circadian rhythm. Was it simply an animation error in "A Long Way To Morning," or is there a reason for this. (I assume it's the animation, but I was curious)

Grey Wolf writes...

Can gargoyles be born with mental dissablities such as autism (or aspergers)?

P.S. I did have a gathering journal, but my computer froze up and ate the file. I'll try to make a new one
P.P.S. I didn't mind playing Maggie in the radio play. I kinda saw it comming, actually...

Bazell writes...

"Gargoyles protect." It's fairly straight-forward, but how did this cultural tradition begin? As the credo exists throughout the world, it was obviously some instance that happened very early in the evolutionary history of the Gargate species. Was it a pact made by the original gargoyle clan with a single human or community? Is it a biological urge (doubtful though, i.e. Demona, Thailog)? Or is it a tradition orally passed from generation to generation from the earliest of times by a single, extremely noble gargoyle/clan?

Derek writes...

Will we ever see the biological parents of Demona, Goliath, Lexington or Brooklyn in the comics in Flashbacks?

Derek writes...

How could Zafiro and Obsidiana mate, anatomically there completely different?

brooklyn the red one writes...

are gargoyles affekted by the summer and winter sulstist/longest day/nignt of the year

racheal writes...

what substance were gargoyles made of in the medieval times

Turner writes...

A gargoyles science related question: you have previously said that gargoyles derive their energy from the sun while in their stonesleep so where do they get the basic elements needed to create the essential organic chemicals and compounds such as proteins and amino acids?

K9: The First writes...

Hello Mister Wiesman, How's your family?

There, I asked a question, I actually wanted to do a ramble of sorts based on my observations on Gargoyle biology. Sort of like someone else did with Gargate genetics. (I'd post what they said, but it's very very long)

STONE SLEEP

Now, obviously at first, this seems to not make a lot of sense. If you're in mid-flight and you turn to stone, you're out of luck. And if a predator or some natural disaster hits you while you sleep, you're not going to have a good chance of making it.

But if one thinks about it, it makes perfect evolutional sense. Of the two main responses to danger from a predator, Flight or Fight, the one that uses the leeast energy and usually has the least chance of injury is Flight, or avoidence from the Fight response for as long as possible, and the best way to avoid Fight is to hide, a.k.a.: Camouflage.

Think about it, if a Gargate, or several Gargates(a Clan) were to either scruntch as tight as possible, huddle close together, or grab hold of a cliff face and make themselves as unnoticable as possible, they would simply look to be nothing more then another rock, or a part of the cliff. This would make them nigh impossible to be found by most predators, and if one finds one or more stone Gargates, it may just walk on by with little care for the prey. But if it dosen't, and still trys to eat the Gargate, it'll be detered from trying again due to either any injuries the predator gets from chomping of the stone, or from the fact that stone doesn't taste very good.

I have another Ramble on Wings, but since I worry as to weather or not it would cause this to be banned, I'll post it separatly.

Personperson123 writes...

What do gargoyles eat?And would they kill or hurt humans?

Samson2197 writes...

Why do Gargoyles only lay eggs once every twenty years?

Purplegoldfish writes...

In "Avalon pt. 1", Princess Katharine tells Constantine that gargoyle eggs need to be turned or they'll crack too soon. So I was wondering-do gargoyle eggs actually need to be turned? Or did Katharine just make that up as a cover to explain why her and Mary were carting the eggs around?

K9 The First writes...

Are there any genetic disorders in Gargates? You know, like Cystic Fibrosis, Down Syndrome, Cri du Chat, etc. in humans?

SomeGuy writes...

What does gargoyle meat taste like?
My guess is chicken.

Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

It's really great that you answer all these questions from the fans, Greg. There must be a few thousand in the archives and I know plenty of them are FAQs, repeats, or just silly. But this website is a wonderful gift to fans. If all the authors of stories that I liked did this (if all of them were still alive...) I would be in heaven! So thank you for taking the time for this website and all of our annoying questions.

Questions about Gargoyle biology

1. Are there any wingless gargoyles other than the garg-beasts?
I mean, are there any wingless members of the "sentient" gargoyle species? (the species that have opposable thumbs, can talk, and who (usually) wear clothes) Not Bronx's species, but Goliath's species.
Also I mean born wingless, not wingless because of injury.

2. Do gargoyles see in color? Do garg-beasts?

3. When gargoyle (and garg-beast) babies hatch, do they suddenly burst out of their eggshells in the evening, just like gargoyles explode out of stone sleep, or do they hatch more slowly?

4. a. When birds lay eggs, occasionally one is "bad" or dies or something, and doesn't hatch. Does this ever happen to gargoyle eggs?
b. If so, do the clan hold a Wind Ceremony for the eggs that don't hatch?

Laura writes...

What happens when or if an of-age female gargoyle does not mate during the breeding season? Does she lay an unfertilized egg, or cycle more like humans do, or something else entirely? And if something else, what?

Thanks!

Nelio writes...

I have a biological question regarding the Gargoyles, one that I have been curious about for a long time. To ask it simply, do Gargoyles (or Gargates in general) have nipples? It is obvious that through out the entire series no nipples were detailed on male gargoyles, and where they would appear on the female body is covered. Further more, there are at least two times in the series in which two human males (Officer Morgan and Wolf) have been seen without shirts yet they had their nipples detailed.

Is this some sort of decency issue within the animation department, or do gargoyles actually lack them? A few other things that stick out to me is when the gargoyle clan was changed into humans by puck, they still lacked them, thus leading me to believe it was a animation issue. I also wonder if males lack nipples while female retain then, after all human males only have them because they develop on the fetus before sex is determined. Perhaps in gargoyle biology, development happens differently?

Well, thank you for reading my strange question, I really appreciate the time you put into this site and your product. I can only wish that the other programs I have a mild obsession with would have a wonderful site like Ask Greg to answer all my questions.

Anonymous writes...

I don't know if you've though about Gargoyles genetics at all, but do you know what characteristics are genetically dominant (ie, what wing structure, horns, beaks, hair color, skin tone)?

ColdFusion writes...

'Lo Greg
You've said a few times that gargoyles probably don't have hollow bones, on the basis of their strength.. I just wanted to point out that all bones are hollow. Ours are full of marrow, birds' have marrow and also a big chamber for air. Depending where the bone is, it might have blood vessels in it too. I don't think you'd have to sacrifice strength to say gargoyles had hollow bones if you wanted to (or even bones full of lighter-than-air gas. Hey that's a good idea!) I think they're even starting to say some of the strongest dinosaurs had hollow bones too, but don't quote me on that.
Can't wait til the comic's out! I'm buying each one as they come out on Amazon :)

ColdFusion writes...

Reading the archives it's apparent you believe Sevarius' theory that gargoyles absorb sunlight during the day while in stone form, reducing their need to eat like the huge beasts they are. I've wanted to point something out for years, but now you have to be really quick about asking questions before Ask Greg closes again.

The thing is.. unless I'm mistaken, Sevarius came into that theory because:
A. he had mutates to make, and gave them bat wings they needed to flap
B. he realized he couldn't keep 6-foot furries in the air on bat wings without them eating him out of house and home, and
C. he figured the answer was in how the real gargoyles did it.

When I heard him explain how he thought gargoyles got the energy to fly, I didn't believe it for a second. obviously he didn't do his homework, because gargoyles DON'T FLY, they don't -flap- at all, they glide effortlessly (more or less) on air currents, and that doesn't require flapping of wing muscles. So.. the sun-absorbing-stone thing isn't necessary (at least for the reason Sevarius presented. Of course now I've read that the reason you had gargoyles glide was so they'd require flying vehicles for kenner to build).

I realize that episode was kind of frought with bad science (electric eels produce electricity, so their genes mean you don't need as much food energy? ... and then whatever extra energy that presents they discharge as lightning bolts anyway?), and that it doesn't matter because it's just an animated drama and you wanted to give the mutates a cool weapon, but.. I dunno, I've been hearing you base your (mostly wonderful) theories on the assumption that sevarius was right, when he got such a major detail wrong in developing it.. it kind of bothers me.. I mean, if gargoyle babies need to absorb sunlight too, their parents should probably stop putting them in caves and buildings... maybe I'm just naturally distrustful of scientists. I mean, when sevarius said "unfortunately nothing like this exists in the animal kingdom so I can't go to the gene store and get some" my first thought was "that's because you pulled that answer out of your ass, gargoyles are more well-thought-out than that". I generally wonder when scientists put out an unprovable theory like that, how plausible they think it is that a person could come up with the correct answer to a mystery like that with limited evidence. No matter what they come up with, it's surely not very likely to be correct!

