Lord Sloth writes...

Was there a reason that so many of the world tour eps were about locals learning to accept thier responcibility and or heritage seriously (ie. heritage, hound of ulster, cloud fathers, golem)?

Anonymous writes...

What exactly is the dreamtime? Is it like the astral plane?

Sloth writes...

When the Goliath & co. finished the egypt ep, they just calmly turned to stone in front of the spinx. Since they weren't sure what happend to they pack, weren't they being a bit careless about where they slept, or were they confident that Elisa could protect them from Wolf, Jackel AND Hyena?

Anonymous writes...

Any plans on retconning parts of Hound of Ulster?

Pyro X writes...

Greg;
The Native Peoples of NA came to NA VIA the Bering Strait some thousands of years ago.

1) When Oberon dispatched his "family" to live among mortals, did Raven make his way imediatly to Q.F.I off Canada?
2)Did Raven "take on" the persona of "The Raven" based on Native legend, or was he always "Raven"?
3) As you have said, you never know if that is Pucks true form (As the in the elvish form). Does this, as well, apply to the Other children? Was that Raven's true form?
4) Does Raven have a true form?
5) Did the "Raven" legend spring from "Raven" himself?
6) What WAS that thing Grandmother turned into??? (the thing with the weird mouth).

Thanks!

Todd Jensen writes...

In "Eye of the Storm", Erik and Gunther's surname was "Sturluson". Was this an allusion to Snorri Sturluson, the author of the Prose Edda (one of the leading primary sources on Norse mythology)?

Sloth writes...

Did Goliath, elisa, Angela & Bronx return to Avolon in between every world tour episode? If so was it just to go there and quickly leave, or did they have more adventures there? And when they leave do they just sail into the mist and land where ever Avolon wants?

Sloth writes...

The show states that gargoyles can withstand very cold tempretures, but how about hot? I'm asking cause Goliath and co fly close to the Magma in two volcanos and seems fine. BTW, can volcanos be like that and not be active?

matt writes...

just watched "The Hound of Ulster", and (arn't you surprised?) i had some questions:

1. when the Banche saved Goliath, Elisa, and Angela from drowning in the bog, how did she do it? did she transport them to that chamber, or was that chamber directly below the bog or what?

2. How old is Rory? and how old is Molly? Rory said he was out of school and i'm asuming he means high school... so is he, 19? 20?

3. after the episode, what and how much did Rory tell his father? everything?

and as Gargoyles is known for its foreshadowing:

4. when Goliath said, "A whole clan of gargoyles could not batter down these walls!" were you thinking of the Irish garg clan you've said existed being in that same chamber ever?

5. Rory said, "The Hound of Ulster? Sure, and dwarves made me shoes..." well, the hound turned out to exist, so DID dwarves make Rory's shoes? :)

Todd Jensen writes...

When you first had Xanatos and Owen mention the Emir in "The Edge", did you know that he'd feature in an episode in a prominent role at that time? Did you when you got to their mention of him in "Double Jeopardy"?

Anonymous writes...

Are there actual gargoyles that resemble Raven's clan of illusion?

Greg "Xanatos" Bishansky writes...

Ok, this has been on my mind for a while, and checked the archives and didn't find it there.

What was Raven hoping to gain by driving everyone away from Queen Florence Island in "Heritage". I don't really understand his motivations there.

Sloth writes...

Was there a point To Xanatos finding out that Goliath was missing in "Kingdom" other than to prove that Brooklen is a good desision maker? Xanatos did meet up with Goliath in Arazona, but that seemed to be a coincidence that he turned to his advantage in finding Cyotie (the trickster, not the robot :^). Was this a point you wanted to expand more on?

Todd Jensen writes...

This is something that I should be posting later, ideally, since you haven't yet gotten to the Avalon World Tour episodes in your ramblings, but I finally decided that I needed to let this out of me soon, so I'm doing so now.

I've noticed, over the years since I discovered "Gargoyles" fandom on the Internet, that many people didn't like the Avalon World Tour for various reasons (the length of time, the absence of Hudson and the trio, the focus on myth and fantasy aspects rather than more "mundane" elements like crime-fighting, etc.). On the other hand (while I may have had my moments of wondering when Goliath, Elisa, Angela and Bronx were going to get back to New York), I quite liked the World Tour. To a certain extent, I'll admit that I'm biased - my tastes naturally run towards fantasy/myth elements. But after doing a little thinking on this one, it increasngly struck me that, aside from all that, something of the nature of the Avalon World Tour was a must for "Gargoyles" at some point.

