NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Gargoyle clan

In the fictional universe of Disney's animated television series, Gargoyles, a gargoyle clan is the traditional family unit used by the gargoyle species. Disney empire The name Disney may refer to several aspects of the entertainment empire of The Walt Disney Company: The Walt Disney Company Walt Disney Pictures, the companys flagship motion picture studio Walt Disney Feature Animation, part of Walt Disney Pictures and The Walt Disney Company Walt Disney Studios... An animated television series or cartoon television series is a television series produced by means of animation. ... The principal characters of Gargoyles, from left to right: Bronx, Hudson, Goliath, Lexington, Broadway (behind), Brooklyn. ...

Biology

Members of the clan are not necesarily related biologically (bloodlines are shown to mean little to most gargoyles during the course of the series). Nevertheless, the gargoyles in a clan will consider themselves members of a single extended family, often referring to others of their generation as "Rookery Brothers" or "Rookery Sisters". This reflects the fact that gargoyles are hatched from eggs, which are stored communally in a rookery. As such, parents are never certain which of the hatchlings is their biological offspring. Rather, hatchlings are "children of the entire clan".

The creator of the series, Greg Weisman, has stated that he considers gargoyles to be naturally attuned to the planet's rhythms. As such, female gargoyles will become fertile on the autumnal equinox every twentieth year, and will lay a single egg on the following spring equinox. All of the eggs will be stored together in the clan's rookery, and the communal hatching occurs ten years later. Greg Weisman (1963-) is an American television animation writer and producer most famous as the creator of the acclaimed animated television series, Gargoyles. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox The autumnal equinox (or fall equinox) is known as the September equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and as the March equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. ... In astronomy, the vernal equinox (spring equinox, March equinox, or northward equinox) is the equinox at the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere: the moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator, heading northward. ...

Known clans

Besides the Manhattan Clan which is the focus of the series, several other clans were introduced during the second season of the show. In the show's continuity, gargoyles had once been an abundant species that had dwindled in modern night. Only a few clans had survived, each for different reasons.

Each clan had different physiological and cultural differences, many based upon where in the world they were located. Despite this, it has been categorically stated that even members of diverse clans are more closely related to each other than any other species.

Manhattan Clan

The six gargoyle warriors comprising the Manhattan Clan are the protagonists of the series. They managed to survive through to the modern time with the aid of a magic spell that froze them in stone for a thousand years. Originally members of the Wyvern Clan in Scotland, they now live in New York City. The protagonist is the central figure of a story, and is often referred to as a storys main character. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ...

Avalon Clan

Another offshoot of the Wyvern Clan, the Avalon Clan consisted of the 36 eggs that were rescued from Castle Wyvern by Princess Katharine, the castle's Magus, and two commoners: Tom and his mother. Katherine, the Magus and Tom (later called The Guardian) transported the eggs to the mythical isle of Avalon, where a day spent equates to only an hour in the "real" world. There, the eggs hatched and grew to adulthood, cared for by the three humans that had rescued them but untouched by the rest of the world. Most of the gargoyles in the Avalon clan were named after angels by Katherine. Avalon is a legendary island somewhere in the British Isles, famous for its beautiful apples. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is an ethereal being (meaning it is of the air)whose duties are to assist and serve God or the gods of many religious traditions. ...

The Avalon Clan was introduced to the show when Tom (now the elderly Guardian of the Eggs) arrived in Manhattan searching for Goliath, to see if he had been woken from his stone slumber. Goliath, along with the human Elisa Maza and the gargoyle beast Bronx, travelled to Avalon and helped save the clan from attack by the Archmage. This article is about Gargoyles, the animated television show. ...

Angela later stated that she had "fifteen rookery sisters" on Avalon, meaning that the remaining twenty gargoyles were male.

Gabriel

Gabriel, named for the Archangel Gabriel, is the leader of the Avalon Clan (though he gives deference to Katherine, the Magus and Tom as his Rookery Parents). Biologically, he is the son of the gargoyle now called Coldstone, though neither of them is aware of this. Gabriel delivering the Annunciation. ... Coldstone is a character in the Disney animated series Gargoyles (animated series). ...

Ophelia

Ophelia, named for the character in the Shakespeare play Hamlet, is Gabriel's mate (and, since Angela joined the ranks of the Manhattan Clan, also his second-in-command). William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare and one of his most well-known and oft-quoted plays. ...

Angela

Angela, Gabriel's original second, left the island along with Goliath, Elisa and Bronx to see the world and eventually joined the Manhattan Clan. See Manhattan Clan#Angela for more information.

London Clan

The London Clan resemble creatures of heraldry. Unlike other clans, they appear very much like anthropomorphised animals with wings. In the show, only three members of the clan were introduced, running a magic shop in London for income (customers are said to believe that their bizarre appearances are costumes), though other members of the clan do live on an estate outside the city. Heraldry is the science and art of describing coats-of-arms, also referred to as achievements or armorial bearings. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ...

