Esther used contraception. And so did most women in the Bible (*gasp)
In Esther, we see the women being considered for the King to go through a lengthy preparation process which includes being prepared with ointments, particularly myrrh.
Myrrh — a known contraceptive of the time. We see myrrh used in Esther to prep women for their time with the king… because the last thing the king wants is for all his royal monies to be sapped up by child support. Just kidding we know it's because the king could only marry and procreate with the princely family, of which these concubines were not part of.
The phrase used to describe the process of prepping the women is seen only one other time in the Bible, used to describe the medical embalming of Jacob in Genesis. Suggesting that this is a medicinal process not done by physicians, this 12-month treatment is done by women. Herbal contraception was knowledge possessed and passed down by women quite literally called dat ha nashin: the practice of women.
Why was this preparation 12 months long — some scholars suggest it coincided with the female menstrual cycle others suggest it was an effort to introduce the contraceptives at a lower dose over long period of time instead of the toxic high dosage all at once in order to be safe and more effective.
Not to mention the story of Esther mirrors a greek mythology story of a goddess named Myrrah (yes…like myrrh) who was trapped in an incestual relationship with her father and turned herself into a myrrh tree to escape being impregnated by her father… emphasizing the use and efficiency of the contraceptive in preventing pregnancy.
Birth control was not only in the bible but was considered a complex and revered method passed down through generations of women in an effort to protect themselves and their future. If a woman got impregnated by a man who was not her husband, she could be killed.
Or ostracized from the community. If a family had too many kids, they risk starvation or having to sell off kids or land to make enough money to survive. There were no food stamps or deferred loans. Roman soldiers came to collect and if you didn’t pay up, you suffered.
Having kids in antiquity was extremely dangerous. Research suggests there were about 25 maternal deaths for every 1,000 live births. And 300 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. Not great odds. Women risked their lives to bring life into this world. And their deep network of knowledge surrounding contraception and abortion insured they did so on their terms as often as they could.
