A gargoyle can spark nightmares for some; but instead of scary dreams, one of the stone guardians is sparking questions in Scotland.

It's not the traditional deamon-looking stone carving attached to Paisley Abbey, but an out of this world one inspired by the movie "Alien", or "Aliens", or "Aliens 3" or "Alien: Resurrection".  You get the idea.

So why does an abbey, built in the 13th century in Scotland, have an alien perched over onlookers?   According to the abby's reverend, the gargoyles were replaced in the 1990s as part of a restoration project and that it's the "concept" of an alien, not really the alien from the movies.

By the way, this abbey isn't the only religious building in the world with a strange, out-of-place gargoyle.  The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. has one carved in the likeness of Darth Vader.  In the 1980s, there was a competition for children to come up with sculpture that could be added to the church.  Christopher Rader had the honor of coming up with the design.   It was sculpted and put on the northwest tower of the church.

Broken News Daily contributed to this report.

Keep Reading

ajc.com

Credit: n/a

Featured

Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)