Easter, Gods of New Life
Where to begin? Who is Easter? What is Easter? A Holiday or a God? Quite likely the answer to these questions is simply "Yes.", but please allow me to explain.
One of the most well known and controversial gods of West Germania is that of Ostara, who is often equated with Eostre' and Easter. Some even argue she does not exist, that she is an invention of the church created in an effort to introduce pagan elements into a Christian celebration, but why would they do that? A mistake made by a scholar monk from Northumbria The Venerable Bede, simply an invention, a false hood possessing no roots, no stories, nothing more than a hope, a dream, a wish, a mere ghost of an idea.
This is not a new drum being beaten by any measure. However the pagan elements are as blatant as they come. Yet this rallying cry is performed over and over by those claiming there is no history or customs native to Hyperborean lands. A cry raised by those who wish nothing more than to silence those others who see the clear remnants of a fertility festival in Easter traditions, even though there is far more than a mere mention and a guess from Jacob Grimm to Ostaras' myth to support her existence from time immemorable.
Though the most well known part of Ostara’s myth is likely the one part we Must agree with the critics on, "She is not THEE! God of Spring".
Before I continue I feel it pertinent to state; Eostre, Ostara, and Easter are not necessarily all the same deities as there is ample evidence that each is unique in her right. Yet as they are oft considered the same, I shall make use of information from all three figures in regards to Easter. The first mention in written records we have of the infamous Eostre is in the text “The Reckoning of Time” by Saint Bede in the 8th century:
I Quote, “Solmonath can be called the ‘Month of Cakes’ which they offered to their gods in this month. Hrethmonath is named for their goddess Hretha, to whom they sacrificed at this time. Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated as ‘Paschal Month’, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month”, end quote.
This is a notable quote not only because it is the first and most notable reference to Eostre, but also because directly before Eostre’s Month, is the month of the goddess Hretha. The rest of the months despite having hints of possible god names such as Wode or Sol are not tied directly to a deity. This causes the mention of these deities and by a Christian saint no less, to be especially worthy of note. These two months must have been inextricably tied to these goddesses for him to even mention their names. It is also notable that these were lunar months and every few years the 12 months would be made into 13. So we are not dealing with the exact same time scale as we find in the Gregorian calendar of today. Though Hrethmonath and Eosturmonath are equated in the same text to March and April these would not be the same months we know today.
Hrethas' name is generally agreed upon to mean Victory, this has led many to see her as a war goddess; and this is certainly possible, given that early summer or what we now call spring is when the war season would start. The season beginning with a flurry of activity and industry in preparation for upcoming battles and campaigns soon to come. This may be the reason for her being invoked at this time of year. Though another possibility also exists and this is where Hrethas' role as a likely spring goddess comes into play.
A common and potentially modern ceremony in Europe; especially given the invasion of foreign beliefs, is the triumph of summer over winter. The end of one half of the year and the beginning of the other. In modern Germany, Slavic and other nearby Grmanic areas the bonfires around this time are used not only as the centerpiece for their festivals but also for the burning of effigies. Specifically ones that reference a winter goddess, though one might easily view this custom as releasing them from their duties in the mortal realm rather than chasing them away. Which to be honest is far more likely as to the original intent of such customs.
In Poland it is Marzanna. While in parts of Germany the figure has long since been hidden by Judas. A Christian cover up that never caught on in regards to Marzanna. The German version likely covers up figures such as Holle or Perchta. This probably represents the, “victory”, of summer over winter and is another possible source of Hretha’s name. Though with shifting seasons and lunar months some years Spring might potentially shift and end up in Eosturmonath right? Well this is where the second and most important point against Eostre as a spring goddess comes into play, the fact that spring was not known in Northern Europe until later centuries with the spread of foreign ideologies.
What I mean by this is Spring as a concept did not exist. Not that spring as we understand it was absent, instead originally the prevailing understanding was that there was winter and not winter (or summer).
Spring and autumn are concepts which originate in the South of Europe which match the seasons while summer and winter are but brief moments in the course of the year. This is most blatantly represented in the seasonal female Gods known as The Hours. Who in their supposed original duo were Thallo and Corpo, also known as the Bringer of Blossoms and the Bringer of Food respectively. Effectively being the spring and autumn maidens.
This is even more notable when the story of Persephone is brought into play. Demeter does not remove sunlight just fertility when not with Persephone, the period of time when plants blossom and when you can harvest would be spring (Time of Blossoms) and autumn (Time of Harvest). Though both of these would be encapsulated at the edges of summer. The liminal time when winter is leaving and winter is returning. So Eostre is not a spring goddess because at the time of her worship, spring was not truly a thing at least in Northern Europe.