The reason for this is that the World Tour served a very crucial purpose (besides the general one that you mentioned of expanding the "Gargoyles Universe"). It made it clear that Goliath, his clan, and Demona weren't the only gargoyles left. And that was a crucial step. Because if they really had been, the gargoyle species would have been almost irrevocably doomed to extinction, with only seven members left, only one of those seven a female, and that one estranged from all the rest and very unlikely to reconcile with them. Goliath and the others would have been the "last gargoyles", not only in the sense of being the only ones left, but also in the sense that no new gargoyles would come along after them.

If that had been the case, it would have obviously made a rather depressing series. Admittedly, having the main character be the "very last of his kind" wouldn't necessarily be utterly melancholy - Superman is the very last Kryptonian, and his story's an upbeat one, on the whole. But the situation there's different; Superman's alien origin is treated more as a plot device to explain his abilities, so his being "the last of his kind" doesn't appear quite so melancholy. Goliath and his clan's "gargoyleness", however, was treated in the series from the start as a crucial part of them and their very nature, rather than a similar handy plot device to allow them to serve as effective protectors of New York. And also, it was clear enough from the start that an important part of the series would be the gargoyles seeking to make peace with humanity, to overcome the fear that so many humans view them with. Such a quest would have been futile (in a sense) if they were the last of their kind - the understanding on humanity's part of the true nature of gargoyles would come too late to avert the race's extinction - the best that the gargs would be able to hope for in such a situation was that they might be able to live out their last years without the general human population hunting them down, but still aware that there would be no new gargoyles after them. Not very happy.

So there'd obviously have to be gargoyles living in other parts of the world to ensure a future for the species. And Goliath and his clan would have to come into contact with those other gargoyles for the audience to see that they weren't the last. But the clan's situation would make that tricky. For one thing, there'd be the obvious transportation problems - they can't simply hop aboard the next plane bound for London or Japan. And given how secretive gargoyle clans would obviously have to be in modern times, even if Goliath and Co. had a mundane means of transportation to wherever it was that one of these clans was living, they would certainly not be likely to find out about these other clans easily. The only solution to both questions that wouldn't feel contrived was magic - as in the magic of Avalon that sends you where you need to be. That way, Goliath could be brought to the locations of the clans in London, Guatemala, and Ishimura in a convincing fashion.

So I think that the Avalon World Tour was indeed a practical must for the series, to allow the crucial moment when the clan can learn, as Hudson put it in "The Gathering", "We're not alone. We're not the last."

Anonymous writes...

What was the purpose of the episode Cloud Fathers? Was it to introduce Coyote the trickster or Beth?

Anonymous writes...

Did you have plans for Tea's hunter friends?

Anonymous writes...

Whatever happened to that guy and his son that we saw in eye of the storm? Do you have plans for them?

matt writes...

obviously Elisa told Matt about many of the World Tour adventures (i.e. Hunters Moon- Easter Island Statues) did she tell him about the New Olympians? did she tell any other humans? did Goliath and co. tell the trio and Hudson about the New Olympians?

Justin writes...

Hey Greg, it's been awhile since I posted.
My question is
1) Was it Avalon's magic that enabled Goliath and co. to talk to Zafiro, Kai etc. during the world tour?
2) If yes then would the residents of New Olympus speak some Mediterranean language?

Thanks

durax writes...

<i>You said that the yeti would be seen in Gargoyles for sure. Is it an animal elated to the gargoyles or a gargoyle.
--------------------------------------Greg answered---------------
That story is actually written. It was written for Marvel's Gargoyle comic book before it was cancelled.</i>

Would Coldstone have been involved with this story?

Anonymous writes...

You said that the scenario in Bushido was purposely similar to that surrounding the Wyvern massacre so was the scenario of the two were panthers purposely similar to MacBeth's and Demona's scenario which is a fay giving mortals extraordinary power for a price?

Anonymous writes...

Whats the difference between Shangri-La and Xanadu?

matt writes...

ok, if you won't answer what other World Tour episodes you had "planned" besides the Himalayas and Korea, what were some ideas you had for other possible locations?

Todd Jensen writes...

