The Embrace Of Thanatos
19th Century, bronze, Green Mount Cemetery, Montpelier, Vermont, Washington County, wreath
“Thanatos,” a monument to John E. Hubbard (1847-1899), in Green Mount Cemetery at 250 State Street (U.S. Route 2) in the City of Montpelier, Washington County, Vermont. John Erastus Hubbard was a controversial figure. He allegedly duplicitously gained a sizable inheritance from his aunt, Fanny Hubbard Kellogg, who intended her wealth to benefit the City of Montpelier. The controversy surrounding the will tarnished Hubbard’s reputation.
Upon his death in 1899, Hubbard did leave the fortune to Montpelier, and some of his wealth went toward building a gate and chapel at Green Mount Cemetery. An Austrian artist named Karl Bitter designed his monument, calling it “Thanatos” after the Greek god of death. One side of the inscription reads:
Approach thy grave
Like one who wraps
The Drapery of his couch
About him and lies down
To pleasant dream
According to legend, bad luck will befall anyone foolish enough to sit on the figure’s lap (popularly called Black Agnus).