No Name Woman: Noah's Wife and Heterosexual Incestuous Relations in Genesis 9:18-29
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Date
2012
Authors
Blackmer, Corinne
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Journal ISSN
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Abstract
The terse story of Noah and Ham has puzzled scholars since antiquity. While
most critics have argued that castration, homosexual paternal incest, or voyeurism explain why Noah pronounces the severe curse of permanent servitude
on Ham’s son, Canaan, this article shows that the preponderance of evidence
makes clear that Ham’s offense is heterosexual maternal incest. Ham has sex
with his mother, Noah’s wife, after Noah loses consciousness from wine. Ham
brags about what he has done to his brothers, because he has displaced his
father, become the patriarch, and, ironically, fulfilled the injunction to “be
fruitful and multiply”. Canaan is cursed because he is the product of this illicit
union. Noah’s wife, who should have an individual name and identity that
comports with her stature as the second mother of creation, is buried under
indirect language of “the nakedness of the father” that at once disguises and
draws attention to her unspeakable importance in this story.
Description
Keywords
Noah, Ham, Noah’s Wife, heterosexual incestuous relations, Genesis, incest, Canaan, Bible study, Bible, article
Citation
Blackmer C. E. No Name Woman: Noah's Wife and Heterosexual Incestuous Relations in Genesis 9:18-29 / Corinne E. Blackmer // Judaica Ukrainica : Annual Journal of Jewish Studies. - 2012. - Vol. 1. - P. 29-46.