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In reply to the discussion: Have you seen the "Ishtar = Easter" meme floating around? Yeah, about that... [View all]muriel_volestrangler
(106,266 posts)20. Not only is Ishtar not Eostre, there's no known connection with bunnies, hares or eggs
A web page by someone who is an actual polytheist:
So what does Bede say about Eostre?
That's it. Bede doesn't describe the goddess. He doesn't say anything about the feasts that were held for her. He certainly doesn't mention hares or eggs.
...
There are associations in English folklore between hares and the Christian festival of Easter. For example, in 17th century Southeastern England there is evidence of a custom of hunting a hare on Good Friday, and in 18th century Coleshill there was a manorial custom in which young men tried to catch a hare on Easter Monday. [9] There is no reason to believe that such customs go back to pre-Christian times. The Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore bluntly states: "Nowadays, many writers claim that hares were sacred to the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, but there is no shred of evidence for this."[10]
http://www.manygods.org.uk/articles/essays/Eostre.shtml
The first month, which the Latins call January, is Giuli; February is called Solmonath; March Hrethmonath; April, Eosturmonath [...]
Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated 'Paschal month' and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance.[4]
That's it. Bede doesn't describe the goddess. He doesn't say anything about the feasts that were held for her. He certainly doesn't mention hares or eggs.
...
There are associations in English folklore between hares and the Christian festival of Easter. For example, in 17th century Southeastern England there is evidence of a custom of hunting a hare on Good Friday, and in 18th century Coleshill there was a manorial custom in which young men tried to catch a hare on Easter Monday. [9] There is no reason to believe that such customs go back to pre-Christian times. The Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore bluntly states: "Nowadays, many writers claim that hares were sacred to the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, but there is no shred of evidence for this."[10]
http://www.manygods.org.uk/articles/essays/Eostre.shtml
They also point out the association of Easter with eggs is far wider than just in any area where 'Eostre' may have been a goddess. And they describe how they give a feast for Eostre - which they have made up themselves, because it seems right to them, and because there is no handed-down tradition for how to hold a festival for her at all.
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Have you seen the "Ishtar = Easter" meme floating around? Yeah, about that... [View all]
WilliamPitt
Mar 2013
OP
LOL, that's exactly what I was thinking. I guess some bad experiences stay with you forever. n/t
winter is coming
Mar 2013
#6
My bad! Isn't there a web site devoted to whether or not celebrities are still with us?
6000eliot
Mar 2013
#22
I think the point is that Easter has a lot to do with the Goddess, Will. More so, originally
villager
Mar 2013
#2
true, It is clearer when people learn the sabbath is celebrated during the equinox
Dragonfli
Mar 2013
#8
What happens to this whole line of argument when you go to another country like Russia?
JVS
Mar 2013
#4
Pagan calendaring: Christians celebrate Easter based on the first moon after equinox.
Bernardo de La Paz
Mar 2013
#14
Alright! I always feel like a "scored" when I get William Pitt's attention.
xtraxritical
Apr 2013
#28
In all of the Christian burials that I know of, all bodies are buried so that they will arise facing
DhhD
Mar 2013
#18
Not only is Ishtar not Eostre, there's no known connection with bunnies, hares or eggs
muriel_volestrangler
Mar 2013
#20
Thanks for trying to keep pagan goddesses straight. Happiness from Equinox to Equinox!
Hekate
Apr 2013
#25
I'm pretty certain the pagan roots of Easter come from the old European Goddess Ostera
Matariki
Apr 2013
#31