Why is the Earth feminine?

Question

I’m trying to research why people consider the Earth feminine. Example: Mother Earth

I have a quote from Joseph Campbell that I thought was interesting: “human woman gives birth just as the earth gives birth to the plants.”

I’m writing a paper on this subject and I can’t seem to find any scholarly articles or books. One of the main things I’m looking for is when the Earth started to be considered feminine and why… Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

mothers usually are feminine

the earth produces life so does a mother

Her name is Gaia

Answer 2

'Carl Gustav Jung suggested that the archetypal mother was a part of the collective unconscious of all humans, and various Jungian students, e.g. Erich Neumann and Ernst Whitmont have argued that such mother imagery underpins many mythologies, and precedes the image of the paternal "father", in such religious systems. Such speculations help explain the universality of such mother goddess imagery around the world.

The Upper Paleolithic Venus figurines have been sometimes explained as depictions of an Earth Goddess similar to Gaia[3]'

yahoo has taken a dislike to the link! its from

wikipedia; Gaia (mythology) In other cultures

http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/id...

http://www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk/turkeyca...

Answer 3

Read James Lovelock The GaiaTheory you should have some books in your school library.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lovel...

http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/

Answer 4

Try this to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Natu...

The origins of mother earth are lost in antiquity, and the best you can do is cite artifacts and writings from the past.

But I think you have hit on the source.  It is either "father earth" or "mother earth" and mothers give birth so their role in bring forth life is clear and convincing beyond any doubt.

The father's role is more nebulous, and teenage boys in particular seem to give little thought to the consequences of their actions in the grand scheme of things.

Answer 5

Wow, interesting topic. I'm no scholar but the quote is on point with my thinking. It is because the earth is our source of life, and a woman is also in the most basic sense (pregnancy). Giving and sustaining life are traditionally female characteristics as the mother is the parent primarily responsible with caring for the child.