Griff

A warrior during World War II, the griffin-like gargoyle called Griff disappeared during the Battle of Britain and was presumed dead. In fact, he had been transported to the future by Goliath, using the time-travelling Phoenix Gate. Once in his old home again he was reunited with his friends Leo and Una, and encouraged them to once again take up defending the city. World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb. ... Roman griffon, Turkey The griffin (also spelled gryphon, gryphen, griffon or gryphin) is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle with the addition of prominent ears, traditionally termed asss ears. The female has the wings of an eagle. ... A major campaign of World War II, the Battle of Britain is the name for the attempt by Germanys Luftwaffe the German airforce to gain air superiority of British airspace andthe Royal Air Force (RAF). ...

Griff later encountered the wayward King Arthur Pendragon in Westminster Abbey (the king had broken in and Griff assumed he was a vandal before learning the truth). He helped Arthur retrieve the sword Excalibur from New York City, and was later dubbed as the first of Arthur's new knights. The Abbeys western facade The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to as Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral, in Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. ... Excalibur, as imagined in the poster art for the 1981 movie of the same name. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ...

Leo and Una

Leo and Una, who resemble a lion and a unicorn respectively, run the magic shop that provides income for the clan. Una, voiced by Sarah Douglas, is also the leader of the clan, and a powerful magic user. The two of them had refused to join Griff when he went out to fight in the Battle of Britain and they were devastated when he did not return, becoming cynical. Due to a predestination paradox, they blamed Goliath for the disppearance, as he had appeared at the shop before the battle and left wih Griff. They managed to forgive Goliath when he brought Griff forward in time (thus causing the disappearance in the first place) and reunited the trio. Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ... The gentle and pensive virgin has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 The unicorn is a legendary creature embodied like a horse, but slender and with a single â€” usually spiral â€” horn growing out of its forehead. ... Sarah Douglas (born December 12, 1952) is an English actress, most notable for playing strong villainessess in 1980s science fiction movies. ... A major campaign of World War II, the Battle of Britain is the name for the attempt by Germanys Luftwaffe the German airforce to gain air superiority of British airspace andthe Royal Air Force (RAF). ... A predestination paradox, also called a causal loop or causality loop, is a paradox of time travel that is often used as a convention in science fiction. ...

Ishimura Clan

Ishimura Clan are the gargoyle residents of a small village in Japan. Unlike most other clans, the Ishimura gargoyles live in harmony with humans (much as Wyvern Clan did long ago). They live by the code of bushido, which they teach to humans. The clan is fairly prolific. The leader of the clan is Kai, and his second was Yama until Yama's exile. Yama was known to have a mate called Sora. Bushido (Japanese: æ¦å£«é“; bushidÅ, way of the warrior), is an ethical code of conduct, analogous to the European concept of Chivalry. ...

Guatemala Clan

The Guatemala Clan are the protectors of the rainforest of Guatemala. Shortly before their appearance on the show, the clan was attacked by humans seeking to cut down the rainforest, and all but four of the gargoyles were killed (the clan's eggs were also spared). The surviving four managed to do so with the help of four amulets, which, along with the Sun Amulet, allowed them to remain flesh during the day instead of turning to stone. The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ...

Hector Elizondo (born December 22, 1936 in New York City) is a Puerto Rican-American actor. ... Sapphire is the single-crystal form of aluminium oxide (Al2O3), a mineral known as corundum. ... Quetzalcoatl (feathered snake, in Nahuatl: Ketsalkoatl, in Spanish: QuetzalcÃ³atl) is the Nahuatl name for the Feathered-Serpent deity of ancient Mesoamerica, one of the main gods of many Mexican and northern Central American civilizations. ... Obsidian from Lake County, Oregon Top stone is obsidian, below that is pumice and in lower right hand is rhyolite (light color) Obsidian is a type of naturally occurring glass, produced from volcanoes when a fluid felsic lava cools rapidly and freezes without sufficient time for crystal growth, for example... A selection of antique, hand-crafted Chinese jadeite jade buttons Jade An ornamental stone, jade is a name applied to two different silicate minerals. ... Turquoise (or turquois) is opaque, blue-to-green hydrated copper aluminium phosphate mineral according to the chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8Â·5H2O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been enjoyed as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique...

Unknown clans

As well as these clans, several clans have been referenced on the show or mentioned by the show's creators, though they were never seen during the series. These clans include:

Further, creator Greg Weisman has stated that more clans would have been created had he had a chance to continue the series. These clans include: Loch Ness (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Nis) is a large, deep freshwater lake (known in Scotland as a loch) in the Scottish Highlands, extending for approximately 37 km (23 miles) southwest of Inverness. ... Xanadu or Shangdu (Chinese: ä¸Šéƒ½; pinyin: ) was the summer capital of Kublai Khans Mongol Empire, which covered much of Asia. ... Greg Weisman (1963-) is an American television animation writer and producer most famous as the creator of the acclaimed animated television series, Gargoyles. ...

Category: Gargoyles The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Timeline of Scottish history Caledonia List of not fully sovereign nations Subdivisions of Scotland National parks (Scotland) Traditional music of Scotland Flower of Scotland Wars of Scottish Independence National Trust for Scotland Historic houses in Scotland Castles in Scotland Museums in Scotland Abbeys and priories in Scotland Gardens in Scotland... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ...