Ostara (1884) by Johannes Gehrts.The goddess flies through the heavens surrounded by Roman-inspired putti, beams of light, and animals.Germanic people look up at the goddess from the realm below. Ēostre (Proto-Germanic: *Austrō(n)) is a West Germanic spring goddess. The name is reflected in Old English: *Ēastre ([ˈæːɑstre]; Northumbrian dialect: Ēastro, Mercian and West …

Dec 9, 2022 · Eostre, also called Ostara or Eastre, is a Germanic goddess associated with spring and the dawn. She is particularly known in Anglo-Saxon and Old High German traditions and is believed to be the namesake for the Christian holiday of Easter. Notably, there is limited historical information about Eostre, and much of what is known comes

Mar 13, 2024 · Eostre was a pagan deity worshipped by the Anglo-Saxons and also one of the Celtic goddesses.While Eostre doesn’t seem to be a Norse goddess, a few scholars claim that she is a hypostasis of Freyja.Under that consideration, Eostre could be an Old Norse Vanir deity.Yet, the true origins of this mysterious figure are not clear.

Mar 31, 2025 · The Anglo-Saxons worshipped the goddess Eostre, referred to by the Venerable Bede in De Temporum Ratione (AD 725), in which he also mentions the indigenous English name of the month: “Eostur-monath has a name that is now translated as ‘Paschal month’, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honour feasts were …

1 day ago · The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin.One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede in the 8th century, was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, an Anglo-Saxon goddess possibly associated with spring and fertility. (In the modern era the connection between Eostre and spring has been disputed; she may have been …

She has her own festival on 21 March, the Spring Equinox, in which bouncing springy behavior is encouraged. A Germanic goddess, Eostre was very popular with the Anglo-Saxon pagan brigade who worshiped her under the name — and kicked off the whole Easter business without a Jesus in sight. If you ever wondered what eggs and bunnies have to do with crucifixion and …

5 days ago · Nice article. Well written. Thank you for doing your research. And I would add that the word Easter is German in origin, and designates the earth goddess Eastra, who brings the spring resurrection of new life.

Easter, [nb 1] also called Pascha [nb 2] (Aramaic, Greek, Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, [nb 3] is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. [12] [13] It is the culmination of the Passion of …

Jul 6, 2023 · There is a longstanding debate among scholars about Eostre’s connection to Easter. Bede mentioned that the month corresponding to April was called “Eosturmonath” by the Anglo-Saxons, which later translated into “Easter month.” He suggested that the Christian festival of Easter was named after Eostre.

Jan 4, 2020 · Eostre's first appearance in primary sources in when the Venerable Bede tells us that April is known as Eostremonath, named for a goddess that the Anglo-Saxons honored in the spring. Jacob Grimm claimed that he found evidence of her existence in the oral traditions of certain parts of Germany.