Being in the centre of many things, she is herself the centre of attraction. This centredness of this sculpture appears to be a sign less of its intrinsic worth than of the kind of worth that it actually offers – an inviting, comforting and accessible persona, if a silent figure, more companionable, with both young and old paying her homage, and ordinary people and the elite sharing spaces around her. To be around her is to be ready to be more accommodative, to cherish others and to be more tolerant. Around her, more is expected and more is received. Small wonder she is called the alma mater.
Alma mater is a Latin expression, in English, a nourishing and bountiful mother, used by the Romans to refer to their pagan goddesses, especially Ceres (the goddess of fertility and maternal love) and Cybele (a mother goddess). The expression was thereafter used by the adherents of Catholicism in the second century to refer to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the wife of Joseph. Its first use in English was in about 1600 when the University of Cambridge imprinted it on its logo to refer to one’s university. Thus variously, alma mater has pagan roots, Christian adoption and intellectual heritage – hence the allusion to its presence on the campus of the university on the island of many hills.
