The Milk of Paradise

Breasts have a prolific symbolism. The association patterns built up in the infant's mind with the paternal bosom are regarded by psychologists as the origin of a wide range of cultural and social activities. Fascination for the breast is very deep-rooted, stemming from ancestral experience. As a phylogenetic inheritance, it is found in every person, even those who have never been nursed directly at the breast.

The comfort that comes to the child from being held against the bosom makes a woman the shelter and refuge, and a source of security against the cruel world outside. This was one aspect of the Mother Goddess. The oral satisfaction found in sucking, and all its associated pleasures, is thought to have led to the cultivation of the culinary arts. The milk that comes from the breast and nourishes the infant makes the mother the symbol of abundance and generosity. Sigmund Freud pointed out that a child's first erotic object is the mother's breast, and around the breast centers not only mother's love, but also sexual love, starting with the pleasure of kissing.