Latest / Journey to the Fringe / The Stone Age of Cryptids

Transcript

The Stone Age of Cryptids · Journey to the Fringe

0:03
From the unexplained to the mundane, come join
0:06
us on a journey to the fringe. Hello and welcome
0:15
to Journey to the Fringe. Pro Orca, just in case
0:18
they ask or someone happens to be blaring this
0:20
podcast out from an ocean voyaging yacht. I feel
0:23
it's important we at least put it in, I guess,
0:25
a hearable form for the Orcas. I don't think
0:28
they're going to bother learning an inferior
0:29
language. Yeah, what if they start blasting Journey
0:32
to the French to keep the orcas away because
0:34
they think that they're on their side? In which
0:37
case, should we say right now? No, I think the
0:40
orcas are smart enough to be able to differentiate
0:42
somebody pleading for a truce or at least not
0:45
to be hung by them versus the people on the ship.
0:47
You're right. They can identify the rudder. They
0:49
can identify who's a friend and who's an enemy.
0:52
I think so. Yeah, I think they just feel it out.
0:54
Anyhow, we are your podcast hosts, Taylor and
0:56
Chelsea, here today with a Chelsea episode. And
0:59
that's, I think, unless it's orca related, I'll
1:01
let her take over. If it was orca related, were
1:05
you going to just do the orca? Yeah. It's kind
1:08
of like going into the pile for go fish and getting
1:10
what you want. You just continue. Yeah, yeah.
1:13
Wildly speculating. I would generally say that
1:17
my favorite bro is the Mothman. However. In saying
1:20
Mothman, I feel like I'm boxing myself in a little
1:24
because I found out that there's a whole wide
1:27
world of winged humanoid cryptid type beings
1:30
that I would love just as much as Mothman. And
1:34
I say love loosely because it's based on a fear
1:37
-based love. And I also say it loosely because
1:40
I don't want Mothman to hear me and seek out
1:43
his revenge later. Today, I thought I should
1:46
expand my horizons. Let's take a look at one
1:50
of the other options of winged humanoids. Today,
1:53
that option is gargoyle. In contemporary fiction,
1:57
gargoyles are typically depicted as generally
2:00
winged humanoid race with demonic features, generally
2:04
horns, a tail, talons, may or may not have a
2:08
beak. Yeah, that come to life in the night, and
2:11
I believe they fight crime over New York. Yeah.
2:14
Yeah. Yeah, so we're talking about the same gargoyle.
2:18
Gargoyles can generally use their wings if they
2:21
have any to fly or glide as wings generally work
2:25
and are often depicted as having a rocky hide
2:29
or being capable of turning into stone in one
2:34
way or another. of reference to their structural
2:36
roots if they don't have wings they will scale
2:40
the building's outer walls and either walk the
2:43
streets at night it seems so much less scary
2:45
if they're just walking See, I think that would
2:48
be worse because they can be way closer to you
2:50
if that's the case. Really? Do you think? Oh,
2:53
yeah. I don't know. I seem to picture it as less
2:55
menacing because the wings give them super power.
2:58
Well, they still have the wings. They're walking.
3:00
They're just like everyone else. But they still
3:02
have the wings. They're huge. Not the ones that
3:05
walk. They don't have wings. They don't? Or do
3:08
you think they're like ostriches? They're just
3:10
too bottom heavy. And they're just for decoration.
3:13
Huh. I never thought of it that way. I mean,
3:16
I guess when you look up, when you look at like
3:18
gargoyles on churches, I guess not all of them
3:20
have wings and they're like, some of them are
3:23
what, like two feet tall. I guess those ones
3:25
seeing walking around would just be really troublesome.
3:28
But like, I just assume they all had wings. It
3:31
was my assumption fully. I just, do you think
3:34
they're jealous of the guys that do have wings?
3:36
Oh yeah. Especially like the two foot tall ones.
3:39
Like they're going to have to deal with a lot
3:41
of inferiority complex. Like, yeah, yeah. I don't
3:44
know what they're better at. Maybe they're good
3:46
listeners. I don't know. They'll walk the streets
3:51
at night or they'll just go inside the building.
3:53
I don't know why. Gargoyles are known to protect
3:55
buildings from evil spirits. Gargoyle comes from
3:59
the French. Oh, God, I meant to find this out.
4:02
Now you have me guessing. Gargoyle? Probably
4:06
not French at all, what I just said. But here
4:10
we are, unprepared. Which in English is likely
4:12
to mean throat or is otherwise known as the gullet.
4:16
Latin gargula or gullet or throat. And similar
4:21
words derived from the root gar to swallow, which
4:25
represent the gurgling sound of water. I guess
4:27
that makes sense that water is passing through
4:30
their throat. So they're just saying like quite
4:32
literal. Yeah. Obviously gargoyles are known
4:36
as a part of architecture. The term gargoyle
4:39
refers to figures carved specifically to drain
4:43
water away from the sides of buildings. I think
4:47
I ordered this wrong, but we're getting gullet,
4:50
throat, swallow, all going back to how they were
4:55
directing water away from buildings. And they've
4:58
been around for a long time. Even going back
5:01
to ancient Egypt in the form of a lion head at
5:05
that time, and then Gothic architecture, we see
5:08
more of a gargoyle as we know it today, carved
5:12
or formed grotesque. I really like that everybody
5:16
throughout history seems to agree, no, you got
5:18
to make where the water goes fancy, like somebody's
5:21
spitting it. You have to do it in the form of
5:24
an animal, and it's coming out of their mouth.