Wow, when did this comment turn into a ramble? Sorry, heh. Anyway, I trust what you say more than what Anton Sevarius says, and in my opinion you don't have to agree with him just because he's a scientist and you're not. the theories you come up with to explain gargoyle science don't seem to mesh very well with Sevarius, so... perhaps we ought to keep in mind that the gargoyles aren't aware of any of them anyway. Keep up the good work!

JEFFERTON writes...

Would the gargoyles need to sleep if they were in Alaska during the six months of night

Nick Gawel writes...

If Samson is Goliath's great grandson in Gargoyles 2198 wouldn't Samson look more like Broadway since males look like their dad?

Anonymous writes...

I am trying to adapt some of the Gargoyles characters into a role-playing game, where they can interact with the likes of Spider-Man or Batman. In preparing to integrate the Gargoyles, I was wondering how strong the five principle Gargoyles are? From what I see, I am guessing that Goliath is the strongest and can probably lift somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 tons, while Lexington is the weakest, and can probably lift only a few hundred pounds.

Zel writes...

Ok, now for some tiresome "what if" type questions.
1. What happens if a Gargoyle is injured in thier sleep? Like a deep scratch, because I'm pretty sure a beheading is fatal.
2. If an ear or finger breaks off, will there be an open wound at sundown? A healed over nub? A partially regrown apendage?
3. How much damage can a sleeping gargoyle sustain before they just won't wake up at all?
4. If a severed limb or digit were held in place untill sundown, would the limb "wake up" too? Assuming a clean break and a snug fit.
5. would such a limb finger or nose, or whatever, ever be good as new?
6. While we're on the topic of stone healing, Why did Hudson's eye stay scarred?
7. Do gargoyles have a regular immune system as well? Not sure how that would ever come into play, but to somehow take their petrifying ability away biochemicaly or magicly, would they have normal defences against disease and injury? Do Guatamalan Gargs have to deal with this problem?
I'm suprised these issues haven't come up in the show, I mean, The main six guys were trapped outdoors in the elements for a thousand years. And correct me if I'm wrong but Scottish weather isn't always gentle. Thanks for making a show worth nit-picking over 10 years later, Greg

Tyler writes...

I was justwondering what are some of gargoyles sex moves?

Brian writes...

If I could pet a gargoyle's wings, what's the closest thing they would feel like?

The Tigress writes...

Hello Greg,

As a long time Gargoyles fan, I wanted to point out that the way you came up with how Gargoyles climb and can puncture stone/metal..etc with their talons is absolutely fascinating. Even to this day I marvel at how well that was excecuted throughout the show.

My question is how did you come up with the idea of having Gargoyles climb that way?

Othello writes...

Do all Gargoyles, have the same level of Superstrength? or are some, like Goliath Stronger?

Daniel writes...

Hey, Greg. Both me and my two brothers picked up the first season on Tuesday. Awesome stuff, just as I remember. Now, my question: How much do the primary Gargoyles weigh in their night form? A couple of humans from the first season (Like Wolf in 'Leader of the Pack' seem able to toss Goliath around when he couldn't possbily weigh less than 500 pounds (Unless you say so, of course). On the other hand, in 'Awakening, Part 5' Brooklyn struggles mightily to carry the injured Lexington, and it seems Lex couldn't be more than around 200. So yeah, clarification would be great.

Thanks in advance for your eventual answer and fantastic series.

Watson writes...

Dear Greg-

I've been wondering something about Hudsons' wing structure. Are the "tatters" around the edges of his wings an old injury (like his eye) or just a normal sign of aging among gargoyles?

Justin writes...

Dear Greg,
I was wondering something about gargoyle biology. As know from Future Tense, Broadway hasn't fully mutured physically, and will grown more horns as he ages. I was wondering if in some instances gargoyles act the same as other horned animals in the animal kingdom. Like infant gazelles are not born with antlers, they grow as the animal matures, perhaps horned gargoyles like Brooklyn, or any gargoyle for that matter, are hatched virtually hornless?

Thank you for your time.

GargFan1995-Present writes...

Two questions about Gargoyles' stone healing:

1.) If a Gargoyle had one of its wings cut off, would the wing grow back in stone sleep or would it be gone forever?

2.) If a Gargoyle had something cut off in its stone sleep (an arm or a finger), would it wake up with or without an arm or at all?

Thanks!

Lucas Truman Williams writes...

Are you saying (in your ramble) that Gargoyles have the potential even now to have psychic powers the way Fox even now has latent magical abilities?

Puck writes...

Since Kaylle has opened the line of discussion on things related to gargoyle sleep, I might as well ask...

Do gargoyles dream of stone sheep?

Kaylle writes...

You know, of course as soon as I was in the same room as you, I couldn't remember any of the questions I meant to ask. And as soon as we got in the car to come home I recalled all of them, but when I sit down to ask them here once again they escape me...

At any rate, the one I do remember is this: We know the gargoyles sleep in stone during the day. But I wondered if they can also sleep like humans/animals do, maybe take a nap during the night if they're just overexhausted or bored or whatever? We have a few instances where they're knocked unconscious, but that's not really the same thing.

Patrick writes...

Gathering Diary - Day 3
Friday, August 6

I woke up around 7:30 am, mumbled good morning to Laurean as she was on her way out the door to the gym, and scored the first turn at the shower since everyone else in the room was still sleeping. Then I napped until about ten minutes before nine, woke up again, and went up to the con suite to see what the plan was for breakfast. Karine led us all to a diner nearby that had pretty good food at pretty good prices, but they also had the slowest service ever and we were running a half hour behind the schedule printed in the program by the time we got back to the hotel.

I was on Art Show setup duty, assisting Cindy, so the two of us headed up to the room on the Mezzanine level and enlisted anyone who was willing to help unload the van and move the art show display materials up to the room. About six people offered to help, so it took only about ten minutes to get everything up from the parking garage and into the room where the Art Show would be. Alan joined in to help with assembly, and the plastic pipe frames went together quickly, until we suddenly realized we were short two to the 90-degree elbow pieces.

Karine gave me some quick directions to the nearest Home Depot, and then I was off on an emergency run. As I learned at The Gathering 2002 in Virginia, there's nothing quite as fun as driving around an unfamiliar area at top speed, searching for a destination you're not quite sure of. But finally I spotted the familiar orange sign, and ran inside to the plumbing section to grab the pieces we were missing. On a hunch, I also grabbed another pack of zip ties for attaching the pegboard to the frames, which should earn me a psychic friends network membership card because when I got back I discovered Cindy had tried to call me on my cell phone - which I didn't have on me - to tell me that they needed more of those, too. So for about 15 seconds, I was a god for saving the day, and then I went back to work getting the remaining display put together.

I spent most of the rest of Friday afternoon in the Art Show / Dealer's Room, helping Cindy with setup and then sitting guard duty at the Auction display table for a spell. I wouldn't have gotten lunch, but Alan asked me if I wanted anything from Subway, so I gave him money and he brought me back a soda and the best roast beef sub I've ever consumed in less than two minutes. Later in the afternoon, I attended Cindy's costuming seminar. I learned how to take care of wigs, and I'm pretty sure I was the only guy in the room except for when the DVD crew came in to do some random filming.

Right after Cindy's panel was over, Karine or Carol informed me that Keith David had been delayed to a later flight, so I would be picking him up around 11:00 pm instead of Karine's husband Adam picking him up around 6:00 pm. I was fine with that, even if it meant having to remain alert enough to drive at that late hour, so I ran upstairs to the con suite to record the revised flight details in my notebook. Before we knew it, it was getting near time for Opening Ceremonies, so I headed down to the ballroom to see if my help was needed with anything. I had been told we were getting a screen measuring 4'x3', so it was quite a surprise to see they'd given us one about three times bigger. Rob and Karine were still trying to get sound and picture to come out of the projector at the same time when I walked in. I'm not sure what button it was that I pushed, but suddenly there was a picture. A few moments later, we found the volume control, too, and everything was ready.

Greg showed up with his stack of videotapes, and I was given the complex job of sitting next to the VCR, loading tapes, and pressing play. For me, Opening Ceremonies seemed to go by in a blur. Karine welcomed the fans and introduced the staff, then Jen presented the Fan Guest of Honor award to Gorebash. Next, Chris Rogers came to the podium to talk about Gathering 2005, and then Liz came up to make some announcements, which was when Abram and Maui "interrupted" for the first Clan Olympics event. After all the chaos had settled, Greg's part of the Opening Ceremonies began. First he played an audio tape containing the voices of Ed Asner, Keith David, and a number of other people associated with the show that Carol had helped compile the week before. Then he showed the traditional series of videos, and ended with the audio tape of the voice recordings for the never-completed "Team Atlantis" episode "The Last."