So what kind of goddess was Eostre if not a goddess of Spring? It seems pertinent at this moment to translate Eostre and Ostara’s names, their names mean “East”. At this point the conception of Eostre as a dawn goddess becomes the most common proposal. Her names' similarity to Eos seems to seal the deal. Though I would argue she is not a goddess of dawn. As attractive as the idea is for its' simplicity, her being honored when she was and in the way she was seems more akin to a goddess whose primary function is fertility than anything to do with the act of the sun rising in the sky. Her fertility aspects are also far more attributed to animals than plants. With eggs, hares, and storks being her most prominent symbols. It is in this very fertility that we find what is perhaps the most notable reasoning for her celebration and her name.
The sun rises in the east this is true. However it is only truly in the east at the equinoxes themselves. Otherwise the sun would rise either in the northeast or the southeast at any other time. While this may seem like a minute detail and an irrelevant point, I would argue given the nature of the solar-lunar method of timekeeping our ancestors had, as well as their use of standing stones to track the year via the sun. I highly doubt that such a difference in position would have gone unnoticed. There is something else that occurs around the equinoxes, animals mating to produce offspring or "The Rut". While spring is the most notable time for animals to conceive, even ancient humans timing their pregnancies so as to have their children conceived in early summer (what we now call spring). Hence both time periods; Spring and Autumn, is when new life begins occurring when the sun is in the east, low in the sky and high. And so many births end up happening roughly around the time of Eostre’s celebration.
So in this way it is not spring or the dawn that Eostre represents, but new life! The sprouting plants, the cooing babe, the fawn, the cub, the egg snug under robins breast. These are what Eostre brings! New life in a mothers arms or beneath an old oaks branches; not the season or the sun, but the babe smiling at both.
I must now turn from Eostre to the goddess Ostara, a God that is fairly parallel to Eostre but must be considered as well in regards to the make up of both Gods and the holiday of Easter. Ostara and Eostre are often used interchangeably in writings of or told about the goddess of Easter. Yet there are some issues with this which we shall seek to sort out.
Ostara is actually mentioned many times in older texts, certainly more than Eostre is by far. In many of these writings Ostara has been equated to the Roman goddess Luna and to Diana as well. She is sometimes mentioned as a Sylvan God who is explicitly stated to be “The Moon”. Already we see a distinct shift from Eostre. Ostara being considered a lunar God associated with the surrounding forests of her homeland. While it does not completely discount Eostre equating to Ostara, it does begin to show a clear divergence between the two Gods.
It is also important to note another feature which highlights Ostaras' many differences to Eostre. She is a horned God! One such tradition from the Harz mountain range in Germany speaks of Ostara having a single horn or a set of horns that form the shape of a crescent moon. This is then substantiated with her figure depicted on the Osta-stone: in conjunction with an unknown male figure, where she is also holding a cornucopia. While it is true the runic text around the image is incomplete it does read:
“You dear Ostra from your face it shines….”
Or alternatively:
“The good Osta is coming near”
The cornucopia indicates fertility of the land, while the idea of her face shining ties her into a celestial body. While some claim it indicates the sun, it is far more likely to be shining as the moon, given what else is said of her. These horns are also seen in Saxon depictions of their moon goddess who is thought to be Ostara. Though the horns are occasionally depicted as animal ears similar to the shift that was made in the design of jester hats.
Ostara is further substantiated through the many sites that bear Ostara’s name. In the Ohlenberg castle near Haynholz there is a portal called “The Oster Portal” which borders “The Oster Forest”. Supposedly they both received these names due to the veneration of the Sylvan God Ostara and her idol which stood within the castle in heathen times.
In the Blakenburg region there is the Oster-Stone sometimes called the Osterkirche where an idol and stone altar to Ostara is said to have once stood.
In Hesse there once stood a group of “Oster-Stones” in the “Oster field” though sadly they have since been destroyed. Evidence of bonfires were discovered in their proximity when they were destroyed for use as building materials.
Oral folklore around the stones say; around Easter young boys from two neighboring villages use to race to see which group could reach the top of them first, throwing rocks at each other to slow their opponents progress.
This is sometimes considered to be another symbolic battle between summer and winter though much rougher than bonfires or effigies. Though the most important thing to derive from this is that these “Oster-Stones” were being used around the Easter holiday. So Ostara the moon goddess is Eostre then? Both are tied to Easter, both are Saxon Gods, it just makes sense, right? Except they aren’t, they are however tied in another way and this is where it gets real interesting.
Externsteine!
Externsteine is perhaps the most notable and interesting of the sacred sites connected to Eostre and Ostara. Externsteine is a sandstone rock formation looking much like an ancient fortification in the Teutoburg Forest. It was known to be used as a location for pagan rituals centuries before and after Christianization finding a resurgence of use during the Volkish movement in Germany. This site consists of several pillars with carvings, windows, and stairs built into them. There is even evidence it was once used as a means to identify the Summer Solstice perhaps serving as a German Stonehenge.
So where does Ostara and Eostre fit into this?
