100 Days of Summer - Day 7

Call it What you Want

on a building in Stuttgart

You can argue what this is called. Most would say it is a gargoyle. A true gargoyle (per the definition) is a carved stone grotesque with a spout design to direct water from a roof or from the sides of buildings to prevent eroding. It is hard to tell if it has a spout or not, but since this isn't on a roof and sits out from the wall, it seems unlikely.

So maybe we should just call it a grotesque? I look up the definition of grotesque and one of the points is this: the grotesque forms on Gothic buildings, when not used as drain-spouts, should not be called gargoyles, but rather referred to simply as grotesques, or chimeras.

Look up chimera and you'll find this: a fantastic, mythical or grotesque figure used for decorative purposes. Yep. That seems to fit. However, that's not what the little girl said to her mother as they passed by. She pointed up at it and said, "Look at that grumpy dinosaur" as if she were scolding him. Call it what you want.