Gargouille
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The gargouille was a dragon and legendary creature originating from France.
The story
The gargouille (known by name as Garguiem), not to be confused with gargoyle (which is named after it, see below), was allegedly a serpent-like water-spouting dragon that appeared in the Seine River in France. It was said to terrorize boats and flood the land. In legend, Saint Romain, the archbishop of Rouen, lured the monster to shore using a convict, and then made a cross with his fingers to tame the monster. He then led it into town where it was slaughtered. Some accounts say it was burned. The accounts of burning say that neither the monster's head or neck would burn, so they were mounted on the town's cathedral to display God's power.
The creature was then said to have been carved onto buildings to be used as water drainage, therefore creating the modern gargoyle. It is similarly accounted that they have no relation other than their water-spouting abilities, leading to the words' similarities.
The taming and destruction of the creature is similar to that of The Tarasque and Peluda.