While the name Externsteine may mean Easter Stones, the real connection is due to historic writings referring to them as “Eostor Stones” and “Moon Stones”.
One more thing of importance to bring up in regard to these stones. The scene that makes up the most well known carving on Externsteine. The relief which depicts the descent of Jesus Christ from the cross. However these images were commissioned by local churches and like many other images that have been made on the churches behalf through the centuries, some pagan aspects seem to have been incorporated as well.
The Sun and the Moon are depicted in human form holding drapes above the main scene involving a cross, Jesus, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, John The Evangelist. The scene includes a bent symbol that would eventually become known as Irminsul in Saxon paganism while above the cross is a depiction of God; or A God, holding a small person and a flag. There are also two figures caught up by a serpent beneath the scene, appearing to be male and female respectively. While some claim this to be Adam and Eve there is another possibility, one that ties into the story of Sleeping Beauty.
Most are aware of the Brother’s Grimm version of “Sleeping Beauty” also called “Brier-Rose”. This version is far lighter in tone than its older incarnations, yet it still possesses much of the symbolism that has caused many to see Eostre in the titular heroine.
The tale begins with her birth and her parents exuberant joy at their beautiful daughter whom they named Rosamund. Her father; the King, holds a feast to celebrate his newborn daughter, inviting people from across the land but most importantly inviting the wise-women of his kingdom. As the King had only twelve golden plates with which to honor them but thirteen wise women he invited all but one to his feast. When eleven of them had given Rosamund gifts the Thirteenth stormed in cursing her to die on her fifteenth birthday by touching a spindle, then silently left the way she came.
It was only then that the twelfth and final wise-woman was able to give Rosamund her gift. She was unable to undo the curse but was able to lessen it to a magical sleep of a hundred years.
Everything eventually proceeded as was fated, the spindles were all banned of course but Rosamund, our Sleeping Beauty, finds one and pricking her finger fell into a deep slumber. The curse extends to cover the castle in a mystical sleep as well, where an overgrowth of thorns grew tearing apart anyone who tries to save her before the hundred years has passed.
When at last the century had elapsed a young prince enters the castle. Fantastically the once deadly thorns transform into beautiful flowers, then the prince finding Rosamund in the castle frozen in time. gives her true loves' kiss, to which she awakens. Afterwards they are married living happily ever after.
We all know this story, while there are parts of it here and there that point to the summer symbolism found in both Eostre and Rosamund it is lacking somewhat. Of course the symbols of a summer maiden are present, such as when she awakens the barren thorns transforming into beautiful flowers. Or even the twelve wise-women and the uninvited thirteenth pointing to the old style of months with the thirteenth being the one leap month that is added every few years. Who enraged at not being invited curses the child before the summer season can conclude as the final month ending the old year. The new year begins with the coming of winter, while the final extra month is added in the summer.
Even her name Rosamund means “pure rose” or “rose of the world” a possible nod to fertility or her summer attributes. However, it is in the older forms of this tale that we find a story that really begins to connect the dots. An Italian folktale called “Sun, Moon and Talia”.
This version differs greatly from the one that has risen to worldwide prominence via the Brothers Grimm. The first difference is there is no feast nor any wise-women. Instead the King who is Talia’s father calls together seers and wise-men to foretell the fortune of Talia. They tell the king that she was to have a disastrous fate brought about by a piece of flax stalk. The King then banned flax or anything to do with it from his home. Hoping to avoid the fate that the seers had foretold for his daughter. However, as these tales often go, when Talia was grown she sees an old woman spinning flax and is fascinated by it.
After nine months Talia gave birth to two children, a boy and a girl. Kindly fairies attending the birth and caring for the children placing the infants to their mothers breast. When one of them could not find the nipple they began to suck at her finger and in doing so removed the splinter.
Talia waking and though unaware of where the two children had come from chose to embrace them, love them and nurse them eventually becoming dearer to her than her own life. She named them Sun and Moon. To Talia it seemed as if they were alone in the world though unseen hands attended her and brought her food and drink.
The King that sired her children eventually remembered Talia and stating he wished to go hunting returned to the palace finding Talia not only awake but with two beautiful children. Becoming overjoyed he explained who he was and what had happened, the two soon becoming fast friends as he spent several days with her. Finally, leaving he promised to bring her to his kingdom upon his return.
While he was in his kingdom he had their names upon his tongue speaking of Talia, Sun and Moon even as he slept, muttering their names.
Now the king already had a wife and she had grown suspicious while he’d been away. Her suspicions only growing since his return, speaking odd names all hours of the day and night. Sending for the King’s secretary she promised reward for his aid and punishment if he refused as she coaxed the tale of the twins and Talia from him. She then sent the secretary to Talia telling him to tell her the king had sent for them.
Talia overjoyed sent the children with him.
The Queen receiving them took the children to the cook demanding he kill them and serve them to the King.
