Gender of the earth

[sunrise_4836]

Who decided the earth was female?
In several Christmas songs the lines are similar. (e.g. Let earth receive "her" king)

[Johanna]

Latin terra, feminine. That alone is enough to establish a standard trope in literary personification, even in English. Poets in the old days used to read Latin and even attempt to compose poetry according to classical Latin models.

Then there's good old "Mother Earth" -- how far back in English literature does this personification go?

[lucie]

Simple observation. You plant seeds in her, she's fruitful and multiplies. Someone must have noticed that only females have mastered that particular trick, so it is reasonable to assume that the earth must be female.

[IBBen]

Following lucie's logic, it is hard to imagine why ships and cars also enjoy feminine monikers.

[yabob]

Simple observation. You plant seeds in her, she's fruitful and multiplies. Someone must have noticed that only females have mastered that particular trick, so it is reasonable to assume that the earth must be female.

But only after it rains, completing the "Mother Earth" / "Father Sky" metaphor. Nobody tell Righteous, or he won't allow kids to play in puddles.

[Helen's Eidolon]

I would have to say it's probably what lucie said, but also having to do with mythology and Earth Goddesses, for example Gaia.

[IBBen]

...and using Mother Earth and Father Sky to further my thought process:

Probing upward from Mother Earth are rockets and skyscrapers, phallic symbols thrusting into Father Sky....

Hey... wait a minute, this is all wrong.

I'll sign up for Logic 101 next week