Polytheism in NYC

Sprinkled throughout the entirety of New York City are depictions and artifacts of Roman and Greek mythology. Most people look at this art and view it as only mythology while failing to recognize that Roman and Greek mythology was, once upon a time, a thriving religion. In fact, this form of polytheism was so popular that, other than temples, there were 31 sanctuaries spread across the archipelago of Greece dedicated to various gods.¹ People would travel to these sanctuaries to worship a specific God in order to gain some sort of sponsorship or benefit from that God. Currently, however, we only see these religious stories as myths because the religion itself has gone extinct.

               

Standing tall above Grand Central Station is a thirteen foot clock that is the largest piece of Tiffany glass in the world. Surrounding the clock, as designed by Jules-Felix Coutan and carved by the John Donnelly Company, is a sculpture of Minerva, Hercules, and Mercury. The figures that stand above this immaculate train station are the Roman adaptations of Greek Gods (as well as heroes) and each represent their own respective virtue or ethic. Minerva is the Roman Goddess of wisdom and sponsors the arts, trade, and strategy. Hercules, although he is not a God, is a hero that was known for his incredible strength and lengthy quests. Finally, Mercury is the God of financial gain, commerce, and eloquence.

It is no coincidence that these three figures were chosen to stand in the heart of the world’s financial hub because all of these values and traits that these legends represent are embedded in American society. This statue looks over 42nd Street and is situated atop of one of the busiest train stations in the country (Grand Central Station connects New York’s Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, Connecticut’s New Haven and Fairfield counties, and soon Long Island, all to the heart of Manhattan). It is estimated that 21.9 million people visit Grand Central every year, making the station one of New York City’s largest tourist attractions. And yet, a majority of these people who observe this statue probably don’t realize the cultural adaptations that are being made right in front of them; that the hero of strength and quest, the God of wisdom and strategy, and the God of financial gain and commerce, are all being placed at, and being used to promote, the heart of American society. 

That brings up a discussion we had in class in regards to Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums about cultural appropriation and whether not the spread of the Buddhist Meditation Tradition to America was cultural appropriation. The same discussion could be applied to the statue above Grand Central Station, and to be frank, this discussion could be applicable to any religious relic across New York City that doesn’t pertain to either Catholicism or Christianity. One may argue that placing these religious figures above Grand Central would be the Christian majority stealing the culture of Ancient Greeks and manipulating it to fit the needs of American society.

Simultaneously, some may argue that this isn’t cultural appropriation because the Greeks were never part of a minority culture. To start, the Greeks are white Europeans so on a basic level, it is hard to consider the carving of this statue as cultural appropriation. Even further, Greek culture is a huge part of American culture. Our system of government, a Democracy, was invented and implemented by the Athenians. On that same note, the commercialism of the Greeks also finds itself deeply rooted in the foundation of American values. As a result it appears, like we started to establish in our class discussion about Kerouac, that this isn’t cultural appropriation. What may be a better term to use for cases like the statue above Grand Central, is cultural adaptation or cultural inspiration.

Living in New York City, we are constantly exposed to different forms of religion whether we recognize that religion or not. As a result, we must also recognize religions that no longer extinct because they still influence our culture to this day. Similarly, we must also look at these pieces of artwork and these artifacts and analyze exactly what they mean to not only our culture, but also the culture from which they came. Greek mythology, and more specifically the sculpture above Grand Central, is a perfect example of how that discussion can be held.

¹ http://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Religion/