After Opening Ceremonies, we handed the room over to Jade Griffin for the "Mystery Gargoyles Theater 3000" event and debated what to do about dinner. Half of the staff wanted to trek out into Montreal again, and half of us were too tired to want to do all that walking. As a few of us were discussing it in the lobby, Greg came up to me and said he had good news and bad news. The good news was I wouldn't have to pick up Keith at 11:00 pm. The bad news was Keith's flight had changed again, and he wouldn't be arriving until 6:00 pm the next day, Saturday.

Greg then joined up with the group Karine was leading out into the city, but I decided to give my feet a rest. I joined Jen, Alan, Tim, Christine, and Becca, and the six of us had a late dinner in the hotel restaurant. Tim told us all about his misadventure earlier in the day where he'd been hit by a car while crossing the street. He was mostly okay, but he still made sure to put some alcohol on his injuries in the form of a shot of tequila and two white russians. I stuck with cola because I was drowsy enough already, and I had a pretty good hamburger followed by a nice slice of cheesecake.

After dinner, Jen, Christine and I went back up to the con suite to await Greg's return for the Blue Mug-a-Guest. We were joined shortly by Anthony and Andrea Zucconi and a few other fans who had not hooked up with the huge group that had gone out with Greg to dinner. Exercising the ancient rite of "first come, first serve," we claimed the chairs and left the floor to the latecomers. Greg arrived only about ten minutes behind the scheduled 11 pm start time, and within a short amount of time the room was filled to capacity and then some.

For a Blue Mug-a-Guest, the overwhelming majority of the discussion was pretty tame. A lot of the questions focused on the DVD and what could be done to make sure that Season 1 will sell well enough that we get Season 2, and so on. Some ideas were floated about using the internet to coordinate the fandom's efforts, such as having everyone purchase the DVD from Amazon.com on the same day.

There was one question that was asked about how the fay copulate and reproduce which Greg apparently misheard at first, as he began talking about gargoyle egg-laying. He remarked that the eggs are soft and flexible when they are laid, and also that they start out small and grow bigger. This elicited a "Ha-ha, I was right, I told you so," comment from someone I had debated this same topic with in one of the online comment rooms a few months ago. Not the most mature of reactions, and bad science to boot. It made me wish I'd been able to attend the Gargoyle Biology panel on Sunday morning, because as much as I respect Greg, I still firmly believe that it must be recognized that there is absolutely no precedent at all in the animal kingdom for hard-shelled eggs that grow in size from the time they are laid to the time that they hatch.

Anyway, sorry to digress, but this was still bugging me when I went to bed that night, so I felt it worth mentioning. I can't remember very many of the other specific questions that were asked, though I do recall that when Greg was asked about whether the tip of a gargoyle's tail was especially sensitive, he deferred the question to Christine Morgan. Greg also blew a whole bunch of fanfic out of the water by saying that in his mind, Angela was a virgin when she arrived in Manhattan, and that gargoyles as a species were not promiscuous. I'm not quite sure these revelations are going to slow down any of us who've written stories to the contrary, though.

Friday night finally came to an end at around 2 am on Saturday morning, when Greg got up to answer the call of nature and Karine decided it was time to clear everyone out of the con suite. That included con staff, as well, so I headed to my room to grab a few more hours of sleep.

Allan Ecker writes...

This isn't a journal, I guess. It's just a shout-out. It isn't a journal because I didn't get to the Con, but if it had been anywhere within, oh, a 500-mile radius of me, I would have been there, so I feel justified in at least writing that I would have been there. (Heck, if I weren't moving around so much due to internships and such, I'd have gone anyway.)

I just need to give applause to Gargoyles. It was beautiful, cool, and fun, truly a jem of animation. The Shakespearian references layered over deep characterization and even deeper character -development- truly light my heart afire. I'm aching for this DVD. I can garantee that, unless all the copies are snapped up in, say, the first week of them hitting the market (which I honestly hope for, since that will likely mean more would be on the way), I will get it. I have two other friends who will do the same, -almost- as much to show support for the incredible talent (and any applicable forces of managerial mojo) involved in producing Gargoyles as to have DVD-quality sound and picture as opposed to our moldering, commercial-break-laiden, misordered VHS's.

Gargoyles, is, in my humble opinion, the single best animated series American animation has to offer. Gargoyles is better than the sublime Batman animated series and the inspiring X-Men Evolution, both of which have been released on DVD already. It has also done what I previously considered the impossible in unseating Tale Spin from the pinnacle of my Disney Pantheon of Good Shows.

Gargoyles didn't find me until long after it had stopped airing. In fact, you might say I walked in just in time to see this pivotal moment in its growth. I just wanted you to know, Greg, that I will be voting with my wallet (possilby twice) to get Gargoyles the recognition it deserves.

To Greg, and to all who gave Xantos, Goliath, Brooklyn (and of course, PUCK!) life, thank you.

PS, an actual question:

Just how "voluntary" is stone sleep? You mentioned in a recent (well, two years ago by now) response that sunlight was "a powerful psychological cue". Could a gargoyle fight off stone sleep for as long as (or longer than) thirty seconds? Would this have any short- or long-term side effects?

Also, sometimes gargoyles roar after waking, others not. I take this to mean that it is semi-voluntary, like yawning and/or stretching. Is it more or less voluntary than yawning? Will some circumstances make a gargoyle less or more likely to roar upon waking?

Jasmine writes...

Why do gargoyles lay egg's? They have
hair so they are mammals?

Tom E writes...

If a Gargoyle had something happen to him when he was stone during the day, like say someone shot at him and the bullet got lodged in there, or a spear went through a wing and was left that way, would it still be stuck that way when night came?

Audra writes...

Hey Greg. Earlier tonight, when I was in the car with my mom and sister, and my sister was saying how one of her friends moved to Alaska. She said how weird that would be, because in Alaska, half the year it would be dark, and the other half, there would light. If gargoyles lived in Alaska, would they sleep for 6 months, then be awake for the other 6 months? That seems kind of weird to me. Like for the 6 months they would be awake, wouldn't they be tired? I mean because of being awake for so long with no sleep. Would they sleep every once in a while like humans do? I know this is kind of a silly question, but that kind of interests me! What do you think Greg?

Zel writes...

If a gargoyle's finger breaks off at night, and you hold it in place untill morning, what will happen? Will the finger remain stone? Will the gargoyle have an injured but attached finger, or will the finger be fully healed?

mike writes...

Do Female gargoyles go through the same female things that humans do like pms?

Scott Mercure writes...

Hello. I have an interesting question that I could not find answered in the archives. What, if any, are the differences between female gargoyles and human females when it comes to pregnency. Do they carry the egg for a length of time (and if so so long?) before laying it? Is it apparent when a female gargoyle is carrying an egg?

Maybe this question seems odd but it is something that's been rolling around in my head for a long time.

Thanks!!

Macbeth Or Macduff writes...

Would Gargoyles turn to stone by day , if they are in a cave or another place where you can not see the sun , day or night .

The Tigress writes...

I have a question regarding the stone sleep of the gargoyles and the changes in the O-zone layer due to pollution:

Since gargoyles get their energy from the sun's rays while in stone sleep, I was wondering if the difference in the O-zone layer from one thousand years ago up to the present has any positive or negative effects to the amount or the kind of energy the gargoyles recieve? Or if it even has an effect?

Punchinello writes...

As long as I'm on the subject of clones...
I've noticed you've been fielding questions about the clones unique coloration. I think at least one person made the observation that there were other structural differences as well. Different types of horns or fins. Different types of builds to the extent that you could interpret some skeletal differences. And maybe I'm crazy, but I would swear I remember Lexington's clone having a spiked ball at the end of his tail?

Now, I don't read fiction (even in a cartoon) in a manner that compels me to think the author must have some kind of explanation for this change. I interpreted it as artistic license. The clones looked like creative variations on a visual theme. They were fun. Interpreting the show as reality, set to film, inspires people to demand to know exactly what obscure feature of "gargoyles science" makes this happen though. I don't think I really like the way it's assumed that a clone of an organism would replicate the donor organism in every detail. That's probably another idea borrowed from star trek.

The concencus right now seems to be that the clones features were altered by a side effect of being rapidly aged in tubes. (They do that with beer now, you know.) However, it's occurred to me that there might be a much more plausible and more interesting explanation. The clones features could have far less to do with the fact that they're clones, than it does with the fact that they're clones of gargoyles.

When an organism is being put together at the molecular level, the process is working against certain forces. Most obviously, gravity, but other forces as well. So there are certain mechanical limitations on the way an embryo can form in the womb. Biology confronts that by developing tissue in various ways. From a mechanical perspective, bone tissue develops by an accretionary process which is technically similar to the way a seashell would form. Muscle tissue forms a gauzy scaffold though, and then develops vasculature into the scaffold.