The cook refusing the Queens orders hid Sun and Moon with his wife, then slew two lambs serving them to the King in the children's stead.
The Queen was incredibly pleased when the lambs were served as the King began to heartily consume the food. He enjoyed the food so much he exclaimed "By the souls of my ancestors that food was good!".
Each time he praised the food the queen mocked him saying “Eat, eat, you are eating of your own”. After she repeated this several times the king flew into a rage declaring that he knew he was eating of his own because she had brought nothing with her into this house before leaving for his villa to calm himself.
The Queen however was not satisfied sending for Talia with plans to burn her alive. When Talia arrived The Queen addressed her as “Madam Busybody” and “Cruel Bitch” among other less savory titles revealing her plan to throw her into the fire.
Talia begged for her life tried to stall asking if she might at least remove her gown. The Queen having no pity for Talia but desiring her gown, which was embroidered with gold and pearls allowed it.
Talia having removed her gown stood all but nude before the Queen.
At this moment Talia let loose a terrible scream as the servants began dragging her towards the pyre. The King hearing her cry arrived demanding to know what was going on, asking after his children.
The Queen revealed that she had served him his children. And that he had in fact quite enjoyed them. The King began to wail and weep asking how his own blood did not cry out to him in anguish at his actions. For her treachery he ordered the Queen and his Secretary cast into the very same fire. He was about to send the Cook to burn as well when the cook threw himself at the kings feet telling of how he may deserve to die for not telling him what had transpired but that his children were alive. The Cooks wife brought the children to the King who was overjoyed that his children were alive.
Showering his children and Talia with kisses he rewarded the Cook by making him his chamberlain before taking Talia to wife.
They were said to have had many happy years together.
This tale has a lot more to dissect than the Grimm version. To start, the story is not resolved after the “Sleeping Beauty” awakes. In fact that is only the beginning of the second half of the tale.
The first big difference is the removal of any fanfare at her birth and the complete absence of any curse or wise-women. Instead it is simply her fate to have the flax put her to sleep, showing her to be doomed to her fate. No curse to fight or avoid, just a destiny down the line. Her father in this instance only bans the flax from his house and it is the plant itself not a thorn or spindle that pierces her finger.
There is no true loves kiss only a pregnancy beyond her control. It does not end when she awakes, she must still compete against his current wife who wishes to destroy her and the children she had by the King.
She is stripped of her beautiful clothing, laid bare to be burned alive, with the king arriving just in time to save her and punish the wrongdoers.
This is only some of the many differences within the tale, yet far more than the Grimm’s version this tale may hold the key to Eostar.
Before we discuss “Sun, Moon, and Talia” though we must first discuss the origins of this tale. This older version of “Sleeping Beauty” hails from Italy, which may seem like an odd direction to go but the Germanic tribes have had considerable interaction with the Italian peninsula from warring with Rome to being the same country under the Holy Roman Empire. Then consider they were right next to each other or even the Lombard tribes whose descendants still occupy parts of Italy.
Understanding this, it is not out of the realm of possibility that such a tale went south. The version the Grimm Brothers collected may be descended of this Italian version or perhaps they diverged long ago. Regardless, Talia and Rosamund are two heroines whose origins tie into the goddess of Easter and might potentially help us understand her, especially once everything else up until now has been taken into consideration.
.
By which I mean that far more than the popular Grimm tale, Talia’s tale is able to give context to what we’ve discussed so far. The burning of winter, the carving on Externsteine, the “Moon stones”, the male figure on the Osta-Stone and much more. Here we can finally begin to reveal the tale of the Gods of Easter.
.
In the tale of Talia we begin just as in Sleeping beauty with weavers of fate, while the gifts are absent in this version the eventual destiny that will befall Talia is certainly present. This is followed by a preventative measure that just like in Sleeping Beauty fails in the end. Though unlike in Sleeping Beauty there is no malice intended here just a doom that had long been foretold. The flax that stabs into Talia’s finger is being spun by a traveling old woman, while my gut may say this has the potential of a goddess like Holle or even perhaps a member of the Norns, it is just as likely simply an old woman functioning as a plot device. The sheer lack of intent is also important here. In Sleeping Beauty there is a curse on Rosamund, for Talia there is only destiny. It is also key here to mention that the spinning of flax often occurs in fall and is intended to be largely complete by Yuletide. In this sense the flax could be a sign that summer is ended, crops are in, the spinning has begun and so the land must rest, as Talia does.
Just as the land rests in Yuletide, there is another German legend that occurs. Around this time as the seasons change the Wild Hunt rides bringing with it not only the winds of winter but also the fertility of the next summer. This is where the King, the Hunter comes in. Riding through the land he finds himself before a beautiful lady giving fertility that will bear fruit in the future.
