Wait... what?

[Arden Deschain]

I'm reading The Meaning of Witchcraft, and I came across something that doesn't make sense.

of the Goddess: "...the Great Mother, who is also the Eternal Virgin..."

My problem with this is that I don't see the point in an Eternal Virgin. the only reason i could see is if sex taints you, but... that doesn't make sense either. I must be missing something here. I thought fertility was something to be celebrated, something that an "eternal virgin" doesn't invoke. It makes me think of the virgin mary, but... I can't reconcile that with everything else I've read about wicca. Can someone explain what Gardner means by Eternal Virgin?

Many Thanks!  

[Brass Bell Doll]

While I think this is something that is explained and experienced with the Mysteries, a couple explanations could relate to her nature as it is reflected in all stages of life. It could also relate to the use of the word Virgin to regard a self possessed woman.  

[Deoridhe]

There is some evidence - mainly in the number of fertility/motherhood deities re-imagined as virgins - that one of the effects of/efforts to devalue women led to women being stripped of their maturity, which includes a sexuality that we were free to exercise without the constraint of males in our lives.

One of the first steps to this would be taking mature goddesses who were sexually autonomous and making them virgins and thus inexperienced and also (presumably) young.