Ultimately, all of these mechanical processes are compelled to action chemically, by the properties of DNA. That doesn't mean that the final result would be identical for every conceivable circumstance though. Many highly ordered, developmental processes and simple, dumb forces impinge upon our development in the womb, besides the chemical synthesis of our DNA. So while my genes inform the shape of my nose, for example, they are not the only thing which begin to inform it. And some structural features in an organism are more rigidly dictated by genetics than others.

Our genes are more of a blueprint for a theme. We're one theme. I'm not suggesting that the variation could be extraordinary, as I don't want to imply that we are less indebted to our genes than we are. The variation I'm talking about amounts to some subtle changes in morphology. These changes would not always be conspicuous, but sometimes they can be glaring. The coloration of domestic cats, for instance, while informed by their genes, is the product of several developmental forces. And when you clone a domestic cat, you usually get a cat with completely different coloration than the donor. You can easily end up with a calico when you clone a black cat.

If it had been a documentary instead of a cartoon show, I would have suspected that you would get unique results from cloning a gargoyle.

Seeing a gargoyle would be professionally interesting to anyone involved in the biological sciences. But seeing a group of three or more gargoyles would be extraordinary. Even though we define species in terms of reproductive isolation these days, we still use morphology to identify them. And gargates exhibit morphology unlike any other reproductively isolated species in nature. I've mentioned before that the most interesting aspect of the gargoyles, to me, is not the "turning to stone thing," but the fact that you have the morphology of Lexington, Brooklyn, Griff, Una, and Zafiro within one reproductively isolated group.

All members of a species exhibit morphological differences. All tigers and giraffes conform to their species respective morphologies to subtly different extents. We don't usually observe the differences outside our own species, but even when we examine our species differences from person to person, barring aberrations, the changes are never more than minor cosmetic distinctions. Mostly it amounts to slightly different fatty tissue distribution in the face or melanin content in the skin. When racial confirmation is examined, it is only in terms of proportional averages of the length of the limbs to the dimensions of the torso. Even where sexual dimorphism is concerned, the primary characteristics are actually variations on the same organs. This applies to almost every animal on the planet.

When we look at the gargoyles though, they look like Darwin's grab bag. When you compare Brooklyn and Lexington, two members of a species from the same regionally isolated set of genes, you see extreme morphological differences. There is simply no way their skulls can be variations on a single blueprint. There are obvious features that they seem to have in common with each other, and with other gargoyles, that help begin to identify the common origin of their morphologies. The way their lower limbs are designed, their tails and their abdomens seem consistent. But their wings are definitely not. These could _never be_ cosmetic distinctions. These are major structural differences. The way their wings connect would necessitate completely different musculature in their upper bodies, and that, in turn, would require differences in their skeletons to provide structure for the different muscle insertions.

When you add Una and Zafiro to this picture, everything we know about the morphology of species is thrown out the window. I couldn't look at this group and reasonably expect that they even have the same number of vertebrae, let alone be members of the same species. They are unlike anything in nature. But that's not bad. It's fascinating. It gets me speculating about what cicumstances such a creature could emerge from.

One region of speculation I've been entertaining, is that if you had a species with these characteristics, it might be because their genes are arranged into a hierarchy which is different from other organisms.There could be a level of organization to the passing down of their genes beyond just sexual recombination. I'm wondering if genes could be organized into a hierarchy of sets of discrete packages. Sort of like a kit of parts. So that their genes might actually contain blueprints for morphologies for each organ, but have these blueprints disassociated from one another.

From a gene's eye view, it might appear that they were not using gargoyles as a vehicle to perpetuate themselves, but rather, a certain variety of gargoyle tails. Or a certain variety of gargoyle skulls. And each package of genes was pursuing it's reproductive agenda independently of the others, even while multiple packages end up becoming the blueprint for a single gargate.

So I'm thinking... maybe... if external pressures can be a determinant in how genes get expressed in an animal, leading to different tissue distribution in a persons nose or something, then maybe external pressures can have an effect on which "package" gets used for a tail or a set of horns in gargates. Maybe the spiked ball on the end of that clones tail (assuming I was not imagining it) is an alternate package for a tail structure which is as much a part of Lexington as the one we're used to seeing.

The point is that for tissue to take on structure as sophisticated as a spiked ball or a pair of ibex like horns, there would need to something predicating it. It couldn't just happen by accident. So I would be inclined to suppose that some feature of gargate physiology is responsible for such major morphological changes, when cloned, and that their physiology would be unique in that the expression of genes for such radical changes are as much a matter of chance as the extremely minor variations other organisms are subject to.

I have not even begun to consider how a species can exhibit morphological features which seem to be specific replicas of other creatures which they are not related to. How do you get a lion headed gargoyle?

That's sure to be an interesting thought experiment.

matt writes...

Gargoyle Beasts

ok, i've been wondering about this for a long time. you've established the Gargoyle reproductive cycle and how it works and i must say its a really well constructed system. its great how a couple produces their last egg and in the following rookery their first child has its first child. works out very well.

on the other hand, you havn't given as much information on how the Gargoyle beast reproductive cycle works. you've said that Gargoyle beasts can produce children after only one generation has passed. for instance, you said that even though Bronx hatched in the rookery right before Angela's he can already mate, and Boudicca is old enough to mate with Bronx. you've also said that Gargoyle beasts can not only start breeding sooner, but also produce more than three offspring as Gargoyles do. and obviously, Gargoyle beasts have pups in the same 20 year intervals.

so my questions are, what is the Gargoyle Beast breeding cycle? how many offspring does a typical Gargoyle Beast pair produce if conditions are normal and healthy? is a pair still birthing pups in the same rookery as their older children are?

thanks alot Greg!

Marz J.S. writes...

I looked at the FAQ page & I don't think this was asked. I was wondering, I'm curious to this, do female gargoyles have periods? You know, a monthly visiter? I've always wondered. Thank you for your time.

Vinnie writes...

Do you remember the episode "Metamorphosis". In it Servarious theorizes that Gargoyles store solar energy during the day. However no one ever found out if it was an acurate theory or not, could you expand on this?

Maelgrim writes...

How much can Goliath and Demona actually lift? thier strengths seem inconsistant as in one episode Demona yanks a rock bigger then she is out of the floor yet Eliza can overpower her! as for Goliath he has to many inconsistancys to list here !

ross writes...

where do gargoyles come from

Stanley writes...

One more about the stone form...

I noticed that often times there are shots of the rising sun, but the Gargoyles remain flesh until the light rays actually hit their body. This seems to imply that it is the actual physical impact of the sun rays on their bodies that turn them to stone. But by that token, a gargoyle hiding inside a dark room with no windows would remain flesh during the day. So instead, do they have some sort of biological clock, in tune with the rotation of the earth? But that seems even too complicated for a gargoyle. I'd like to hear anything you had thought out concerning the specifics of this idea.

Seneth Somed writes...

Greg,
After reading a few posts in the archives concerning
whether a gargoyle's weight changes during stone sleep, I
thought about it, and I figure they stay the same weight.
For example, in the very first episode Goliath hauls five
stone gargoyles from the Viking camp to the top of the
castle. Yeah, Goliath's strong, but could he carry a ton
of uneven weight several miles, then up several flights of
stairs, then do it four more times without getting winded?
Maybe I should ask you, so

1. How strong was Goliath? Could he lift a ton? Maybe
two? Ten?!?

A better example of a stone gargoyle's weight is Broadway
turning to stone midair. Seems more plausible for a 350
pound statue to survive such a fall than a 1500 pound
statue. But enough speculation.

2. Do gargoyles stay the same weight when in stone, or do
they gain weight?

3. This has probably been asked before but... do gargoyles
change to stone through their whole bodies, or do they just
have a stone shell?

Thanks for your time. You really show some dedication by
doing this. I hope it pays off. I still can't wait to see
what happens next.

matt and others in the Comment Room writes...

we were wondering if a gargoyles urge to protect is a natural urge or something they are taught by older generations to do, or a combination of both?

Babs writes...

Ok im not gonna ask to many questions, I know your probably going crazy from all the other questions that everyone else is asking. I was reading through the archive and FAQ's to hunt to see if what I was going to ask was already answered and over 2-3 hours later when I lost all felling in my butt(shut up ;p) and my eyes about to pop out; to my dismay I didnt find the answers, unless my dumbass just didnt see them which that is probably more likley. We'll here they are
1) hmm how can I put this (no not a sex question) I was wondering what the Gargoyles skin is?... uh ours is flesh , lizards are scales, bears are fur. Now some Gargoyles you can tell what thier skin is just by looking at them, so I guess this is leaning more towards the Scotish Clan. Depending on what breed of animal they are the skin would be more harder to puncher.
2)Darn forget what episode , We'll it's the one when Owen stuck his hand in the pot of life and it turned into stone, I took notice in the rest of the shows his hand pretty much stayed in the same postition, but when watching "Broadway goes to Hollywood" he was holding a book with that hand. So my question is can he move that hand as if it wasn't stone or was that just a glitch in that episode ?
3)Regarding to question #2. When Owen turns into Puck his hand is not stone anymore, since they are 2 different people im guessing that when he's Owen he has a different body and Puck the same , but they still do share the same body, is that Pucks magic changing his hand to flesh for teaching shake ?, you can just say , sure whatever you think for this one. I don't quite know what I just asked either.