It is true the story presents this in a rather horrific way there is no getting around that. The King raped Talia. This alone is generally unforgivable in European societies. So here I have to assume one of two things happened to render the story this way. Either it was altered with hostile intentions. Or more likely in hiding the pagan elements, the story, the context that was needed became lost. Regardless of how it came about the result is the same.
But symbolically it is here that we find the gift of Fertility from the Wild Hunt in the king. The King becoming a stand in for a well known Wild Huntsman whether that figure is Ewicher Yeeger, Wode, Wotan, Rubezahl, Berchtold, or any number of Wild Huntsmen we may never know, who he is forever up for debate, especially given the current state of the story.
Though there are more pieces that can play into the potential for who this figure might be, I shall move forward with Talia’s story for now. The King leaves as his hunt is over returning to his kingdom. Meanwhile Talia has become pregnant with twins; the aforementioned Sun and Moon as she is also attended to and cared for by “kindly Faeries” at the birth of her children. This is a likely reference to the goddesses or other Spirits that attend and give gifts at childbirth for example The Norns or The Fates.
Here they also tend the young Sun and Moon being sure to give them their mothers breast. For awhile Sun and Moon are awake while Talia sleeps. Until the Flax stalk is sucked out by one of the children and Talia awakes embracing her children her heart of love for them.
If you recall Ostara’s association with the Moon perhaps now is the time to bring up the Osta-Stone once more. Upon the Osta stone is not only a female figure with horns like that of a crescent moon but also a male figure. Just as Ostara here is likely the daughter who we shall ascribe the name “Moon” her twin brother is likely the male figure on the Osta-Stone and while we cannot know his name for sure it seems entirely possible that he is the figure whose name is tied to many monuments and landmarks, such as the Ostar and the Ostar Stone. It is not unheard of for a god and goddess duo to share all but one letter in their name such as Frikko and Frikka or Frey and Freya. Just as Ostara was tied into the Moon idol of the Saxons the Sun figure also diverged from the popular concept of the German God Sunna and was depicted as male. So it is quite possible this “Sun” is the brother of Ostara “Moon”. That would make Talia & Rosamund Eostre right? And she would be the mother of these Osta twins? Well…. yes and no. Here is where the aforementioned Easter or Eostar comes into play.
As I have shown there are some serious faults with concept of Ostara and Eostre being the same goddess, using the story above as an example. And so I see no reason to not give Easter the same courtesy as we discuss her. Aside from her name being given to the holiday there is a “Field Blessing” still given today that mentions Eostar by name.
Eostar, Eostar,
Mother Earth,
let this field
grow and
become green,
let there grow blooms
and fruits.
Peace to it!
May its ground be safe,
and may it be protected,
like the saints,
who are in heaven.
Here aside from the obvious conflation of Christian figures with Pagan gods that was so prevalent in Europe through all of Christianity’s history, we see a direct attribute ascribed to Eostar. That of Mother Earth. Perhaps the similarities to the Old English Aecerbot Ritual that mentions Erce as their Mother Earth has been noticed.
The above field blessing comes from a monastery in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia. While the Aecerbot ritual stems from Old English. The Anglo-Saxon’s likely blended traditions from the Jutes, Britons, and Angles as a result likely having some shift in how their pantheon was seen with Erce perhaps winning out. Overtime, maybe even with something as simple as one group having a better crop for a time lending to a shift in preference. A kind of agricultural form of the old Tiu’s tribe vs Wotan’s tribes that having led to one superseding the other in the eyes of their fellow German tribes. Whatever the case this lays the groundwork for Eostar as a “Mother Earth” who gave birth to the Sun and the Moon. Or at the very least their respective deities.
The concept of the Sun and Moon being under the Earth at some point is not unheard of in Hyperborean mythology. Goldmary and Pitchmary from the tale “Mother Holle” are often thought to be thinly veiled Sun and Moon goddesses. Possibly Sunna and Sinthgunt or perhaps the Wendish deities Yr and Om. Traveling through a well to below the earth to dwell in the underworld that is Holle’s realm.
.
This theme of the two sisters also appearing in the story of “Snow White and Rose Red” where the two sisters symbolize Winter and Summer in their actions but are joined together in a sisterly bond, both tending to and being beloved by a Bear.
There are many other examples of this but suffice to say that the idea of the celestial bodies of the Sun and the Moon being in another place for a time before being freed or affecting the seasons is not exclusive to Talia’s tale. Both the mother in “Snow White and Rose Red” and the Goddess Holle function much like a Mother Earth figure themselves. Though neither is Eostar they do fulfill similar roles in their tales.
I would like to mention here there is a bit of the Bear God influence in Talia’s tale as the story calls to mind a recurring theme that appears time and again throughout European fairy tales and mythology acted out in The Wild Man and Bear Cult processions across the continent; where a stand in for a fertility God or “Mother Earth” figure is often married to the Bear. Mother Earth entering into her domain in the cave and in many cases miraculously emerging in the Spring with children born able to walk on their own and learn from their mother.