5:27
Like they're spitting it. It's one of those things
5:31
that defies cultures and time. A grotesque is
5:35
a broader version of a gargoyle, and I found
5:39
the architectural history so interesting of grotesques.
5:43
Grotesques often depict whimsical, mythical creatures
5:47
in dramatic or humorous ways. They have historically
5:51
been a key element of architecture in many periods,
5:54
including the Renaissance and medieval periods,
5:57
and have stylistically developed in conjunction
6:00
with these times. Although grotesques typically
6:03
depict a wide range of subjects, they are often
6:06
hybrids of different mythical human and animalistic
6:09
features, which is funny that I'm reading that
6:12
when we were in Barcelona, there's a building
6:15
that had a bunch of gargoyles on the side of
6:18
it. One of them was a unicorn. Well, and it's
6:22
funny they're saying like an animal creature
6:23
when like a gargoyle isn't really an animal per
6:26
se. Like the Egyptians used lions. And yeah,
6:29
I guess you could say a gargoyle is like animal
6:30
shaped, but it's not like depicting a specific
6:32
real animal. Yeah, so gargoyle is a type of grotesque,
6:37
which is, I don't know if the ancient Egyptian
6:39
ones fell under that, but we're splitting hairs.
6:43
Many scholars describe grotesques as being used
6:46
to ward off evil and as reminders of the separation
6:50
of the earth and the divine. Grotesques are predominantly
6:53
carved into buildings of religious significance,
6:56
in particular churches and cathedrals. Despite
6:59
their presence in religious spaces, their anthropomorphic
7:03
designs are largely not directly religious and
7:07
instead are often more whimsical without religious
7:10
connotations. commonly exist on high ledges and
7:14
rooftops and are frequently positioned out of
7:17
view from common areas. There are divided ideas
7:21
as to the purpose of adding gargoyles to religious
7:24
structures. Some state that gargoyles were meant
7:27
to illustrate evil and sin, while others have
7:30
posited that protests in architecture were apotrophic
7:35
devices. In the 12th century, before the use
7:38
of gargoyles as rain spouts, Saint Bernard of
7:41
Clairvaux was famous for speaking out against
7:44
gargoyles carved on the walls of his monastery's
7:47
cloister. St. Bernard emphasizes the absurdity
7:51
of these beastly figures, pointing out their
7:53
strange combinations of bodily parts. St. Bernard
7:57
was a... Oh, the dog guy. I guess so. Was he
8:01
a dog by chance? He was. He spoke out against
8:05
them, saying things like woof and grr. St. Bernard
8:10
were Cistercian, meaning he was unimpressed by
8:14
the more ornate and expressive decoration used
8:17
in any given cathedral church. Because of this,
8:20
he was repulsed by gargoyles and found them insulting
8:23
to the church. Gargoyles, traditionally believed
8:26
to ward off spirits, have inspired various interpretations
8:29
over time. Some view them as remnants of pagan
8:33
mythology, while others suggest they were designed
8:36
to imitate humans rather than demons. Yeah. Yeah,
8:39
I guess that makes sense. Why would demons be
8:42
intimidated by things that look like them, after
8:44
all? Yeah. Such as the acid -spewing gargoyles
8:48
at Amiens, meant to deter wrongdoers. Anthropomorphic
8:53
gargoyles like harpies or cynocephali symbolize
8:56
the punishment of sinners. Others serve purely
8:59
decorative roles, like the monkey statue of Jacques
9:02
Poirot's palace, reflecting the personal tastes
9:05
of exotic influences. Ultimately, gargoyles likely
9:08
held different meanings depending on their context
9:11
and viewers should avoid assigning a single purpose
9:15
to all of them. As Lester Brittenham cautioned,
9:18
gothic sculpture is, yeah. He said we shouldn't
9:21
assign like one purpose to all of them, but isn't
9:24
like every one of their purpose to spew water?
9:26
Like name wise? Yeah, I was going to say that
9:28
once I got to the end. I'm pretty sure that was
9:33
the purpose of them. Sounds like some of the
9:35
people just didn't like the way they looked.
