And so it came to pass that while Man ruled on Earth, the
gargoyles waited, lurking, hidden from the light. Reborn
every 600 years in Man's reckoning of time, the gargoyles
joined battle against Man to gain dominion over the Earth.

In each coming, the gargoyles were nearly destroyed by Men
who flourished in greater numbers. Now it has been so many
hundreds of years that it seems the ancient statues and
paintings of gargoyles are just products of Man's
imagination. In this year, with Man's thoughts turned toward
the many ills he has brought among himself, Man has forgotten
his most ancient adversary, the gargoyles.
[ Excerpt from the opening narration to the movie
_Gargoyles_, written by Stephen and Elinor Karpf ]