Doesn't it strike you odd that while the man cubs are born during their mothers deep sleep she; it seems, sees nothing strange or out of the ordinary as having happened? The slumbering Talia birthing two children while she sleeps seeming to have no issues with or confusion concerning this situation at all. Instead she embraces her children as though everything were completely normal and natural.
.
This theme of the bear will come up again as we continue to dissect these stories but for now we once again return to the Sun and Moon Gods.
Let us look at the carving on Externsteine for a moment in relation to this; at the top corners we find both the Sun and Moon personified either as both females, beardless youths or one of each.
.
This latter option is what I believe may be the case. It is here the remnants of a mythological scene exist. One I will touch on again later in this dissection. But one more, often overlooked but important piece of Externsteine is important to bring attention to. The ancient site is aligned to predict the Summer Solstice; not the Equinox. Here the next key begins to click into place as more of Easter’s tale is uncovered.
.
If Talia (Eostar) is “Mother Earth” in this tale, then her story surely echoes the myriad of tales concerning Mother Earth, pregnant and asleep during winter safe below the ground in her mound or cave, her palace. Her sleep is the winter; Autumn through Spring, and it is during this time that the potential for new life is sown. This new life being born before she is truly awake and able to care for it, being cared for instead by Faerie or Spirits. Yet, it is this very new life that marks her eventual awakening and it is only then the Hunter-King returns. Two children, the boy and the girl are the ones that awaken summer.
Across the Hyperborean lands there is the tradition of the May King and Queen or the Easter King and Queen; depending on where you are, who are chosen from among the young children. Both Easter and May Day form mid to late Spring holidays leading up to the Summer Solstice when the Earth is fully awake.
.
The May Queen is especially important and many universalist academics consider her the Summer Maiden who they tie to representing a figure such as the Goddess Flora. However there is another line of thought. Doesn't it seem strange that a Roman goddess would be the focus of such an ancient tradition so far north of Rome? Isn't it far more likely a figure like Eostre, Eostar, or Ostara would take this role? This is especially blatant in one such version of “Sun, Moon, and Talia” where it is the daughter specifically that suckles the flax stalk from Talia’s finger. In this way these early Summer Kings and Queens are quite likely standing in for the children of Mother Earth marked by the natural ebbing and flowing of the seasons and weather, not by celestial bodies dancing through the sky.
Talia’s story does not end where Rosamund’s does though. While Rosamund awoke to a wonderful castle of flowers and a charming prince, Talia has no such prince, no castle of roses, no her story has more to reveal. The challenge of survival, of continuance.
.
The Hunter-King remembering Talia, chose to go hunting to find her again. Just as the Wild Hunt returns in the late spring just before summer begins in full swing, so too does The Hunter-King return but only once Talia has awakened. The children are born and now Summer has reached its zenith. Overjoyed at what fertile joys he has reaped in his two beautiful children, The Hunter-King spends time with Talia becoming great friends. And soon he is off to his kingdom with plans to bring them to live with him.
Only one problem stands in the way, he is already married. To a woman who has “Brought nothing with her to his house”. Aside from Sun and Moon there are no children in this story. So it is certainly possible their marriage has been barren as Winter. A time without “New Growth”. This marriage also involves the taking of Sun and Moon from the earth, the light of the world. The Queen satisfactorily thinking them dead where instead they are simply hidden away, out of view. Talia’s lover having again left has no idea what has become of his children or that his current wife plans to kill Talia while secure in her belief that she has fed the children to the Hunter-King and so will soon take from him everything for his betrayal.
In this story the Queen strips Talia of her “beautiful covering” laying her bare before the world. Much as the chill cold of winter strips the land of its foliage sending the animals to their burrows and the birds flying south for the winter. The beautiful garment that Talia wears is given to or taken by this Icy queen depending on the version told.
.
It is at this moment the Hunter-King returns sending the Queen into the fire herself along with the secretary, as reminiscent in many Hyperborean effigy burning customs. The battle for the heart of a king and the rule of the land between Shining Mother and Barren Queen brought to an end. The Icy Queen once again falling below the earth where the chill cool reigns year round. Just as the effigy of Winter is burned to bring Summer to the land, so too does the Queen burn making way for Talia. Only then does Talia finally receive her happily ever after.
.
It is not only in these tales that remnants of these Gods exist. I am also well aware that it is a rather stark contrast to the academic dogma to claim not one, not two, but three Female Gods as well as tossing in a male God for good measure, are in fact what many consider a single Goddess.
What could possibly support such an idea of three or more Gods surrounding this one holiday? While I must admit like most studies of folklore and mythology there is always a certain amount of supposition necessary and the best we can hope for is that it spurs others forth to uncover more stories and lines of thought which take the Hyperborean nature into account. But that is part of the fun is it not?
.