I'm one of those people that analyze everything kinda goes with the territory with having a slight case of O.C.D, ya notice things that no one else does, but kinda miss the things that are right in the open.
Danke for taking the time to answer my questions.
Gargoyles Forever !

DPH writes...

Since you have updated your timeline since you last answered the question about Angela and Ophelia possibly being "in heat" in 2008 (02-02-00), I thought I would ask that question again since that part of the timeline might have changed.

1)When is the earliest time that Angela and Ophelia could have laid an egg?

2)Will Angela, Ophelia, or both of them be capable of laying an egg in 2008?

Another Angel writes...

If the gargoyles were not to know who their parents were... how did they prevent inbreeding?
Oh, and the Gathering was so much fun this year- can't wait for 2003!

Will writes...

Dear Greg, I was wondering how can the gargoyles gilde , like 5 feet away from lava?

Joseph writes...

what would be the science behind how goliath and his clan glide,and climb almost anything except solid steel?

Faieq writes...

A while ago I noticed a short ramble of yours entitled 'While I'm thinking of it...' It was rambled on Monday 4th March 2002. I won't repeat the whole thing here, however the beginning started off with you repeating an exchange between you and Aris Katsaris concerning the date Angela and the other eggs on Avalon would have hatched and underneath your response you wrote;

"With all this in mind...

I know I've established -- both here and in my own head (particularly with regards to G2198) that eggs hatch on the Spring Equinox.

But does anyone remember whether (and where) I've established what month the eggs are laid in?

I can't recall if this has come up yet.

Anyone know? And would this solve my problems at all?"

Recently I remember another question previously submitted on Friday October 13th by Aris Katsaris that may help you.

"Aris Katsaris writes...
A small tidbit that you revealed through the last contest was that the hatching of the eggs takes place in March 21st - the Spring Equinox, that is.

Now, I always felt it would be on an equinox or a solstice- those are the only dates that make sense really... Is the laying of the eggs also done on the Spring Equinox (ten years earlier ofcourse)?

How about the egg's conceiving? Have you decided how much time is spent between the eggs's conceiving and laying?

Greg responds...
That's interesting. Maybe.

As for conception, maybe I'll make it a six month term and put it on the fall equinox.

The truth is I chose March 21st because it's my son's birthday. But sometimes things in the Garg Universe just seem to come together. It's cool that way.
recorded on 10-20-00"

From your above response I assume that the eggs would be laid on the spring equinox, with the females being fertile on the fall equinox from the previous year.
I don't know whether this would clarify any problems over when the eggs hatched, but I hope it helps.

Jimmy writes...

What's up with Desdemona's (Colfire's) wings, how come no other gargoyles have wings like her's.

Firebird writes...

Okay, I've looked but can't find the answer.
You said that gargoyles get energy from the sun, but they also eat (at least, Broadway does), so what kind of dietary requirements would they have? ie. would a gargoyle food pyramid of what they need to eat look like one for humans (lots of starches/carbohydrates on the bottom, fruit and veg. next etc), or should they eat proportionatly more of one thing than us and less of others?

folklore writes...

Dear Greg, great job you deserve more compliments than i can offer, but my question is why were the gargyles from the different regions of the earth so different except for the japanese and your staring characters? well thanks for your time if i get it. bye

Joshua writes...

What *exactly* makes the gargoyles turn to stone and break away from stone? They've been stone indoors, in sunlight-deprived places, and even outside in overcast. So it can't be sunlight directly... and when travelling the world, since time zones are different, it became apparent that it's not a 12-hour schedule. So it seems to be the *knowledge* of sunlight being out there... is that true?

demona writes...

I was wondering how exactly does a gargoyle breed??

Siren writes...

1.)Did Magus, Tom, and the Princess know Angela was Goliath and Demona's daughter?
2.)Did they know Gabriel was Desdemona's and Othello's son?
3.) Did we ever meet Ophelia's parents? Besides the Britain Clan and Zafiro, she is one of the most interesting looking.

Joshua writes...

I apologize if this has been asked (I couldn't find it skimming): Were the Gargoyles supposedly created through evolution or magic?
If via evolution, can you explain how their "ability" to turn to stone evolved?
If via magic, when, where, how, and by whom?

Demi writes...

How many of the clan's eggs were Goliath and Demona's??

Mooncat writes...

Hello Greg,

The subject came up in the Adult comment room on the Gargoyles Fan Website, on wether Goliath and Elisa would ever be able to become mates. Physically.

So the main question is, can they become mates, in a physical sense, without physically harming Elisa?

How well endowed is Goliath (beneath the loin cloth)?

How well endowed are Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lex? Yes, inquiring minds want to know *^_^*. If not exact sizes, some general indication would be appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to consider the question.

Mooncat >^,,^<
and the peeps in
the Adult Gargoyles Comment Room

Wolfram Bane (wolfram_bane@hotmail.com) writes...

Gargoyle Biology

Gargoyle females may only lay an egg every 20 years, and it takes the eggs 10 years to hatch. Eggs generally hath on the spring solstice. A few questions regarding theis process.

1/ Are the female gargoyles reproductive cycles tied specifically to Earth's cycles, or does it just happen to coincide with Earth's cycles upon a specific date for all females. ei - If a female who to be was fertile in 2008 was removed from Earth's standard timeline (ie time travel, journeying to Avalon, age acceleration or such), would her fertility be influenced by Earth's natural cycles/forces or her own biological systems? Would she become fertile when her body becomes physically as old as it would be in 2008, or is her fertility governed by Earth's natural forces in the year 2008, regardless of her biological age?
2/ Is a male's fertility governed by the same cycle. Ie - Griff was transported from 1940 to 1995. If he remained in 1940, his next mating cycle would have been in 1948, 8 years in his future. After being transported to 1995, would he enter his fertility period in 1998 alog with the rest of Earh's gargoyles, or would he still have to wait 8 years (ie 2003) and be out of synch with the rest of Earth's gargoyles?

Wolfram Bane (wolfram_bane@hotmail.com) writes...

Gargoyle Biology

I have read that gargates (gargoyles and gargoyle beasts) are descended from dinosaurs. I was curious as to what species of dinosaur that gargates descended from. If no specific species of dinosaur, it is several species, an as yet unknown species, or just undetermined as to which species it is.

dan writes...

hey greg i was wondering if the gargoyles most of the problems humans have? like eyesight, deafness etc? Is there any gargoyles that actually wear glasses?

taesaki writes...

Hello. Uh, well, this is a bit embarrassing, but I was reading the questions and I got a bit curious. I'm sorry if this is inappropriate. I hope it's not. Anyway, how DO the gargoyles make love, to each other and possibly to humans? I suppose you were trying to keep things clean, huh? *blushes* Well, I'm sorry! I really wanted to know! If you'd prefer not to post it to the whole world but you'd also like to take pity on a poor curious fan, email me at "taesaki@att.net". Thankies! =)

Lisa- Mary writes...

what exactly is a gargoyle?

The Cat writes...

Hello Greg,

I am helping a few friends with their fan fiction and I thought I'd ask this. You know kind of do a research paper. Anyway, one of my friends wants to know if gargoyles evolved or were they just created by something or someone? I wouldn't know so I figured since you were one of the creators I'd ask you.

So,
1. Were the gargoyles created by a higher being than themselves?
Or
2. Did they evolve?

3. If they evolved, what did they evolve from?
Dinosaurs(that is actually my best guess)?
Dragons?
Komodo Dragons?

Well, thanks bye.

Vanity writes...

Questions regarding gargoyle sex and sexuality.

1) Do gargoyles reckognize their own sexiness, do they reckongnize that they may or maynot be sexier than another gargoyle?

2) Do gargoyles just instinctively know (or practice) sex or are they taught in some manner?

3) What is/are the function(s) of the female gargoyles' breasts? (Milk, motor oil, chiefly sexual)

4) Do tails play a role in sexual activity? If so how?

5) Do gargoyles practive pre mate-bonded sex, or generally stay virgin up to chosing a mate?

6) Oral sex?

7) Is rape a problem for gargoyles? Either by eachother or by humans whilst they are young.

8) Which would you consider more sexually active male gargoyles or female?