9:37
Maybe it scared them. Maybe. Maybe that's the
9:40
person who came up with this intimidates me and
9:41
not the demons. Yeah, maybe. As Lester Burbank
9:46
Bordaham cautioned, Gothic sculpture is rich
9:49
in symbolism, but over -interpretation should
9:52
be avoided. Don't, you ever hear that? Like in
9:55
art history or something? Don't think too much
9:56
about it. Don't, don't overthink this. It's Gothic
9:59
sculpture. it is not to be overthought if anything
10:03
don't overthink gothic architecture a french
10:07
legend tells of saint romanus a 7th century bishop
10:11
of rowan rowan who saved the region from a fire
10:17
-breathing dragon called lagargui described as
10:21
having bat -like wings and a long neck. The beast
10:24
was either subdued by Romanus with a crucifix
10:27
or captured with help from a condemned man. Though
10:30
the monster was burned, its fire -hardened head
10:34
and neck survived and were mounted on the church
10:36
to ward off evil. In honor of the saint, Rune's
10:41
archbishops gained the right to free a prisoner
10:45
during his annual procession. Would you want
10:48
that? Yeah. Okay. I mean, I guess you could sell
10:51
it for money at a certain point. Oh, hold on.
10:54
Hold on. What part of that are you asking if
10:56
I want? Oh, no, the reward of getting to free
10:58
a prisoner once a year. No, I don't think so.
11:00
No, that feels like a weird responsibility. And
11:02
like, I don't know. I don't think I would do
11:05
the research, and I would feel guilty about that.
11:07
I don't know. You know what, though? In my mind,
11:10
and this is my mind, and if this is the times
11:14
of old, I just picture everyone in a prison like
11:17
Aladdin, and they're all just, like, good -hearted
11:19
young men who were just... There's diamonds in
11:21
the rough. ...to their family. So, yeah, who
11:24
are actually diamonds in the rough. But then
11:25
are you actually... Are you going to put the
11:26
effort in, or are you going to feel like, I don't
11:28
know, last minute, you're going to try to, like,
11:30
guess? Or are you going to just accept, like,
11:32
whoever pays you to say like my kid didn't do
11:34
this here's 20 bucks free them it could be a
11:37
mix of both i'm just gonna like it depends it
11:40
doesn't feel like a reward it feels like a responsibility
11:43
It does. And it depends on what I have going
11:47
on in my life in that time, I've got to say.
11:50
And how much thought and time I had to put into
11:53
that thought. But also now that I think about
11:56
it, they didn't seem to put any like asterisks
11:59
on that power. So you could the day before get
12:03
to use that power. You could go commit any crime
12:06
that the punishment isn't like instant death.
12:08
And then you could say, I'm the person I want
12:10
to free. That's true. But I mean, you're putting
12:13
a lot. The town's probably all prisoners. You
12:17
don't know how many prisoners there are. That
12:19
would be banking on that you're the only prisoner.
12:21
No, you get to pick. Right? Oh, if you picked.
12:24
Oh, yeah. I'd be the one committing all the crime.
12:26
I mean, you don't want to spend like the whole
12:28
year in there, but like you just commit close
12:30
to your like annual I get to pick and then just
12:33
say it's me. I pick me. Yeah. Do you know how
12:35
many people I'd be threatening in those few days
12:38
coming up to the procession? Like, don't fuck
12:40
with me. I could murder anyone and let myself
12:44
out of jail in two days. We could only wish.
12:48
Times were so simple. Anyhow. I know I did describe
12:52
what gargoyles look like a little bit, but I'm
12:55
going to do it again. Because this is about gargoyles
12:58
after all, and I feel like you really need to
13:00
know what they look like. They're creatures who
13:02
ward off evil spirits and presents. Sorry, I
13:06
was expecting the next words out of your mouth
13:08
to be like, Disney describes gargoyles as...
13:11
In Aladdin. I don't know why it said presence
13:16
there churches often had these creatures on the
13:19
roof to ward off the devil and demons somewhere
13:23
along the way gargoyles were seen as evil and
13:26
were taken down somewhere along the way they
13:29
were also used to divert water off the rooftop
13:32
are they Did I cover this? It's my episode. Were
13:36
they used as decoration? Yeah. Maybe I'll talk
13:40
about it. It seems like they're implying that
13:42
they were later used as decoration. Well, they
13:45
are. Yeah. And like the whole point is like to
13:47
make the water falling look fancier as if it's
13:49
being spit out by some ungodly demon like thing.
13:53
Exactly. Who doesn't like that? I'm surprised
13:56
we don't use them to this day on houses. I really
13:58
wish we did. I actually have a couple gargoyles
14:01
in my house and they are not doing that. They
14:03
are just purely to keep the evil spirits. I feel
14:06
like it's one of those industries that just priced
14:08
itself out of the average person's expenditure.
14:11
True. Yeah. You would need a mason to do that.