What I have presented here is not without further evidence here and there to bolster its merits. Nor is this heavily veiled story the only possible remainder of Eostar and her kin. But we shall use this story one of our foundation blocks concerning the family of Easter, her tale becoming ever more clear as we search, perhaps discovering a far richer lore than we ever imagined as we move forward with our investigation.
.
And so now we come to The Gods and the Easter Hare.
.
The lore of Easter is rather diverse as there are many customs, traditions, celebrations, imageries and figures that have been associated with this widespread holiday. But for now we shall focus on traditions that come from Engaland and Continental Grmanic areas; as this is where not only the name was preserved but many of the customs as well; instead of perverted to imitate some variation of the Jewish Holiday, Passover. This makes sense given that the strongest center for the Eostar cult is with the Saxon’s who now form the cultural core of much of Northern Germany and are one of the founding tribes of the modern English.
Though throughout much of these legends it is notable that very little of it directly mentions the God Eostre, Ostara, or Eostar and certainly not Ostar except in the name of the celebration. These deities have seemingly little folklore readily available and anything that arises usually treats them all as the same deity. Furthermore these Gods find themselves in the odd position that any stories containing them are automatically considered modern or forgeries with little if any thought or investigation. Though the most notable one regarding Ostara and the Bird is at least 100 years older than originally considered. So to move forward we must discuss the tales of Ostara, Eostre, the Egg, and the Easter Hare.
.
The first and most notable version is that of the Easter Hare beginning its life as a bird. Most likely the animal that is said to have pulled Ostara’s chariot. This version typically mentions Ostara so that is the God I will use in regards to this myth.
The species of bird is often debated between a swallow or a stork, both of which are harbingers of spring. In this story the bird dies as it is forced to stay in the cold north long past when it should have flown south. Finding the bird frozen to death, a despairing Ostara brings the bird back to life as a hare. Why a hare? So that the soft fur might allow the former avian to stay alive through the cold northern winters.
What happens from here differs, in some versions the hare is thankful and starts to give out Easter Eggs as a way of saying Thank You. While other more elaborate versions tells of the Hare remaining as the puller of Ostara’s chariot or in other versions that it was her lover; not a bird, that died which she had brought back as a hare. No matter the tale the Hare is widely considered to pull her chariot, that is until the virile nature of the hare causes him to cheat on Ostara, who then upon discovering this betrayal becomes enraged casting him into the constellations where he lands below The Hunter. It is said that after some time they both remember all the good times they had and Ostara finally relenting allows the Easter Hare to return once per year, on Easter day.
Another version tells of a dead bird being found by a young girl who prayed to Ostara. Ostara appeared bringing new life across the land and was carried to her on a rainbow. She resurrected the hare and again it began to deliver eggs as thanks.
One other story that has Ostara turning a bird into a hare is one of forbidden love. A hare and a bird fall in love, yet for obvious reasons are unable to fulfill said love. To rectify this Ostara turns the bird into a hare so they can be together. In thanks for the boon the transformed hare gives out Easter eggs, which it can still lay due to its origins as a bird.
The idea of the hare having once been a bird was postulated by Jacob Grimm in his Teutonic Mythology. The very fact that Grimm proposed the idea is often used as the linchpin for the above tales being a forgery. However, it is also possible Grimm was simply correct in his conclusion based on existing tales at the time, that the hare must’ve once been a bird. However, before diving further into the above tales there are more that need mentioned.
.
The first involves Eostre. Instead of the hare beginning life as a bird the hare was always a hare. In this English tale, the animal kingdom is overjoyed that they will soon be visited by the goddess Eostre. Each animal then prepared a gift for the goddess. The hare going to his burrow finds he has nothing there but an egg. Having nothing else to give he then chooses to give the egg as a gift and lovingly decorates it. When the animals present their gifts to Eostre the hare is embarrassed comparing his paltry gift to the lavish ones other richer animals had given. Eostre however upon receiving the hares gift adores it and declares it her favorite naming the hare her sacred animal from then on. As while it was not the mightiest of gifts, it was all the hare had had, and he had given it all to Eostre.
.
These are not the only tales that involve the hare and the gods, nor do all the stories about the hare and the origin of the Easter Egg involve a god or goddess. Some have the hare saving a nest of eggs that had lost their mother to a fox, the chicks hatching on Easter day and looking upon the hare as their mother.
While other tales will mention the Easter Hare as a fairy, who at times gives gifts of the eggs and being shy is often dressed in a waistcoat not unlike the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Some tales even mention a “Mrs. Easter Hare” who travels with him at times. This is especially interesting when the Easter Hare’s fey species is said to hatch from eggs.
.
From here we can start to parse out these tales, targeting what we may be able to glean from them.
.
The first part is that these tales are of dubious origin That does not make them illegitimate and with how popular they are, having either previously been a part of the folklore or entering it after Grimm wrote his Teutonic Mythology, regardless they are a part of the mythos now. While we must acknowledge the possibility that they might be forgeries or fiction. We must also acknowledge that some or all of them are potentially long standing folklore or at least are a continuance from much older tales.
