Where did the expression the birds and the bees come from?

The expression “the birds and the bees” is a metaphor that refers to explaining the mechanics and consequences of sexual intercourse and reproduction to younger people, especially children. But where did this peculiar expression originate from?

The History Behind “The Birds and the Bees”

While the exact origins of the phrase “the birds and the bees” are uncertain, there are a few theories about how this expression came about:

Associations with Nature

One idea is that the phrase makes reference to birds and bees as metaphors for explaining human reproduction because both are common examples of animal procreation that take place openly in nature. Birds lay eggs and bees pollinate flowers, so linking sex education to these natural processes may have been seen as a gentle way to convey the facts of life to young people.

Ancient Beliefs

In Ancient Greece and Rome, there were naturalistic folk beliefs that babies were conceived when the sperm of the father was delivered to the mother by way of the wind, birds, or bees. Some think the modern phrase “the birds and the bees” is a cultural holdover from these antiquated ideas about human conception.

Euphemistic Language

Using indirect or obscure language to discuss taboo topics has long been a tradition in many cultures. The metaphor of “the birds and the bees” allowed parents, teachers, and children’s books authors to talk about reproductive anatomy and sex without having to use explicit terms, which may have been considered improper especially for younger audiences.

Early Known Usages

While “the birds and the bees” did not become popular until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some early known usages can be found that hint at its origins:

The Marriage Service Reference

In the Anglican marriage service from 1662, there is a reference to a bird’s nest that some believe may be linked to the modern phrase. It reads “They two shall be one flesh. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the Church: for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

The reference to “one flesh” hints at a physical or biological union between married couples, not unlike the metaphors of the birds and the bees.

John Lyly’s Euphues

In John Lyly’s popular 1578 proto-novel Euphues, there is the passage: “Philautus, you have heard the old adage, that children are not found in the nests of birds.” This refers to the need for human procreation between couples to produce offspring, again foreshadowing the link between birds and human reproduction.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge Poem

An 1802 poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge titled “The Blossoming of the Solitary Date-Tree” includes the lines: “Soon as the Morning tremors o’er, / And the Breeze blew softly from the shore, / The gentle bird, of which he told, / Lighted upon the Date tree’s stem, / And so secure, that Love ne’er starts / At each nigh sound that floats in the air, / He dipped in the fountain up to the rim.”

Some literary analysts think Coleridge intentionally used “bird” here as a euphemism or metaphor to represent a penis, linking it to themes of human sexuality in the poem.

Rise of Popularity in the Late 1800s

While the expression likely had its roots in these earlier historical usages, it did not become widely known until the late Victorian period in the late 19th century. Some key early usages that popularized “the birds and the bees” include:

Sex Education Debate

In the late 1800s, more progressive attitudes led to debates around whether children, especially girls, should receive formal sex education. “The birds and the bees” became a popular way to refer to this controversial topic indirectly.

Cole’s Fun Doctor Book

An 1898 book titled “The Fun Doctor” by Douglas A. Cole included a chapter using the metaphor of “the birds and the bees” to explain gender, reproduction, anatomy and romance to children.

Stanton Coit’s “Sex Morality”

In Stanton Coit’s 1900 book “Sex Morality,” he commented that parents often used phrases like “the birds and the bees” in the course of “enlightening one’s children on intricate matters.”

Thurston’s “Fables for the Frivolous”

The 1902 short story collection “Fables for the Frivolous” by John M. Thurston includes a piece titled “The Birds, the Beasts and the Bat” that uses birds and bees to explain courtship rituals.

Peak Usage in the Early 1900s

By the early 20th century, “the birds and the bees” became the predominant euphemistic phrase to refer to educating children about sex and reproduction. Some key usages that cemented its popularity include:

Sanger’s “What Every Mother Should Know”

The 1917 sex education pamphlet “What Every Mother Should Know” by Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, used the phrase “the birds and the bees” liberally in describing how mothers can talk about puberty and sexual relations with their adolescent daughters.

Hussy’s “These Twain”

In the introduction to Mark Hussy’s 1917 novel “These Twain,” he stated that “There will be no attempt to explain the ‘birds and bees’ in our artless method of generation. We must veil the secrets of sex behind the impenetrable cloud of a dead language if we are to insure it against the sacrilege of popular reading.”

Millay’s “A Few Figs From Thistles”

Edna St. Vincent Millay’s 1920 poetry collection “A Few Figs From Thistles” includes allusions to “the birds and the bees” as part of descriptions of the human sexual experience.

Continued Usage in Late 1900s Pop Culture

Even as sex education became more comprehensive and direct, “the birds and the bees” persisted as a familiar cultural euphemism for having “the talk” about sexuality with children. Some examples include:

Goofy Animations

In the 1944 Disney cartoon “The Story of the Birds and Bees,” the character Goofy explains courtship and reproduction among birds and bees through the frame of teaching his son about “the facts of life.”

Aretha Franklin Song

In Aretha Franklin’s 1964 song “Mama’s Got a Baby,” she sings the lyrics “Hey Mama, don’t you know the stork can’t bring me a little baby brother? I told little brother the real true story of the birds and bees.”

80s Teen Sex Comedies

R-rated teen sex comedies of the 1980s, like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” often used “the birds and the bees” references jokingly to acknowledge the characters’ burgeoning sexuality.

The Phrase Today

While the expression “the birds and the bees’ is less common today, it still persists as a quaint metaphor for communicating information about human sex and reproduction. Parents may use it either humorously or earnestly when deciding how to talk to their kids about these sensitive topics in a way that is discrete but informative. So while its origins may still be murky, this colorful euphemism remains part of our shared cultural vocabulary.

Conclusion

In summary, the origins of the phrase “the birds and the bees” are uncertain, but it emerged as a coy Victorian metaphor for human courtship and sexuality, gained popularity in the early 20th century, and persists in moderated usage today. Though not as prevalent in an age of more direct sex education, it continues to serve as a cute, indirect idiom that protects the innocence of children while imparting biological facts. The long-lasting expression connecting human intimacy with nature’s patterns shows the enduring human tendency to use clever euphemisms to discuss sensitive subjects.