9) Goliath told Elisa that when she was human he hadn't realized how pretty she was. What physical traits in humans can potentially attract the eye of :
A- A male gargoyle to a human female?**
B- A female gargoyle to a human male?**
**no need for great specificity here, merely general qualities that may be attractive to a gargoyle

10) Do they suffer STD's?

note: I am not trying to be cute, I consider these serious questions, I however realise that question (4) is somewhat well...wrong, but I believe in its legitimacy.

Lex Cousin writes...

You can explain how is the reproduction of a gargoyle, you can specify times (hatch)?, it dont know if this contradicts the rules of the forum, but
seems me interesting. For example Angela's birthday. When it is when Demona put the egg or when breaks?

matt writes...

kinda a follow up question here:

if two gargoyles were twins hatched out of one egg (and YES i know how extremely rare this is) would they look identical or not? since they come out of one egg, biology suggests that they would be identical twins (and YES, i know you are not a biologist) but i seem to recall that somewhere i read that no gargoyles, no matter how closely related, are identical, they all look different, as Lex says in Awakening. so, identical or fraternal twins?

thanx again Greg for humouring us on these nearly pointless questions...

Artemis writes...

This isn't really a question, but rather a corrective comment.

Obviously Goliath wouldn't know, but I don't know about you, but Thailog is NOT Goliath's son. They are brothers. Until I went to a genetics seminar with my AP bio class, this would never have crossed my mind.

Anyway, to the point. The reason Thailog can't be Goliath's son is because of genetics. Thailog's genes came from Goliath, which in turn came from Goliaths parents. Now, therefore, technically Thailog has the same parents as Goliath (since all his chormosomes can be traced back through Goliath's parents).

There's more to it that, but I wanted to keep it it terms understandable. Another simpler way to make the argument is that since Thatilog has the same genes as Goliath, they're sort of like identical twins, born years apart (and of course identical twins are siblings of each other). It's the same with the labrynth clones as well, they are bothers of the gargs they were cloned from.

Delilah is a whole different story. I can't explain that one, but i guess she's a half sister to both Elisa and Demona, but I can't prove it genetically.

Sorry if I seemed to have a "you're wrong, I'm right" attitude, but I just wanted to let you know what the real world truth was. Now Gargoyles Universe truth, well, I can't tell you what's right and wrong, that's for you to decide.

Thanx for listening to my lecture :)

F7 Addict writes...

This one is purely out of personal curiousity.

Given the fact that Gargoyles are warm blooded, have mammatory glands (for those who fell asleep in Anatomy, look at Demona and Angela to figure out what the m glands are), and lay eggs, it's safe to assume that genetically they are closer to the infamous duck-billed platypus than humans. (another argument against the Goliath/Elisa issue)

Was this done on purpose or am I reading too much into it?

Tukins writes...

Hey Greg
I'm not gonna bother you long, I only got one question

I was just wondering, since gargoyles see upon the entire clan as their family, and they concider them all brothers and sisters, how do they prevent interbreeding? I mean, they don't know just how closely they are related to eich other, doesn't that lead to problems sometimes?

That question has been bothering me for a while now, hope you can answer it for me

Adam Carlson writes...

how many eggs can a gargoyle female lay at one time? during there life time?
And, if there are 36 eggs taken to Avalon, how many gargoyles lived at Castle Wyvern before the massacure.

Dragon7 writes...

Dear Mr. Weisman I find your posts on gargoyle physiology and culture very fascinating. Having recently read some of your earlier answers to the newly identified Loch Ness Clan a question came to my mind as to how this clan raised and cared for its offspring. It is widely known that gargoyles in the other clans in the gargoyles universe lay eggs is this also true of the Lochness Clan and if so do they put their eggs into caves until hatching as the Wyvern Clan did in generations past?

Vashkoda writes...

I've never bother to question any of the following, and I still pretty much accept it as "just the way things are", but I figured I'd still ask about it just in case it led to any interesting revelations:

1) Why *do* gargoyles assume threatening poses while they sleep? You've mentioned that gargoyles have a similarity to scarecrows. Also, one explanation for building gargoyles on medieval churches was to scare away demons. But what's the "Gargoyles-Universe" explanation? Is it really that effective in scaring away predators (and what kind of animal would attack something made of stone, anyways?). Even scarecrows lose their effectiveness over time, once birds get used to them.

2) In Japan, where the clan said that they face inward as a sign of trust to the humans, they still strike frightening poses. Is this "pose-behavior" therefore something instinctual?

3) Similarly, why did the trio, Hudson and Bronx assume threatening poses as the Magus's sleep spell took place? I'm not sure the gargoyles even understood what was happening, or identified the Magus as a threat (Lex says, "What's he talking about?" and Hudson asks, "What's all this?" just before the spell). As they see the magic swirling around them, I think they get suspicious, but it still seems odd for them to assume attack poses at that moment (I would have expected them to be confused or afraid, but not violent, especially if they haven't had time to understand what's going on). I was wondering whether the fact that they were becoming stone had triggered their instinctual pose-behavior, or were they indeed getting ready to attack the Magus?

The Endless writes...

1) Are the Gargoyles and the Garg-Dogs (prolly not correct, please don't yell!) related evolutionarily to humans, animals, plants, and cells as are all other known denizens of the biological kingdoms? i.e. Did Gargoyles and Garg-Dogs emerge from the same kind of ancestral single-celled organisms that every other animal comes from and if so, what are the closest evolutionary relatives to the Gargoyles besides the Garg-Dogs?

2) Does a Gargoyle in stone form weigh as much as he does in flesh form?

3) Why is the humanoid form (arms, upright walking, opposible thumbs) most prevalent in the known sentient races? (Fae, Gargoyle, Human)

4) Are Gargoyles photosynthetic organisms? If not, how much food do they need to eat and do they actually produce some type of feces or is stone skin their waste product?

Galvatron writes...

2.Are there any viruses and bacteria within gargoylesthat can survive stone sleep? If not why? If nature can develop such a defense system as the stone sleep surely nature can develop something that can allow viruses and bacteria to survive (if theres a niche in nature waiting to be filled then it will be filled) unless gargoyles are fundamentally different from humans and other animals on this planet?

Galvatron writes...

Gargoyle diseases
1.Do gargoyles get cancer? If so can they die from it?

Galvatron writes...

Stone Sleep
1. Do Gargoyles cells engage in mitosis/reproduction during stone sleep?
2.How can they be in suspended animation during stone sleep when many biological functions are still active? It doesn't make sense.

Vanity writes...

I have a question. Relating to biology.

In the animal kingdom, animals(let's use chimps), chimps show a ratio in the wild and in captivity to be 50% right handed and 50% left handed. In the human population as a total about 75% are right handed and 25% Left handed. Some human societies vary of course some being 95% to 5% right to left up to 70% and 30% right to left. I couldn't find this in the archives so, do gargoyles have handedness, and if so of the gargoyle population are they like chimps with a 50/50 Right to left handers or more like humans with a heavy slant to Right handers?

Creamy writes...

Yeah I knowm, stupid questions but...

1)When Gargoyles hatch are they infant or toodlers?
2)When first hatched can they crawl right off?
3)At about what time(month)of the year do they hatch?
4)You said that gargoyles nurse. So do the females take turns nursing all the hatchlings or just one?
5)For how long?
6)What age do gargyles usually learn to glide?
7)What did gargoyles do with hatchlings that were deformed or were found to have a mental retardation later on in life?

matt writes...

if a female gargoyle not living or having ever had lived on Avalon happened to have 4 biological children, would you say it was more likely that she either had twins born from one egg, or was able to lay an egg for an extra season as her female rookery siblings? in short, whats more likely, 4 eggs or 3 with one egg being twins?

Jacob writes...

Like you, I'm not a biologist, but this thing about a garg's wings bug me. You said that there are bones inside the wings, though you were not sure. But if there are some, then they can't be like the ones inside the arms or legs. Just watch one episode and you should notice what I mean. To fold them over the shoulders with only two large bones, they must be made of rubber, but that seems pretty unlikely. I would say that either instead of two large bones there are many vertebras, or instead of bones something else like cartilage.

I hope you understand what I mean.

What do your thoughts about it?

matt writes...

can a female gargoyle born, raised and living her life on Avalon generally have more than three eggs in her lifetime if she wanted to?

The Cat writes...

Hi Greg,

Last one from me, for awhile anyway.
Ok, these are about disabilities. I'm disabled and I was wondering about this because it seemed to me that the only gargoyles that had anything wrong with them (such as blindness or missing a limb) aquired it in battle.

1. Are any gargoyls born with problems that cause a disability?(Like, I have heart problems and they caused me to have a stroke when I was 4 years old which caused the right side of my body not to work properly.)
2. Are any gargoyles born blind, mute, deaf or missing any limbs?
3. If yes, what does the rest of the clan do with them?
4. If no, why not?

