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June 10, 2013 by tomdalzell

Religious Iconography #1: Pre-Christian

Is religious iconography quirky?  Not necessarily.  Can it be quirky?  I think yes, especially in a proudly secular city such as Berkeley.  We are less religious, by a fair stretch, than the rest of the United States.  We know it.   It is part of our fabric.

Yet, we have churches among us. We have theological seminaries – many of them in fact – among us, so many that we call it Holy Hill.  In 2016, it has become a battleground pitching developer vs. neighbors.

berkeley-california-uc-northside-pacific-school-of-religion-2

And we display religious iconography in our yards, lawns, porches, windows, and – etc. – to a degree that one would perhaps not expect in such a purposefully secular city.

There was, and is, a fierce debate among Quirky Berkeley insiders as to the quirkiness of religious iconography.  Some argue that religious objects are placed in public view as sincere representations of sincere religious beliefs, almost the antithesis of the absurdist ethos behind quirk.

What to do?  I drew upon my own very non-quirky religious training at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania (1959-1969), and the Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania (1959-1965).

Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr Pa.

Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr Pa.

ChurchRedeemer-Int1

Interior, Church of the Redeemer

Christ Chapel, Episcopal Academy, Merion Pa.

Christ Chapel, Episcopal Academy, Merion Pa.

I sought a formal opinion,

Religious Opinion

I read it, and thought and decided.  I had been right.  Personal displays of religious iconography can be deemed quirky.  So let it be written.  If nothing else, they add to the patchwork of our culture.  And they are material.  They make Berkeley quirky without being necessarily quirky themselves.

I don’t intend to demean or mock religion or religious beliefs.  I simply present the material culture of religion absque iudicio.  Without judgment.  I really do not intend to offend.  I suggest we all take a minute and listen to Leonard Cohen.

Okay, where to start?  Well, I know where I want to start.  But how to say it?  Pagan?  My Bible the OED defines paganism as “a religion other than one of the main religions of the world; spec. a non-Christian or pre-Christian religion, esp. considered as ancient or primitive.”  Well, the definition is what I mean.  I discard all negative connotations associated with “paganism” and go there.

Let’s start with ancient Egypt, with the pyramids along the Nile with the Jersey doo-wop group The Duprees – Michael Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom Bialoglow, and Joey Canzano.  First,  the ankh, aka the key of life or the key of the Nile.  It was the hieroglyphic character meaning “life” and represented the  concept of eternal life.  Egyptian gods carried it, and a few of us in Berkeley display it:

1120 Bancroft

1120 Bancroft

Ankh 92 Alamo

93 Alamo

1601 Julia

1601 Julia

We find other images of ancient Egyptian religion too.  At the risk of displaying my ignorance of Egyptian deities, I think that I found Bastet:

1370 Talbot

1370 Talbot

And, predictably, King Tut:

Egypt 2 1370 Talbot

1370 Talbot

Lastly, tributes to the Great Sphinx of Giza:

Egypt 3 1805 Monterey

1805 Monterey

2233 McKinley

2233 McKinley

And then – the Greeks, a few images here and there.  Who is more perfect for Berkeley than Pan, the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, the poster boy of paganism?

Greek 1

1511 Ada

Pan plays with nymphs.  Are these nymphs or muses?  Every schoolboy knows, but I forget.

811 Shattuck

811 Shattuck

This one is, I am fairly certain, a muse, which admittedly is pushing it in terms of religious iconography, but it is a nice photo:

572 The Alameda

572 The Alameda 

I think that this is Poseidon.

106 El Camino

106 El Camino

Medussa,no doubt, Medussa.   Twice

133 Gillman

133 Gillman

21 Florida

21 Florida

And I am saying that this, the lower face, is Zeus, although one would have to go up on the porch to verify the claim and that act would violate the Quirky Berkeley Rules of Engagement.

1722 Beverly

1722 Beverly

From Gods to heroes – a lovely Hercules.

1736 Alcatraz

1736 Alcatraz

Mermaids!

IMG_1476 IMG_1477

And a final Greek.  Who is this Greek?  Prize for first correct answer.

1004 Merced

1004 Merced

Adios Europe, let’s head for the Americas.  Here and there you will find a shaman’s mask.

2105 5th

2105 5th

1171 Virginia

1171 Virginia

2822 Wallace

2822 Wallace

There used to be a great totem pole on Euclid which you could see as you came down the Rose Walk steps.  It’s gone, I think.  This is the only one I’ve found so far in my walking.  I hope for more.

 

1415 Allston

1415 Allston

This is close – no cigar, but close:

998 Keeler

998 Keeler

The most prevalent pre-Christian image from the Americas is, by far, our little friend Kokopelli, the hump-backed, flute-playing fertility deity of the American southwest.

Koko 1

The earliest images of him date from the 8th century, making him post-Christian over there but very much pre-Christian over here.  I would not go so far as to say that he is common in Berkeley, but he is not rare either.

1008 Euclid

1008 Euclid

1433 Parker

1433 Parker

Koko 2 730 The Alameda

730 The Alameda

1173 Glen

1173 Glen

Quirky Berkeley

733 Spruce

Koko 4 1304 Acton

1304 Acton

Koko 6 2134 California

2134 California

Koko 7 1901 Chestnut

1901 Chestnut

Koko 8 3031 Bateman

3031 Bateman

Koko 9 2306 Eunice

2306 Eunice

940 Hilldale

940 Hilldale

He even exists in neon, a wonderful confluence of old and new.

2236 San Pablo

2236 San Pablo

I would be surprised if there are not more examples of pre-Christian religious iconography awaiting me.  I will add as I find.

IMG_3677

Here you will find photos of the oddball, whimsical, eccentric, and the near-rhyme quirky material culture of Berkeley.
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