You indicated in one of your recent responses that Shangri-La came to mind as the site of a possible, but unmade, Avalon World Tour adventure. What I'm curious about is whether it'd be possible to include Shangri-La in "Gargoyles". I believe that it was invented by James Hilton in his novel "Lost Horizon", written and published in the 1930's, which could make it a little too recent to be quite in the public domain as yet, though I'm not certain on that.

matt writes...

in "The Gathering" when Goliath and co. arrived in New York what happened to the Avalon Skiff? did it sink as Arthur's skiff had done in London? if the just left the skiff in the lake or river could anyone have gotten in it and accidently gone to Avalon?

matt writes...

besides the Himalaya w/ Coldstone episode and the Korean garg episode were there any other possible World Tour eps planned? if so, where would they have taken place?

matt writes...

when Derek was mutated into a panther like mutate did you have "Mark of the Panther" in mind? i found it really great that Diane was telling this story about humans turning into panthers, which is kinda what happened to her son, and then is still surprised when the were-panthers change, and again has seen Derek as a pseudo-gargoyle and still is shocked by the gargoyles in Nigeria with Elisa!

matt writes...

how does the World Tour thing work? do the travelers return to Avalon after every stop in the real world, or only sometimes, or only when the spell is cast? who would cast this spell among Goliath and co. and Jade and Tequesa?

Tanika writes...

Hello, Greg!

I was recently reading a Nigerian folktale, "Nana Miriam," (in the book "Not One Damsel in Distress," bu Jane Yolen) which reminded me of some questions I had about "Mark of the Panther," and brought up some new ones.

1. Specifically, two of the characters in the tale are named Fara Maka and Kara-Digi-Mao-Fosi-Fasi. What is the relation of those people/names to the character of Fara Maku and the city of Kara-Digi? (Were those the correct spellings of the names in the episode?)

2. Was the tale of Anansi and the panther woman an actual folktale, or did you (or someone else) write it for the show?

3. If it was written, what elements, such as the character of Anansi himself, were drawn from actual legend?

4. If it is an actual legend, what elements, if any, were changed or adapted to suit the purposes of the episode?

Thank you . . . this is something I've been wondering about for some time. :)

(The Guppi) writes...

[1] The first time I watched _Possession_ I pretty much took it for granted how much Coldfire and Coldsteel resembled 'Desdemona' and 'Iago'. It makes sense when you're used to half-baked comic book logic (not to disrespect your own fine work in the field), but Gargoyles takes great pains to create a more, erm, well-done and realistic (or at least snarkily pseudo-scientific :P) universe. On later viewings, I was compelled to contemplate further. The techniques used in creating the Steel Clan wouldn't apply here, I think. The techies at Scarab Corp. (or wherever) probably had lots of old security tapes of Goliath to pore over as much as they liked, but it's hard to imagine how that'd work with the Legionnaires. Was the likeness of design only in animation, then?
[2] Likewise, with the the WWII statue in London, which off-the-bat was recognizable as being of Goliath and Griff. Was its sculptor working solely off of Sir Douglas' accounts? (Pilots are generally more observant than the average bear, and from the impression he made on you as a kid, he musta made one heckuva eyewitness. It still is kind of a stretch, though...)

Ambrosia writes...

I was just driving around yesterday and something came to me that I thought I'd ask you.
In Sentinel, Elisa appears to be kidnapped by this huge... *monster* from the perspective of the doctor and Duane and co. No doubt all sorts of awful thoughts are running through their minds so when they find her again at the end of the episode, I'm sure they really want some answers. So when Elisa suggested to Nokkar that these people could be his new allies and he went off to talk with them, did Nokkar tell them the *whole* story? About who the gargoyles were and that he was the one who gave Elisa her amnesia? If they know about gargoyles now, they could be allies to the clan as well.
Thanks for your time! Happy Holidays!

matt writes...

how many eggs are in guatemala in 1996?
what year were the other clan members destroyed?
having the ability to function in daylight, wouldn't it be a top priority for the pendant wearers to watch over the pyramid, clan, and amulet during the day? why then were ALL four of them away the day the pyramid was raided and the clan destroyed? were they tricked?

Faieq writes...

Quite some time ago you told us some of the religions of the humans and you asked whether you'd missed anyone. No-one major, but I was just wondering if you've given any thought in the religions of the following people:

1)Margot Yale

2)Brendan

3)Officer Morgan

4)Fara Maku

5)Taya

6)Taoro

7)The Emir

8)Travis Marshall?

I know most of these are very minor characters and that you probably haven't given any thought into them, but I was just wondering.

Joxter writes...

