Dedo
When the Notre Dame de Paris was being built, Marie Therese was a nun from Provence. She so disliked the custom of decorating cathedrals with evil-looking gargoyles. She disguised herself as a man and sneaked into the work site. Then, she quickly carved a small block into a weird but lovable little creature. It had pointy ears and a pensive expression. She hid the creature on the high roof. It sat undetected for years. A small boy, lost in the labyrinthine structure, rolled down a roof. The little gargoyle perched on a ledge saved him. The creature known as “Dedo” – the gargoyle with crossed toes – became part of Parisian folklore. (Kremer, 2025) Photo from Traverse City, Michigan, 2012.