14:15
Gargoyles are guardians, protectors, and they
14:18
do no harm to anyone. Gargoyles are often seen
14:21
as evildoers and often hide in the shadows to
14:24
do this, which is directly contradicting what
14:27
I just said. Gargoyles have been known to step
14:30
in the light for someone strongly willing to
14:33
see them and have been known to bond with anyone
14:35
who truly believes they are good. Oh man, so
14:38
like this is all just evidence that none of us
14:40
truly believe enough, I guess? I really... do
14:44
feel like i do believe in them yeah or did like
14:47
most people that listen to this podcast have
14:49
like a very different understanding of garcoils
14:51
and they're like yeah these things are real like
14:53
you just like them so much and we're just the
14:55
outsiders who don't think of them as anything
14:57
but stone It's really hard to say. A gargoyle
15:03
is a creature that comes to life during the night
15:06
and turns to stone during the day. They are often
15:09
to be believed by many to be alive and can see
15:13
through their stone exterior. Those who truly
15:16
have respect for such a creature tend to bow
15:19
their heads in respect and the creature often
15:21
will return their respect. Hmm. See, now I don't
15:25
do that. I've never bowed my head to a gargoyle.
15:28
Not even the ones in my house. the gargoyle can
15:31
be of any shape and size some have beaks others
15:34
have hooves there are many different types of
15:37
gargoyles but the most common are the feline
15:40
looking ones with chains on their necks while
15:43
the chain means a few things the most common
15:46
one is control to chain a beast is to control
15:49
the beast Gargoyles, while enjoy being bonded
15:53
to someone, often do not like being controlled.
15:55
They also will never harm anyone in any way for
15:58
anyone. Gargoyles are often the best guardians
16:01
and protectors because not much can harm them.
16:04
And you know, in just thinking about it, this
16:06
isn't a part of my notes or any of the research
16:08
that I've done, but when you look at architecture,
16:11
there's nothing really other than a gargoyle
16:15
that is put onto a building like a gargoyle.
16:18
And of course, anything that has a face i would
16:21
say just theorizing here you would think something
16:24
on a building like that would be given realistic
16:28
characteristics that they come alive at night
16:30
or something like that because well especially
16:32
when you make them like creepy like that yeah
16:35
i mean even if it wasn't like oh i guess they're
16:37
statues i don't think that there are statues
16:41
do do people think of statues like that I think
16:44
there's one episode of Doctor Who where it's
16:47
like the entire concept of the episode is when
16:49
nobody's looking at a statue, they can move.
16:52
Yeah, like today's special. Like you put on a
16:54
hat. Who I'm sure stole it from Swedenberg or
16:57
something. Probably. I'm focusing on gargoyles
17:00
in this episode. There are other popular legends
17:03
around them that I'm not going to focus on too
17:06
much here, but here is a little snippet for your
17:09
consideration. Golems. They are usually made
17:12
of magically animated or transformed stone. but
17:16
have animal or chimera traits and are often guardians
17:20
of a place such as a cathedral or castle. They
17:23
can also be depicted as vessels for demonic possession
17:26
or as a living species resembling statues. Most
17:30
fictional gargoyles throughout the 20th century
17:33
have been evil creatures or horror villains,
17:36
but the notion of gargoyles as heroic defenders
17:39
gained popularity in the 1990s following the
17:43
animated series Gargoyles. And it is not uncommon
17:47
to see them depicted as sympathetic characters
17:50
who may work together with humans. Yeah, you
17:52
know what? Now that I think about it, there's
17:54
not that many works of like movies or TV shows
17:58
that I can think of where gargoyles are bad guys.
18:02
Despite the fact they look like bad guys. Yeah.
18:04
And I think that just comes back to the legends
18:08
around it that they're protectors. With that
18:11
being said, let's talk sightings. The best part
18:14
of any episode. And before we go too far, I'm
18:17
pretty sure one of the Mothman sightings in Chicago
18:19
described it as gargoyle -like. Yeah. Okay, good.
18:23
It did. I think that's a part of what's happening
18:25
in Chicago as well. And I do talk about that
18:29
a little bit. I think. Yeah. Well, what with
18:31
the Pope being from there and all. Is that why
18:33
they picked him? Is that why they've been rising
18:35
up so much? Is because the Pope needs to be from
18:37
there or they'll keep rising or something? Did
18:39
the gargoyles elect him? Hold on. How many gargoyles
18:43
are on the Catholic Church? The Vatican. Is it
18:47
run by gargoyles? We'll never know. They would
18:51
never tell us. Now let's talk sightings. First,
18:54
I'm going to focus on a rather large encounter
18:57
of the butler gargoyle in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
19:02
the butler gargoyle is described as a towering
19:05
winged humanoid with a grotesque appearance this
19:09
creature has been cited sporadically since at
19:12
least 2011 with some accounts stretching back
19:15
to the early 1990s but is this creature a genuine
19:19
paranormal entity a product of folklore or simply
19:23
a case of mistaken identity let's dive into the
19:27
mystery of the butler gargoyle and uncover what
19:29
makes it one of pennsylvania's most most intriguing
19:32
cryptids. The butler gargoyle is a cryptid primarily
19:35
associated with the towns of Chikora, East Brady,
19:39
Rimsburg, and Keppel's Corner. Witnesses describe
19:43
it as a humanoid creature standing seven to nine
19:46
feet tall with a muscular build, leather -like
19:50
or pale grayish skin, and bat -like wings. Its
19:54
head is often reported as flat or resembling
19:57
a bicycle helmet. Well, those are two very weird
20:00
things. Sometimes with a ridge or pointed ears
20:03
and its face has been described as smashed, swept
20:06
up, or even absent. The creature's claw -like
20:10
hands, backward bent legs, and deliberate movements
20:13
contribute to its eerie demonic appearance, earning
20:17
it comparisons to traditional gargoyles and even
20:20
the Mothman. Unlike many cryptids, the butler
20:23
gargoyle appears unafraid of humans, with witnesses
20:26
noting its calm, purposeful demeanor. It is typically
20:30
sighted at night or twilight, often crossing
20:33
roads, standing in fields, or disappearing into
20:36
woods, adding to its mystique as a creature of
20:39
the shadows. So let's talk the first documented
20:41
sighting. The most widely recognized first sighting
20:45
of the butler gargoyle occurred March 18, 2011.