Sooo... Why *was* Margot Yale in Paris? Coincidentally at about the same time as the Avalon tour group?

Sapphire writes...

Was the Panther Queen a Fay

Tim writes...

Just thought you might like to know that Toon Disney channel ran a marathon of each and every Gargoyles episode [Minus the Goliath Chronicles. :) ] on Friday the 13th of October from 7 at night to 5 the next morning. I was rather pleased and astonished to see this! Either this was a completely Halloween theme and they needed some appropriate cartoons, or we might actually be getting through to Disney through fan writing and letting them know that YES, we want this show back on the air! Either way it was pretty cool to see Gargoyles all in a row for a page on the T.V. Guide.

A few questions! {A}What exactly did Raven want Queen Florence Island for? {B}Was it his nature as a trickster to oppose Grandmother? {C}What was he going to do with it if he succeded?

Sapphire writes...

In the episode Mark of the Panther what was the Panther Queen? was she an ordinary panther or a fay? I was just wondering because the Panther Queen seemed to have the feelings of a human since animals doesn't have human feelings in any sence of the word

Ed writes...

You established that the Himalayan Coldstone adventure was such that it wouldn't affect the continuity of "POSSESSION" very much. But were there any new parts of the tapestry that would be brought back later on?

Ed writes...

Did you have any further plans for the "WALKABOUT" Shaman?

LSZ writes...

Does the survival of the Loch Ness Monster have anything to do with the fae or the Lost Race?

Vashkoda writes...

skiff questions:

I noticed that there was a face on the Sisters' barge that resembled the face on the skiffs.

1a) Are they of the same person/being? b) Is this person/being a Child of Oberon? c) What is this person/being's name? d) Is he (if it's a "he") still alive at the time of "The Journey"? e) Does he have any associations with sailing or water?

2a) The Princess and company originally left in three skiffs, but Mary and Finella took one back to the mainland, leaving two at Avalon. So how was it that there were three skiffs at the end of "Avalon, Part 3"? (one for the gang, one for Macbeth/Demona, and one for Arthur) b) Why would they need the extra skiff at Avalon? c) Did the Princess or Magus or any of the "eggs" ever accompany Tom to the outside world?

3) Since the incantation to reach Avalon is referred to as a "spell", and the Magus orginally read it from the Grimorum (which may have acted as the necessary conduit), how is it that Tom could invoke the spell, not being a wizard and having no conduit? (in addition, the Magus worries about whether "Constantine or his *sorcerers* get a hold of [the spell]", implying that his sorcerors might be needed to cast it.) For that matter, how will Jade and Turquesa be able to cast it?

Jherti/Patricia writes...

You asked for a confirmation on the meaning of 'yama' in Japanese. Well, I'm no Japanese, but I know that Mount Fugi is called Fugiyama. So I guess Mountain means Yama.

:)

Axem Gold writes...

You remembered how you said that the events in Turf and Vendetta could have happened at the same time.

Did Avalon Part Three and Kingdom occur at the same time? Here's what I mean.

1. Talon asked Xanatos where Goliath, Elisa, and Bronx were. He didn't know. So that mean Goliath and company didn't disturb his projects in Eygpt, Scotland, etc.

2. Goliath, Elisa, Bronx, and Angela were probably fighting The Archmage's group while Brooklyn, the Manhattan clan, and the mutates were fighting Fang.

deb writes...

Because this question hasn't been answered yet, I'd like to re-submit Jeff Lenihan's question:

"2)In "Grief," Anubis states that that which is dead and gone cannot be brought back. Why, then, was Demona able to bring the spirit of Coldstone (and those of Coldfire and Coldsteel) back from the dead? Was Anubis trying to say that he is under some sort of magical restriction similar to Oberon's law of non-interferece that prevents him from bringing back the dead, or something else entirely?"

Bruno writes...

Hi, Greg.

My last question (edited)

"Bruno writes...

2- Why every one of them join the group? Blackmail, redemption, who is who?

Greg responds...

2. Bruno, I don't give novel-length responses here. And if you don't know who is who then what makes you think it would be a good spin-off?

Briefly,
Hunter is a highly trained human (and former gargoyle hunter) who first appeared in "Hunter's Moon". She's Scotish.

Dingo is a former mercenary and member of the Pack who first appeared in "Thrill of the Hunt". He's Australian. Both Hunter and Dingo have prison sentences hanging over their heads.

