Centering Maternal Breastfeeding in the Old English Metrical Charm 6

Authors

Kierra E. Burns, Idaho State University

Publication Date

2025

Keywords

maternal authority in lactation, early medieval motherhood, lactation-centered empowerment

Abstract

This article examines female authority and self-determination in relation to maternal lactation during early medieval England. While breastfeeding has always been essential to infant survival, its cultural significance extends beyond nourishment alone, reflecting broader social values and assumptions about gender and motherhood. Within this context, early English texts reveal that lactating mothers were regarded as natural authorities in the processes of childbearing and nourishing their infants. Through analysis of historical and literary evidence, this article argues that maternal breastfeeding was viewed in inherently positive and empowering terms with maternal self-determination and authority at the heart of that positivity. The article concludes with a lactation-centered translation of Old English Metrical Charm 6, demonstrating how this text reflects and reinforces the idea that women held autonomous power over their own maternal bodies and the care and nourishment of their children.

Recommended Citation

Burns, Kierra E. (2025) "Centering Maternal Breastfeeding in the Old English Metrical Charm 6," Quidditas: Vol. 46, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rmmra/vol46/iss1/4