20:49
on a rural road between chikora and east brady
20:52
in butler county a business it's always a business
20:55
a businessman driving at night initially mistook
21:00
the creature for a deer oh but was stunned to
21:04
see an eight foot tall figure cross the road
21:06
in just three steps He described it as muscular
21:10
with leather -like skin, darker tan or light
21:13
brown, to be clear, a flat head with a ridge,
21:17
pointed ears, claw -like hands, and wings tucked
21:20
against his body. He is seeing incredible detail
21:23
on this. The creature did not look at him and
21:26
walked into the woods, leaving the witness shaken.
21:29
The encounter was reported to paranormal researcher
21:32
Stan Gordon as noted in Cryptid Quest. Sounds
21:36
very official. Some sources, such as Cryptid
21:39
Wiki, mention an earlier sighting in June 1993
21:42
near Allentown, Allegheny County, where a group,
21:47
including a man named John, his girlfriend's
21:50
son, and son's fiancee, saw a seven -foot -tall
21:53
creature while looking out at Baker's Point.
21:56
This creature was described as fur covered with
21:59
wings, a protruding jaw. He had an underbite.
22:02
and muscular legs, and walk past their car without
22:06
fear before flying away. However, this sighting
22:10
is less detailed, differs in description, fur
22:12
versus leather -like skin, and is in a different
22:15
county, which makes me wonder if it wasn't of
22:18
a related but different creature. Maybe a flying
22:20
Bigfoot, perhaps. You know, I wouldn't rule that
22:22
out. Maybe they're just not reporting on the
22:25
Bigfoot with wings. The 2011 sighting remains
22:28
the primary starting point due to its detailed
22:31
documentation and subsequent reports, and I would
22:35
agree that first sighting the detail on that's
22:37
incredible following the initial march 18 2011
22:41
sighting several other reports emerged in butler
22:44
county suggesting a cluster of encounters these
22:48
were documented by stan gordon and shared on
22:50
platforms like phantoms and monsters march 26
22:53
2011 keppel's corner two witnesses stopped their
22:57
car in shock as they saw an eight foot tall dark
23:00
tan creature with a smashed face muscular build
23:03
Long arms, claws, and wings leap across the road.
23:07
The witnesses were so convinced of their sighting
23:10
that they offered to take a lie detector test
23:12
march 2011 east brady a motorcycle rider approximately
23:17
75 feet away encountered an eight to nine foot
23:22
tall creature with very dark leather skin swept
23:24
up eyes a pointed head wings and muscular build
23:28
the creature bolted into the woods and the witness
23:31
described it as straight from hell i'm just picturing
23:34
what he just described and i don't even know
23:36
what swept up eyes and a pointed head would even
23:38
look like What? March 2011, Rimsburg. Two witnesses
23:44
about 35 feet away saw a nine foot tall creature
23:47
with dark brown skin, long arms, broad shoulders,
23:51
a pointed head, another pointed head, flat forehead,
23:54
pointed ears, bat -like wings. I gotta say, the
23:57
descriptions that you're giving for all these,
23:59
it's very hard for me to envision, but I'm sure
24:01
they seem natural when you're actually seeing
24:03
it. Well, when you're seeing it, you're probably
24:06
like, there's no other way to describe it but
24:08
a pointed head. Like, is it like Patrick Starr?
24:11
Like, is that a good comparison? I guess, now
24:15
that you say that, yes. Bat -like wings with
24:18
see -through mesh and four claw -like fingers.
24:21
Jeez. Its eyes were squinted and swept upwards.
24:25
Huh. With a slit -like mouth. The witness also
24:29
described it as straight... Am I reading the
24:31
same thing? I guess. They had a lot of description.
24:35
Yeah. As noted with its abnormal arm movements,
24:39
the original witness from March 18 reported two
24:43
additional sightings. Early April 2011 on the
24:47
same road in daylight, the witness saw the creature
24:49
hunched beside a hay bale appearing three feet
24:53
taller than the bale. Holy shit. It had a grayish
24:56
cast black claws on the ground and wings above
24:59
its shoulders staring directly at the witness.
