Mother of all living

In Genesis 3, after the fall, we read of Adam giving his wife a (new?) name:

'The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.'
v 20

What does this mean? Well first let's try and take it literally. In this reading Eve is the mother of everything that has life. Genesis 1 (i.e. the nearby context)describes this life being in every moving creature of both land and sea. In fact even the serpent (ch 3v1) is described as being a part of the 'living'!

There are many mother earth myths that talk of living creatures being born of a woman but I don't believe that this is what Genesis is saying to us. I think that this is to be taken spiritually not literally. Like much of what we read in this chapter this title is in anticipation of Jesus Christ. God says to the serpent:

'I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel'
v 15

Now, this isn't talking about a literal battle between humans and snakes but rather a spiritual battle between the ways of good and the ways of evil. Eve's offspring wins, crushing the head of the serpent's. This is the victory of Christ that brings life to all.

'...that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.'
Hebrews 2 v 14

That is how Eve is the mother of all living, because all who are alive are alive through Christ.