Greek Goddess statue causes conflict of Herculean proportions

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Officials in this former timber town have canceled an exhibit on the Greek goddess of youth, saying the topic is too controversial.

Hebe, often depicted in Greek art holding a goblet of her intoxicating nectar, has been at the heart of a heated dispute in Roseburg, where a statue of her once stood.

Horses knocked the statue down in 1912 and for nine decades there was little talk of Hebe in Roseburg. But two years ago, when residents began looking into replacing the statue, community members came out against the idea, arguing that Hebe, a Pagan goddess, is offensive to Christians and a bad example for Roseburg youth.

Now, Douglas County Commissioners have sent a letter to the Douglas County Museum, telling them to stop preparations for an exhibit on Hebe that was to open next month.

"We appreciate all of your hard work," the letter said. "Unfortunately, this issue is very divisive in our county."

Museum officials said their only purpose in planning a display on Hebe was to educate the public, not sway them to one side or the other. "It was going to be a history lesson more than anything," said Museum Director Stacey McLaughlin.

For the past two years, a group of Roseburg residents have been working to replace the toppled statue of the goddess, which once rose from a fountain.

The original Hebe sculpture was erected in 1908 by the Women's Christian Temperance Union who wanted to encourage people to drink water rather than succumb to the enticement of alcohol.

The statue was based on a rendition of Hebe by the 19th century Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and shows the goddess in a gown in which one of her breasts is exposed, holding a cup in one hand and a jug in the other. It was one of many erected across the country at about the same time.

The Hebe statue remained in downtown Roseburg until 1912, when a runaway team of horses pulling a wagon reportedly toppled it.

The damaged figure was taken away and later lost. Efforts to find the original statue failed, but supporters of the modern efforts looked to find another one.

Critics of the drive to bring Hebe back to Roseburg view the statue as an anti-Christian icon. They associate the statue with paganism and Wicca, a religion with a belief in supernatural power.

Janet Beebe, a member of the Douglas County Museum Advisory Board, said she was shocked that commissioners would act to stop the exhibit.

"I felt this was a form of censorship," Beebe said. "The display was going to be informative. This is where you would come to learn the facts on Hebe. That's the purpose of a museum."

Douglas County Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman, who signed the letter, said the action wasn't meant as an act of censorship, but as a way to avoid embroiling the county in the controversy.

"As divisive as it is, we didn't want to get into the middle of it," Kittelman said. "We want to bring the community together. We don't want to drive a wedge."

Even without the exhibit, museum officials said they will still display and sell ceramic versions of Hebe that the museum commissioned from a local potter.