Ok, I'm being chased off the computer. I better run. Bye.

Gipdac writes...

Can gargoyles make their eyes glow or is it an involuntary action?

matt writes...

ok, another kinda silly question:

is Leo's mane kinda just a beard that most other male gargoyles can grow? could Leo shave it off if he wanted too?
could Goliath or another male garg grow a "mane"? or is that mane not like a beard and strictly genetically connected with the English gargs?

Vashkoda writes...

Hey Greg. I haven't asked you any biology questions in a long time. I know that this topic has a tendency to irk you a little, so I limit myself to one subject: the gargoyles' stone-like skin.

1a) Is this substance more porous (like lava rock) than most kinds of stone (like granite)? I ask because you've said that a gargoyle's weight doesn't change when they transform, yet stone tends to be denser and far heavier than, say, a similar-sized piece of flesh or bone.

1b) If it is more porous, does that mean that it is easier to break apart than most kinds of stone? Would it have a greater tendency to crumble than to break into clean fragments?

2a) Would you say that this stone-like subtance is "alive", in the sense that biological processes are going on inside of it?

2b) If so, then would there be any changes in the substance's cohesion or other properties when a gargoyle dies in their sleep? i.e., does it become easier to break, or more solid? If Goliath and the others were only able to stay in such good shape over the centuries (no erosion by moss or ivy) because they were still "alive", I'm surprised that there were fragments of the Coldtrio preserved well enough to be used by Xanatos and Demona.

3a) Is it the "light energy" (for photosynthesis) or the "heat energy" of sunlight that gets stored and used by the gargoyles?

3b) Where would this energy be stored? Throughout their body, or only in their outer layer of skin where it is captured?

3c) Must it be solar energy, or could they also harvest artifical forms of light?

3d) Can they only capture this energy when they transform into the stone-like substance? (i.e., are the mechanisms needed to capture the energy only present when they are 'stone'?). Can the Mayan gargoyles, for example, still absorb any energy from sunlight when they are awake?

Thanks Greg. I hope this wasn't too painful for you (no more biology questions from me for at least several months, I promise).

Mooncat writes...

If Gargoyles are biologically inclined to take a monogamous mate (as well as traditionally) why is it so easy for Thailog to discard Demona?

Can a gargoyle have physical relations with more than one other gargoyle before the "imprint" sets in? Or does the "imprint" set in during the first full physical relationship?

Anonymous writes...

Care to explain why the gargoyles in the British isles are so different since in London we have animal headed ways, in Loch Ness aquatic gargoyles and in wyvern the generic ishimura/guatemala kind?

icemann writes...

Don`t think this ones been asked be for

Is there any way that technology in the future (2158 and beyond) could bypass the Gargoyles turning to stone? Cause if magic can do it, I can`t see why technology couldn`t replicate the same effect in some way.

matt writes...

both Proto-Mammals and Dinosaurs evolved from Reptiles. Proto-Mammals were very reptilian, but with some very Mammalian characteristics. they laid eggs, but probably nursed their young sometimes too. they lived at the beginning of the age of dinosaurs and most are considered "dinosaurs' in a very broad way, though scientifically they are not. Proto-Mammals would go on to evolve into mammals and what i'm wondering is if they also went to evolve into Gargates. from everything i know and you've told us, they fit the profile. some, like Dimetrodon, even had primative solar radiaters which could have evolved into the ability to store solar energy. in fact, Dimetrodon looks very similar to a garg beast to me, with a sail. i once asked you if gargs were related to Platypus cause of the varied similarities they have, and if Gargates did evolve from Proto-mammals than they were related since platypus is one of the few remaining Proto-Mammals not extinct. are proto-mammals the ancestors of gargates?

matt writes...

in 1996, is Lex and his clone the only gargoyles in the world with their particular wing structure?

if not, what other clans have members with wings like that? Avalon?

Saber writes...

Are humans and gargoyles genetically compatable as far as having children?

kmd writes...

Hi Greg,

First I must say I adore Gargoyles.

I hope these questions don't offend you.

1. Do gargoyles have sex like humans do?

2. If so, do they experience pleasure?

3. Could a human and a gargoyle have sex? (i.e., Goliath and Elisa)

Jacob writes...

I've got a few questions about the wings of a garg:

1) Are there bones inside the wings? Or instead of bones cartilage? Or anything else?

2a) If the answer to 1) is the former, does it mean then that the wings are something like a second pair of arms?
b) But that doesn't seem to be right, because nothing on the wings looks unflexible, in especially when they are "not in use" and laid round the body, or have I just not looked carefully enough to notice anything else?

3) Their wings don't seem to be very thin and light, but more thick and heavy. Is this to prevent major damages like a big hole? Has it any other advantages?

(BTW: How's my English? Because I'm not sure that everything is understandable)

Lord Sloth writes...

I think you said that the loch ness clan live in caves and Grottos. If you didn't, then sorry. If you did, how do the gargs get their solor energy? The same for Demona's clan in 1020 who spent a lot of time in caves.

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

Just got done reading the Greg Weisman section of the archives. Time for a LONG rant.

I wanted to tell you at the gathering, but I forgot. which angers me to no end, because i went on and on about this at work for months before i left for LA. in awakenings, elisa makes the number three on her hand. you said how odd it was that the japanese animation studio had her make three in that particular way, with the thumb, index and middle fingers. the reality is that thats the PROPER way in AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE to make the number three. they must have looked it up to see "how americans do it." what people usually do as three, with the thumb holding down the pinky, is actually "six" in sign language. and the thumb holding down the index finger is "nine" (with the middle being eight and the ring finger being seven.) a 'hitchikers thumb' is ten. :)

speaking of awakenings, the "nice mask" comment isnt in the "movie". i was mad. i pouted all night last night.

re: goliath and elisa needing help to have a child
technically, theyre closely related enough that they prolly could have a child. that child would not be fertile tho. a Stallion and a female donky can have a hinny, a Mare and a male donky can have a mule, but neither a mule nor a hinny can have offspring. though, in your book, a garg and a human may be way farther from eachother than a donkey and a horse. despite the fact that donkeys and horses arent nearly as related as they look.

I know you dont think this way, but humor me for a second. if you were an animal, what would you be? Tore (my fiancee) would be a polarbear. he likes red meat. he likes the cold. he LOOKS like a polarbear, even when hes not overweight. he acts like one. people give him the respect of one. and he's all white collar(fur) on the surface, and blends in with the crowd(snow) but underneath hes jet black(covered in tattoos, a closet freak ;P) it took a long LONG time to find an animal for me. im nocturnal. im cute. im mostly herbiverous, but not completely. i like florida's hot and muggy weather. i sleep a lot. we went through many rodent and lemur species before settling on flying squirrel.

on the topic of what names mean (oh wise one :) my full name is Kelly Leigh Creighton. Kelly started as a gaelic name, i think spelled calleach, pronounced ka-LEE-ack(phlem sound here). Then the irish clan the O'Kellys took the name. and they were a big factor in the liberation of ireland. so it became fashionable to name boys Kelly. then in 1958 i believe, there was an actress named Kelly. so it became okay to name girls kelly. which is more the case now. anyway, Kelly means "warrior of the king" or "female warrior" Leigh is an english word still used today (in britan) which means "meadow". my last name, Creighton, started as a scottish name, and then spread to england and ireland, where it took many diversion such as Crichton, etc. my family roots have been traced to scotland. it means "near the creek." so fully, my name means "Female warrior of the King, in the meadow near the creek." i always wonder if i will find a meadow near a creek with some unmarked grave in it or something.

along the same track, have you seen the gargoyles code? its a long string of letters and symbols that, if you know how to read them, describes one's character. part of the code is for real life, and asks how obsessed you are. the maximum obsession is defined by one who would be willing to be a test subject for a mutagen that might make them a gargoyle. im one of those silly people. are you? doubt it... (thats not meant to be offensive, i just doubt youre that kind of person :)

at the gathering, while talking about all the spinoffs, specifically i think you were talking about 2198, you said "and its really sad that im still working on this." actually, i dont think its sad at all. im pretty happy about it. because it really is something special. and we all believe in you. its pretty cool that youre as obsessed with your own shows as your fans.

i also recently learned that you dont drink, and think smoking is pretty haneous (sp?). that rules. its nice to see other people out there like that, not just in the fandom too. its really rare these days. not that i didnt respect you before, but i really respect that, and in a way, appreciate it.