25:02
Oh no, I don't like that. I see Chelsea just
25:04
to bring it all back now that is a walking gargoyle
25:09
that is terrifying it's not flying at this point
25:12
no he has wings no he has wings but he's not
25:14
flying but he has wings april 2011 mid april
25:19
2011 He saw him at dusk, 500 yards from the previous
25:23
sighting. The witness saw the creature from the
25:26
side and back as it entered the woods. These
25:29
multiple reports in a short period fueled speculation
25:32
about the creature's presence in Butler County.
25:35
Now I gotta say, an overwhelming part of a gargoyle
25:39
is that it would never hurt humans and it's protective.
25:43
Where do you draw the line on testing that? Yeah.
25:46
Because obviously if it's a gargoyle, it's not
25:49
going to hurt you. It's going to protect you.
25:50
Well, I guess that's how you know whether or
25:52
not you're seeing a gargoyle or not is whether
25:54
or not it hurts you. But... Because it can't
25:57
be a gargoyle if it hurts you. Was anybody hurt
25:59
by a mothman? I can't remember now. I don't think
26:03
we've covered anywhere. You know, I don't think
26:05
we've covered many actual interactions with cryptids
26:08
or other creatures or there's an injury. It always
26:11
seems to be close, but like nobody's actually
26:13
been injured in anything I can think of. Now,
26:15
I will say with the mothman... And I'm interested
26:19
to see if it comes up here. You get the overwhelming
26:22
sense of dread and fear. And I'm guessing this
26:26
hasn't come up yet, but there's no mention of
26:28
like a sulfur smell. Not as of yet. So I'm interested
26:32
to see if those things do come up because maybe
26:35
that is what's setting a gargoyle apart from
26:37
a Mothman is that sense of fear. I don't know.
26:41
But to me, like this could potentially at this
26:44
point be the same thing, except I've never heard
26:47
with Mothman. and maybe it's just misfiled that
26:51
he had a pointed head or upward -looking eyes.
26:53
There seems to be a lot more variation in the
26:56
head with the gargoyle, almost like, you know,
26:58
because their heads can erode or something like
27:00
that. You think it's just like... Yeah, due to
27:03
water. It's all pointier. Yeah, it's true. After
27:09
the flurry of 2011 sightings, reports of the
27:13
butler gargoyle became less frequent but continued
27:15
to surface. Mid -July 2012 onwards, campers and
27:20
others in Butler County reported seeing a similar
27:23
large winged creature in the same general areas,
27:26
though these sightings lack specific details
27:28
as noted in Phantoms and Monsters. June 5, 2017,
27:33
a significant report came when a delivery truck
27:36
ran off the road about a mile from previous sighting
27:40
locations the driver visibly shaken told a witness
27:44
that what he saw was not a bear as claimed by
27:47
state police but a winged demon from hell rumors
27:51
circulated that others had seen similar creatures
27:54
around this time though no further details were
27:57
confirmed according to phantoms and monsters
27:59
now chelsea at this point Is it really safe to
28:03
say the gargoyle is non -harmful if like by implication
28:07
of what it's done this person has crashed? Is
28:10
this kind of like how Batman has like a moral
28:13
code where he can't kill people but he can leave
28:15
them like completely damaged and destitute and
28:18
basically dying by the implications? I want to
28:23
say I have a good feeling. I feel like I felt
28:26
them out like a little bit. I feel like, no,
28:29
they wouldn't do this. I feel like this is probably
28:31
Mothman. What if it's a dick? No widely documented
28:39
sightings have been reported since 2017, and
28:42
searches for encounters in 2025 yield no results,
28:47
suggesting the creature has either gone quiet
28:49
or remains unreported in recent years. The Butler
28:53
Gargoyle legend may have deeper roots in Butler
28:57
County's history. Some sources like Paranormal
29:00
Strange Wiki suggest its origins trace back to
29:03
the early 20th century, with sightings of a creature
29:06
lurking in rural areas and atop buildings. These
29:09
claims are vague and lack specific dates or witnesses,
29:11
making them more folkloric than factual. There
29:14
are also references to historical events that
29:17
might be connected to the cryptid. The Chicora
29:20
meteor explosion, an event in the area possibly
29:23
linked to unusual activity, though no direct
29:26
evidence ties it to the gargoyle. 1970s sightings
29:30
reports of a hair -covered creature north of
29:33
Butler County in the 1970s, which could indicate
29:36
a broader history of cryptid sightings in the
29:39
region. Fairly vague. One questionable sighting
29:42
mentioned in the cryptid wiki occurred in Chicora,
29:45
where witnesses claimed to see a Mothman -like
29:48
creature after leaving a bar, but this report
29:51
is often dismissed due to the witness's likely
29:53
intoxication, highlighting the controversy around
29:55
some accounts. So let's jump right to Reddit
29:58
after... I knew Reddit would have some juicy
30:00
stories. Oh yeah. User delicious underscore step
30:05
underscore 1814. When I was around 19 years old,
30:09
there's one occasion when I went up to the rooftop
30:11
of my house around 8 p .m. to fix an issue with
30:14
the pump device that supplied water to the storage
30:17
tank. As I reached the roof and leaned forward,
30:20
I looked up and just a few steps away from me,
30:22
there is a creature with its back turned to me.
