Oestre, Eastre, and Ishtar
A Brief history of Easter!
Ishtar was the ancient Sumero-Babylonian goddess of love and fertility.
She is often described as the daughter of Anu, the god of the air.
Easter takes its name from Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and fertility.
The Phoenicians knew her as Astarte.
In Europe, the name Astarte became Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, fertility, and the rising sun.
The Old English word for Easter, "Eastre" refers to Ostara.
Ostara had a passion for new life; she was a fertility goddess bringing in the end of winter, with the days brighter and growing longer.
Her presence was felt in the flowering of plants and the birth of babies, both animal and human.
Many of our now-a-days Easter practices originate from these ancient times.
Oestre or Eastre, meaning “movement towards the rising sun,” and in Germany by the name of Ostara.
She is celebrated on March 21st at the Spring Equinox, when days are brighter and growing longer.
She is a goddess of the dawn and the spring, and her name derives from words for dawn, the shining light arising from the east. Our words for the female hormone “estrogen” derives from her name.
“Eggs were symbolical from an early time.
It was a custom with the pagan Norsemen at that time to exchange coloured eggs called the eggs of Ostara.
Eggs decorated with nature symbols became an integral part of spring rituals, serving as benevolent talismans.
Pysanky: The art of the decorated egg in Ukraine, or the pysanka, dates back to ancient times. Pysanky is a 4,000 year old tradition. No actual ancient examples exist, as eggshells are fragile.
As in many ancient cultures, Ukrainians worshipped a sun god (Dazhboh).
In pre-Christian times, Dazhboh was one of the main deities in the Slavic pantheon; birds were the sun god’s chosen creations, for they were the only ones who could get near him.
The sun was important – it warmed the earth and thus was a source of all life.
With the advent of Christianity, via a process of religious syncretism, the symbolism of the egg was changed to represent, not nature’s rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.
Happy Ishtar, Oestre, or Eastre to you all!
A Brief history of Easter!
Ishtar was the ancient Sumero-Babylonian goddess of love and fertility.
She is often described as the daughter of Anu, the god of the air.
Easter takes its name from Ishtar, the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess of love and fertility.
The Phoenicians knew her as Astarte.
In Europe, the name Astarte became Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, fertility, and the rising sun.
The Old English word for Easter, "Eastre" refers to Ostara.
Ostara had a passion for new life; she was a fertility goddess bringing in the end of winter, with the days brighter and growing longer.
Her presence was felt in the flowering of plants and the birth of babies, both animal and human.
Many of our now-a-days Easter practices originate from these ancient times.
Oestre or Eastre, meaning “movement towards the rising sun,” and in Germany by the name of Ostara.
She is celebrated on March 21st at the Spring Equinox, when days are brighter and growing longer.
She is a goddess of the dawn and the spring, and her name derives from words for dawn, the shining light arising from the east. Our words for the female hormone “estrogen” derives from her name.
“Eggs were symbolical from an early time.
It was a custom with the pagan Norsemen at that time to exchange coloured eggs called the eggs of Ostara.
Eggs decorated with nature symbols became an integral part of spring rituals, serving as benevolent talismans.
Pysanky: The art of the decorated egg in Ukraine, or the pysanka, dates back to ancient times. Pysanky is a 4,000 year old tradition. No actual ancient examples exist, as eggshells are fragile.
As in many ancient cultures, Ukrainians worshipped a sun god (Dazhboh).
In pre-Christian times, Dazhboh was one of the main deities in the Slavic pantheon; birds were the sun god’s chosen creations, for they were the only ones who could get near him.
The sun was important – it warmed the earth and thus was a source of all life.
With the advent of Christianity, via a process of religious syncretism, the symbolism of the egg was changed to represent, not nature’s rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.
Happy Ishtar, Oestre, or Eastre to you all!