# A Navel Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2000, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466 "2000-12-28T03:44:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/1 "2000-12-28T03:44:13Z")
Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons? Since they were made in the image of God, and not born of woman, there’s no need for them to have the vestiges of umbilical cords. Usually when I see depictions of them in Renaissance art, their genetalia AND navels are covered by arms, hands or strategically placed flora. We assume genetalia because of modesty, and the Cain and Abel thing. But is there something… missing? ---
**Author:** ![peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peace)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/2 "2000-12-28T03:51:00Z")
The artists did not know, either. Peace ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/3 "2000-12-28T05:39:01Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_001a.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_001a.html) ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/4 "2000-12-28T15:44:33Z")
Better question…did Adam & Eve exist? But in regards to your question about navels (I’ll assume they did exist for the moment), I guess there would be no way to check since Adam & Eve are long gone. Paintings would be up to the artist’s guess. As Cecil suggested, they would not need to have once (considering that a bellybutton is a scar from the umbilical cord…which they did not have). But I suppose God could have created Adam & Eve with bullybuttons in order to match their children in appearance. And then there’s the question of Man being created in God’s image (perhaps all humans are supposed to have navels in order to match the correct image, or perhaps the naval is a scar on the correct image). It may be a matter of faith. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/5 "2000-12-28T16:25:04Z")
“Did Adam and Eve have bellybuttons?” Obviously, there is no way to answer that one. But hey, “Eve, stand back, I don’t know how big it’ll get!” ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/6 "2000-12-28T16:32:50Z")
God said that they did not have navels. (See link above by Manhattan.) ---
**Author:** ![Perderabo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Perderabo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perderabo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/7 "2000-12-28T17:33:04Z")
Cecil says that most animals have navels. But what about those animals that are clones? I don’t have a clone nearby so I can’t use Cecil’s advice and inspect the animal. ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/8 "2000-12-28T17:37:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Perderabo \* > \*\*Cecil says that most animals have navels. But what about those animals that are clones? I don’t have a clone nearby so I can’t use Cecil’s advice and inspect the animal. \*\* With modern tech, “clones” are still born normally, so they would still have navels. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/9 "2000-12-28T19:15:55Z")
Follow up: is the navel the mark of original sin? ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/10 "2000-12-28T20:14:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Askia K. Hale \* > \*\*Follow up: is the navel the mark of original sin? \*\* no, it’s a scar from the umbilical cord ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2000, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-navel-question/47466/11 "2000-12-28T22:11:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phobos \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Askia K. Hale \* > > \*\*Follow up: is the navel the mark of original sin? \*\* > > no, it’s a scar from the umbilical cord \*\* I always thought it was an indication that the orange was seedless…