Gardens were life-giving places of refreshment in the dusty desert places of the ancient world and they remained so in the hot lands bordering the Mediterranean. Had the biblical garden at the heart of the Song of Songs not had its own abundant water supply, it would not have flourished as it did. The garden had water from three sources: the sealed fountain, the garden spring or fountain in the garden, and the well of living water (Song 4.12, 15). However, the numerous watercourses in the garden and the fecundity of plant growth made it susceptible to plunder and, therefore, the garden had to be rendered inaccessible to outsiders. It is locked from the inside, while the water supply within its bounds must also be sealed off to prevent intruders diverting its course. It is a sealed fountain within an enclosed garden, separated from the desert lands outside its bounds.

In this chapter, I examine different Marian interpretations of the Song of Songs watercourses, setting them alongside poetic ones, and linking both to understanding springs and the value of water in medieval Spain. I begin by examining one of the most important Hispano-medieval texts, Gonzalo de Berceo's prologue to his Milagros, with its emphasis on springs and water. I will then look at theological commentaries on wellsprings and fountains, as well as at the place of wellsprings or fountains in liturgy. I will also show how springs were depicted by miniaturists and painters, and finally examine how understanding of water and its uses aids the modern reader in interpreting such imagery in Marian poetry from the thirteenth century.

Mary as a Spring in Early Marian Literature

It is within the prologue to the Milagros that Gonzalo de Berceo creates a paradise setting with its clear flowing springs, ‘fuentes claras corrientes’. As discussed in Chapter 2, the prologue is one of the pieces of Hispanic poetry that has most intrigued critics as they seek to interpret his allegory