30:26
Holy fuck. First of all, based on other stories
30:29
I've read or heard, I could compare it to something
30:32
people call gargoyle or maybe a mothman. I saw
30:36
how the full moonlight reflected off its head,
30:39
which seemed to have a texture like black leather.
30:42
I could make out point. Do you think they're
30:44
wearing a suit? This one might be. But overall,
30:47
no, I haven't gotten that feel from gargoyle
30:49
sightings so far. Well, they keep saying it's
30:52
like leather. What has skin like leather? Like
30:55
literally nothing. Cows? We literally make leather
30:59
from skin, Chelsea. That's true, but I wouldn't
31:04
go up to a live cow and be like, wow, leather.
31:07
Well, if it didn't have hair, though, you would
31:09
see the skin and it would be thick. What about
31:11
a rhino? That's true. Okay, okay. Or like hippos.
31:15
I misspoke. Yeah, I misspoke. Which I would say
31:18
would be like the most rock -like of mammals,
31:20
in fact. True. It does have rock -like skin.
31:24
Okay. Black leather skin. I could make out pointy
31:28
ears and a pair of protrusions that I assumed
31:31
were wings. Okay, so tiny wings, if he's calling
31:34
them just a pair of protrusions. Everything happened
31:38
so fast. From the moment I climbed onto the roof,
31:41
looked up, and saw it. I immediately made a sound
31:44
of confusion, huh? Which caused that thing to
31:48
instantly turn around. The last thing I remember
31:51
was a pair of yellow eyes and a sort of Batman
31:55
-like effect, and it raised its wings over my
31:58
face. What the? I'm, I hate that. The swings
32:02
had to be bigger than just like little nubs on
32:05
his back then. And what is a Batman -like effect?
32:09
I don't know. Did like music start playing? By,
32:12
like, John Williams. And he talked in a real
32:16
deep voice. I do know someone who does a good
32:20
Batman voice. I was proud of it like that. I'm
32:23
certain. I experienced a time lapse because of
32:26
feeling the flapping of wings over my face. I
32:30
lost my balance backwards, falling off the edge
32:33
of the roof. This is for sure Mothman. This is
32:35
no way. Yeah, I almost feel like the ones where
32:37
there's like passive severe injury to people.
32:41
It's Mothman, you are right. Like he seems like
32:43
the kind of dick who won't hurt people directly.
32:46
Yeah. Yeah, I'm just getting the vibes now. We've
32:48
never actually covered that with Mothman, but
32:51
knowing how gargoyles are now, I just feel like
32:53
that's Mothman. But when I landed, it was like
32:57
I had just dropped down hard onto my butt in
33:00
a completely different position on the rooftop.
33:02
What? I quickly looked around, but I couldn't
33:05
see anything. I think it must have been the adrenaline
33:07
because I got off the rooftop almost in one jump.
33:11
What the fuck is this guy doing? I thought he
33:12
fell from the rooftop. I thought he fell, but
33:15
I don't think. And now he's jumping off the roof
33:17
using the edge for support and ran into the house
33:20
feeling extremely disoriented and confused. Was
33:24
he Mothman? Was there maybe two levels of roof
33:26
that he fell from one roof onto the lower roof?
33:29
But I feel like he should have explained that.
33:30
It doesn't seem like he did fall. I even started
33:33
doubting whether I had really seen anything at
33:35
all. But that whole night, I couldn't sleep just
33:38
thinking that maybe I had seen something and
33:40
that it could come back and visit my house. What
33:44
an odd way to put that. So no dread there at
33:46
all. But also this person kind of had like a
33:49
very verbal huh, right? When he saw the wings.
33:53
Yeah. This is a weird guy. This is a weird guy.
33:55
Yeah. When I told my mom, all I got were skeptical
33:59
expressions. I only told one of my friends and
34:02
I haven't shared the story with anyone else since.
34:05
Greetings from Mexico. Okay. Next story. Good
34:10
for him. I have an experience I would like to
34:12
tell you about. I did not know this site existed.
34:15
Read it? And I was telling my brothers about
34:18
it a few weeks ago at my son's birthday party.
34:20
In brackets, they were laughing at me. I live
34:23
in... Itasca, Illinois, and two years ago in
34:28
August 2020, I went out at about 9 p .m. at night
34:31
and was putting something in my car. About 50
34:34
to 75 yards away, I saw something land in the
34:37
street. It looked like it was crouching, and
34:40
it looked the size of a coyote, or maybe bigger,
34:44
sitting in an upright position. It was too big
34:47
to be an owl, but kind of looked like a bat -owl
34:50
-looking creature, like a gargoyle with little
34:52
horns on it. his head i was focusing on it for
34:55
about a minute and kept asking myself what the
34:58
hell is that in a sudden burst with its wings
35:01
it kind of hopped up and exploded out of a crouching
35:04
stance with a thunderous stroke of its wings
35:07
and disappeared into the trees i yelped and stepped
35:10
back a bit as i could not believe my eyes it
35:13
looked like a five foot black bat animal thing
35:16
jumping or flying into the trees i've been reading
35:19
about other sightings in the area and my sighting
35:22
as what others have seen. I got a good look at
35:25
the creepy thing, but I do not believe that it
35:28
observed me because I was watching it quietly.