Matrix is an artificial intelligence comprised of millions of nanotech robots. He/it first appeared in "Walkabout". He is a friend and ally to Dingo.

Yama is a Japanese Gargoyle from the Ishimura clan. He was banished from Ishimura after the events of "Bushido".

Fang was an American human mutated by Sevarius in "Metamorphosis". He was one of the Redemption Squad's first opponents. After being defeated, he was recruited.

recorded on 09-16-00"

A small comment about my last question: You're right. My second question about the 'Redemption Squad' was bad written. It really sounded how if I didn't knew who was Fang, Matrix, Yama, etc. But I know. The trouble is that, when I realized my mistake, I'd already posted it. My mistake. I'm sorry.
And, well, yes, I have a fairly, yet vage, idea about these guys' motivation. Except for Yama. If that's alright to you, I'll especulate a bit about him, ok?

Yama is in a quest, searching for his own honor - for both a gargoyle and a samurai (or Bushido warrior), one of the top important things in the world - then why should him join up with the Bad Guys? (and the Squad leader is Robyn Canmore, the Huntress!! Funny, huh?)
He should may had given up of his honor, but I dont't believe this. I believe that this was a voluntary action. Yama believe that "If I can teach some honor for these felons, maybe I can recover my own". And the Director may wish to have a true Good Guy in the Squad, why not?
Then I believe that he will be the group "conscience". And that, eventually, he may just leave and come back home. (But he will not make this, off course: The contrast among him and the others can make great storys.)
Well, that's it.

PS. When I watched 'Bushido', it was recordered in my VCR. But a trouble in the tape erased the sound. Yes, video but no sound in all the episode. And do you want to know? Even without sound, I could understand the story basis perfectly: The friendship among the gargoyles and humans in Ishimura, the idea of a theme park with the gargoyles, and the great final fight. The scene where Yama and Goliath argue in the 'Wyvern castle', I near could ear Goliath talking something as "It seems to me that he wants you and your clan as animals in a circus". Congratulations: These great storys survive everything, even lack of sound.

PS2. In the fight, one of the gargoyles, an old female, has a beak. Coincidence, or a descendant of Brooklin and Katana? (Sorry, silly question ^-^)

PS3. Another thing I noticed: Taro burned ALL his money with that park. For this, he could not mind with the fact that some gargoyles didn't want to be part of that. He must be paying the money losses until today. (he, he :-)

Todd Jensen writes...

In Puck's "Future Tense" illusion, was he attempting to use guilt as a weapon against Goliath to break him down, as well as shock and grief? Brooklyn and Lexington both berated Goliath severely for "running away" and leaving the clan and Manhattan defenceless against Xanatos, making it clear that in their eyes, it was all his fault that the city was in the condition that it was. Lexington also implied (at least, how I saw it) that Goliath's "abandoning" the clan was a reason for his turning evil. So, was Puck attempting to fill Goliath with guilt to weaken him all the more?

Phil writes...

Hi, Greg.

I love the show; thanks for answering our questions, etc.

Now that the clans contest is over, I have a question. In "Bushido," Taro built a gargoyles theme park. The first few times I watched it, I was too enthralled by the new Japanese gargoyles to notice the backgrounds. Recently I realized that the park was more than a re-creation of Ishimura. The castle looks just like Wyvern, Notre Dame de Paris can be seen, and there were a few other buildings of various architechtural design.

1) Did Taro really know there were gargoyles at Wyvern, Paris, etc. or did he just guess?
2) If he did know, how? Is he acquainted with Xanatos, the Illuminati, or someone else who knew?

Thanks for your time!

Kalafarski writes...

Finding myself lost in that massive "Old Ask Greg Archive," I stumbled across a mention of a missing World Tour episode featuring Coldstone in the Himalayas. What would've happened there?

Entity writes...

Hi Greg,

Before I say anything, I'd like to apologize for the impersonalness of my last two guesses for the Clans Contest (about a dozen posts previous). I just figured a preamble was unnecessary, but looking back, it feels cold.

Anyway, I wanted to ask about the unrealized Tibetan adventure. Did it have to do with:

1) Religion
2) Politics/Current Events
3) One of Oberon's Children

Also, how far did it get in development before it was canned?

The revelation that this story was cut for episode volume is disheartening, especially since we won't get another World Tour, even if the show returns.

Matthew Smith writes...

At the end of "Mark Of The Panther" was that little spider scurrying away Anansi making an unnoticible escape, or was it just any other spider?