i read about how you fell out of the bunkbed when you were little. that reminded me of my bunkbet gymnastics. i hate using the ladder, since i can never find it when im sleep walking. (i sleepwalk a LOT). so ive trained myself to grab the bar on the side of the bunk, or if there isnt one, the lip underneat the bunk, and flip over the side to land on the floor. thing is, if i lose my balance i land on the edge of the bunk below, instead of the floor, and wake whoever is sleeping there. usually, though, since im sleepwalking, i wont remember that i did it unless they confront me about it in the morning. so no guilt ;P

on sleepwaling: i have recently discovered that any time someone tells me im dreaming, i get very angry at them and insist im not, even if i am. i have instructed my parents (specifically my mom, my dad did it anyway because he thought it was funny) to just agree with me, pretend i make sense, and send be back off to bed. o_O

ive wanted to tell you about my religion for some time, but ive been a little nervous to, because its a touchy subject with some people. but after reading your views, i feel like i can at least give you a short version, and it shouldnt be too bad. basically i believe that there are an infinite number of universes, all connected by a void. everything is true, in some universe or another. and some things can travel thru the void into other universes. so basically all religions are true, because there are an infinite number of universes. i simply choose to pray to an alternate set of dieties than the normally accepted ones. which isnt to say i put any less faith in God or Budda (sp?), etc. I just choose not to pray to him/them. which i think this kind of falls into your beliefs anyway, since you belive in alternate universes, and that all things are true. which is basically what my religion preaches. so youre Raptorian and didnt even know it ;P

theres actually scientific evidence coming to light to support the "theory" of alternate universes. cold dark matter, morphic fields, time as a fourth dimension, the possible non-existance of time... its fascinating. this thing that i knew all along is now getting proved by science. basically, the theory of cold dark matter states that there is a force in the universe that is more powerful than gravity. but it only partially exists in this universe, so it is hard to see and study. and most of the force it exerts is exerted in another universe, so were not even getting the full effect. morphic feilds is the theory that everything in the universe is connected by lines of force. this explains why when an atom is split, and two electrons go zinging away from eachother at high speed, one can look at the north/south orientation of one electron and know that the other electron is the exact same. because they are connected. which is why dogs know when their owner is comming home, even if the spouse does not. which is why people can sometimes instinctively know that something is wrong with a loved one, even if miles away. why twins, if separated, can still sense what the other is doing, even if they dont have a twin. why sometimes we can predict the future, or get flashes from the past. morphic fields trancend even time. there is also a theory that states that time is the fourth dimension. basically, since were three dimensional creatures, we can see the EDGE of things in TWO dimensions (meaning you can see the edge of a planar surface), and we can COMPREHEND things in the THIRD dimension (you cant see the edge of a 3D object, a coke can for example, the edge curves away from you and you cant see it. technically, it has no edge). fourth dimensional beings could see our EDGE, and comprehend the fourth dimension. we, as 3d creatures, can only measure what we think is the passing of time. a two dimensional creature could only measure the third dimension. of course there is another theory, who's own creator admits that its just a neat theory he came up with and doenst actually believe in. he said that maybe time doesnt exist at all. maybe we think time passes, just like when we watch a movie we think the pictures are going by, but its just many still frames. as in there is an alternate universe for each second in time. and we only think there is motion because at each second, we have the memories of all the things that have passed before. its an interesting theory, but im more inclined to think of time as the fourth dimension.

anyway, im done rambling for the night. please feel free to comment as you see fit, or not at all :)

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

another science question (can you tell i have no life?)
i had a discussion with my biology teacher, specifically regarding the effects of a mutagen. she said it was actually possibly toalter the DNA of a creature, but the metamorphosis would take a long time, since it would only happen as the individual cells divided. some cells divide frewquently, like skin cells. bone cells do not. so basically the metamorphosis would have taken a lot longer. except im assuming sevarius would have taken this into account, and added a stimulant. sorry, not really a question, im just going on and on and on at this point ;P

matt writes...

ok, now that we know for a fact that "nearly amphibious" gargoyles exist, and in Scotland no less, it causes me again to wonder about the aquatic-looking garg of the Avalon clan seen in "Ill met by Moonlight" i swear he looks half gargoyle half fish. he doesn't seem to have the Manta Ray wings described in the Loch Ness clan, but he does have aquatic looking wings (webbed and scaled and the like). he has large fishy looking gills on the sides of his neck, and he has webbed digits! so, would any of the Loch Ness gargs resemble this aquatic gargoyle or are they totally different races of gargoyle?

on a related note, i find it really interesting, but confounding that three distinct races of gargoyles live on the same island, and have for generations! its strange cuz you'd think that races so different from each other would be more geographically seperated, but there they are. and its also interesting how Japanese and Guatemalan gargs look more similar to Wyvern gargs than English do, and perhaps Loch Ness too.

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

1. there is a big difference in the styles of gargs the animation and gargs the comic. notice that the animated gargs have solid hands and feet, with hardened toes and fingers, and in the comics they actually have CLAWS. i can attribute this to the fact that the comic version would be much harder to animate. so, ignoring the out-of-universe explination, which do you prefer, the animated style or the comic style?

my personal opinion- i prefer the animated style. maybe because it came first. maybe because it separates gargs from humans more. maybe because its easier to draw. *shrug*

2. we havent seen them, again because of the obvious irritation in trying to animate them, but do you imagien that theyre are striped and spotted gargoyles? (okay, before I corrected the typos that was stripped and spitted. lol)

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

oh, heres one. someone asked about how much Demona could bench. you gave a smartass response. without giving specific numbers, i had always assumed gargs could basically bench twice the poundage as a human of similar mass. again that goes back to the "gargs are made out of different stuff than humans are" theory. please comment? *expecting smartass response*

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

o.O im a little miffed that im spending so much time in the archives, and yet ppl are still asking questions that are RIGHT HERE... yeesh. sorry if im being annoying asking so many questions, im just in the mood. SO...

1. I noticed that hudson is the only wyvern garg with a scottish accent. why dont the other gargs have one? all four guatamalen gargs have 'guatamalen' accents.

2. the bushido gargs look japanese. the slanted eyes and general face shape, for instance. would you attribute this to perhaps "external forces of the area" forcing both gargs and humans to develop similar facial traits? or something else?

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

oh look, Im at it agian, with yet more science questions (beware, im going thru the smartass archive next ;P)

1. can gargs eyes EVER turn a different color than white or red? i hope so.

2. do all garg eggs look like the wyvern clan's, i.e. purple speckly? (i know youre colorblind, but just give me your opinion :)

3. this stems from a conversation MANY moons ago on IRC, where a large group of fans were trying to decide some garg physiology. we speculated that:
a. they must have bones made of a stronger, lighter material than ours
b. same with muscle, since muscle is so HEAVY
d. perhaps instead of being carbon based with iron blood, they could be based on some other element, with another metallic blood. octopi have copper based blood. its green. it doesnt carry oxygen very well, so they get tired very easily. maybe there is something that works the other way :)

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

just another FYI

I was watching discovery, learning about human relationships. a theory says that way back when humans were hunter/gatherers, a pair would mate, and stay together long enough for the offspring to no longer "burden" its parents. then the pair would split, and find new mates, therefore keeping a large range of genetic possibilities.

the theory further stats that modern humans seem to have kept this behavior somewhat, which explains the trouble so many humans have staying with a life mate.

another part of the theory says that humans generally have three marriages: the first for sex, the second for children, the third for comanionship.

so gargoyles combine all three into one. cool. but again, that hurts their genetic diversity :)

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

again, looking thru the science archives, someone asked
"3. *DO* the other gargs need to shave? "
and you responded
"3. Not Angela. "

does that mean gargoyles grow ONLY facial and head hair? no underarm hair or leg hair for females to shave? or do they grow such hair, and not shave because theyre not under the same "social obligation" (i can think of no other term for it) as human females?

LeFay182 writes...

I haven't seen the show like a million years. But, I still remember loving it. I just had one question; Do Gargoyles eggs turn to stone in the day time? Thanks

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

I was just reading the "scientific posts" and Im wondering about something. You make several references to "whateveryone considers to be dinosaurs" versus "what are really dinosaurs." so lets classift: there are the protomammals, which include demitridon (which Im not sure if im spelling that right), the sprawling legged reptile-esque creature with the large sail on it's back. Dinosaurs didnt actually evolve anywhere near demitridon's line, as he eventually became rodents (or so say scientists, due to the structre of its skull). there are also the "swimming reptiles" which lived at the time of the dinosaurs, and the "flying reptiles" which also lived at that time. SO, given that Ive just split the group into its perspective parts, where to gargates fall in? protomammals? something else that wasnt actually a DINOSAUR, but existed before the dinos, and from which dinos didnt actually evolve?
(okay, you found my other obsession, i give in.)

Kelly L Creighton/Kya White Sapphire writes...

Im sure someone must have asked this before, but there is no "stone sleep" section in the archive, so:

do gargoyles dream when in the stone sleep?

Anonymous writes...

Did the gargoyles contributed to the mermaid legends considering that there are actually amphibious gargoyles?