35:31
Strickler was able to interview the man via telephone.
35:34
Oh, this is from Phantoms and Monsters. Quote,
35:36
the witness stated that he was quite surprised
35:39
when he noticed the creature, Strickler said.
35:41
It was crouched under a fairly bright streetlight
35:43
and about 50 yards in front of him in his neighborhood.
35:46
This location is approximately two miles west
35:49
of O 'Hare International Airport. As he watched,
35:52
It was apparent that it had bat -like wings and
35:54
that the face was similar to a gargoyle's depiction
35:57
with small horns on its head. The coloring was
35:59
gray to black. There was no eye color recognized.
36:03
The man reportedly went on to tell Strickler
36:05
that the creature stood five to six feet in height
36:08
and that the body was somewhat emaciated but
36:10
defined. Interesting. The arms were attached
36:13
to the wide wings that spanned far off the body.
36:16
it was definitely a humanoid form strickler said
36:19
he used the word explode to describe the sudden
36:22
burst of energy when it took flight after just
36:25
one flap of the powerful wings the sound of the
36:28
wings and ascent burst like thunder it quickly
36:31
flew into the trees and disappeared as noted
36:34
by strickler the sighting location is approximately
36:36
two miles west of o 'hare international airport
36:39
which has been the epicenter of recent winged
36:42
humanoid sightings in the lake michigan mothman
36:45
investigation with over a dozen sighting reports
36:48
coming from the airport itself since August of
36:50
2019 and many more reported in the surrounding
36:53
communities. Reports from the larger investigation
36:57
have come from every state bordering Lake Michigan
37:00
and date back to 1957. So yeah, that's my episode.
37:05
Thoughts? Well, I have one thing, Chelsea, that
37:07
I think is its own conspiracy in itself. that
37:10
I googled while I searched while you were doing
37:12
your episode. How many gargoyles do you think
37:15
there are in the Vatican? Oh, good one. I want
37:20
to say there are some because it said specifically
37:23
on cathedrals or what have you. Hundreds, I'm
37:28
going to guess. There are zero. What? Because
37:31
it is built in Renaissance and Baroque styles,
37:33
not Gothic. And it actually tries to hide most
37:36
of the water drainage throughout. Yes. Well,
37:39
that's disappointing. So gargoyles are their
37:42
own form of architecture. And yeah, it's kind
37:46
of crazy that there's none there. But the rest
37:49
of all of the Catholic churches, they're everywhere.
37:52
Maybe it's because they are within the Catholic
37:55
church, running the Catholic church. It could
37:58
be. They're inside. But yeah, that's my episode
38:04
on gargoyles. Oh, that's awesome. Perhaps there
38:06
will be maybe a part two. And I never thought
38:08
about comparing Mothman to a gargoyle. But even
38:12
like we talked about early on, there was that
38:15
one sighting even before these ones that we talked
38:17
about where that person described the Mothman
38:19
sighting as gargoyle -like. That's true. And
38:22
if you don't know Mothman, but you know gargoyles.
38:25
That's what you're going to describe it as. Or
38:26
maybe a giant bat, which is basically what a
38:28
gargoyle is. It's true. I mean, for any paranormal
38:32
thing encounter that you're going to have, you're
38:34
going to use whatever or anything in life. You're
38:37
going to use whatever, you know. You're going
38:39
to use your experience to describe it because
38:41
that's the only thing you can derive it from.
38:42
Exactly. And they do have a lot of things in
38:45
common, which is why I felt like, especially
38:48
after the Hubei flying entity, that we look into
38:53
these because obviously there's more than just
38:55
the Mothman. There's a lot going on. Oh yeah,
38:58
and this is its own sub -episode category I think
39:01
we can continue on with because there's a ton
39:03
of very similar creatures like this throughout
39:05
the world. Yeah. So I thank you, Chelsea, for
39:08
taking us down this rabbit hole. I'm loving it.
39:11
I'm excited for the next one. And with that,
39:13
I have been Taylor, here with Chelsea. We are
39:16
Journey to the Fringe. Thank you all for listening
39:17
and we'll see you next week. Bye. Thank you for
39:22
listening to Journey to the Fringe. If you have
39:25
liked what you have listened to, please like,
39:28
share, subscribe, or follow depending on what
39:31
venue you are listening to us through. Also,
39:34
please, if possible, leave a five -star review
39:37
as that really helps us in the algorithms. Should
39:40
you wish to interact with us, please check us
39:42
out on your social media of choice. I bet you
39:45
we are there. And if you really want to communicate
39:48
with us and give us ideas for new episodes or
39:51
tell us that were wrong and terrible either way
39:53
please send us an email at journeytothefringe
39:56
at gmail .com for now I'll see you in the next
39:59
episode