In either case, with this many together we can begin to dissect them and get a better idea of these deities.
.
The tale of Ostara turning the bird into a hare does not seem to carry over to the tale involving Eostre and the hare. While the one involving the hare hatching chicks leaves out deities entirely. So, where do we begin? I think we shall take a look at Ostara’s stories first.
.
All of Ostara’s stories have the consistent end result of a bird made into a hare. These tales would be the ones that are most likely drawing from Grimm’s interpretation. They include the Hare as lover, Hare as forbidden lover, and the hare being made because of a child’s compassion.
The latter one while a pretty story and by no means something to dismiss modern or not, seems to be the least likely to have something of use. While it most certainly could be a genuine ancient tale, the use of a rainbow is the part that seems find odd. As most tales involving gods in folklore do not have such a stunning entrance as rainbows and flowers blooming where a deity walks. The grandiose entrance and way the god has been invoked is reminiscent of a Greco-Roman style story.
While it is possible for such a tale to arise in Germany the tale reads as if it was developed by someone who has read quite a few myths and wished to put their own spin on Ostara’s. At the very least it highlights that many people consider Ostara, a God of spring. By taking fertility symbols commonly given to such a God and placing them enmasse in such a tale we at least can see what people expect to see from such a God as Ostara.
The possibility that the Easter Hare himself is in fact a God is not completely out of the question; perhaps being a Hare deity himself or another God hidden as an innocuous animal. Potentially he is the God named Sun that I have spoken of before who we shall call Ostar for the sake of brevity. Then to he may simply be an animal associated with a deity much like Gullinbursti with Freyr or Rollegaul with Holle. In either case the Hare is now a distinct figure from the Gods themselves.
.
There is an old High German Lullaby though that mentions Ostara in regards to leaving eggs similar to the Easter Hare God legends above. Yet, the idea that the Easter Hares' bouncing bride is one of these Gods or perhaps all of them; depending on the story, remains another possibility. A female God being relegated to the female companion of an overtly male figure who is associated with the holiday is also not an unlikely occurrence, similar to Freyr and Thor being relegated to the Yule Boar and Yule Goat respectively. The God fading away for the more acceptable animal figure; yet parts remain, like a bride of the Easter Hare being a possible covering up of Ostara or another God.
.
As I mentioned before many of the tales may lack "legitimacy" in their entirety but the story’s components may have arisen from folklore, not unlike the tales of Hans Christian Anderson taking their direct inspiration from the folklore of Europe. Even if the tale itself is fiction the characters, traditions and references still holding more than small measure of truth.
The Hunter constellation in one tale calling to mind The Eternal Hunter fitting the broader scope of Germanic mythology. That same tale is the one that references Ostara and The Hare as lovers, making me think that the Mrs. Hare is covering up a God and making such deductions appear to be more than simple guesswork but a pattern. Such telling's track with the broader trend in German mythology of the Gods being rendered down to spirits, boogeymen, witches or historic figures. Ostara being rendered to a hare would not even come close to the most insulting remnant of a God in the modern landscape.
.
But what of the two other stories mentioned? The one with Eostre and the other without any Gods to speak of at all?
In the case of the one with Eostre, it shows that the idea of the Hare coming from a bird is by no means the only possible legend. The hare does not lay the egg but merely gives it and it is this selfless action that makes Eostre love the hare so deeply. All the aspects of the legend we have always known is there; an Easter God, the hare, and the egg, removing the need for the Hares origin as a bird yet maintains all the elements needed.
Though the tale most likely to be derived from folklore and least attacked by theologians is that of the Easter Hare hatching the eggs of a bird and thus becoming the surrogate mother to the chicks. The most interesting thing in regards to this tale is the inclusion of a Fox as the perpetrator of the mother birds death, which subsequently led to The Hare coming into possession of the eggs.
This may be the origin of the Easter Fox, a tale of repentance rather than charity? It is certainly possible for something like that to arise under Christendom becoming one variation of the tale; as foxes, just like hares have some association with spring.
.
There remain only a few more points that must be brought up in the folklore before we can progress any further. The first is that Holle or Holda and Ostara have a lot of overlap. This does not mean that they are the same figure, only that they have similar roles in their respective cults. Both goddesses have ties to hares, both have ties to the celestial bodies, both have ties to storks, both have ties to new life and both often find their myths linked to the changing of the seasons.
Holda has one considerable advantage that allowed her to thrive while other goddesses came under much harsher attacks. Her name is extremely similar to a villain from the bible, as such the Church oft times left her alone, other times simply encouraging the demonic Witch attributes she had developed.
.
The same sadly could not be said for a God such as Eostar. This God had too high a profile due to the holiday. Any lore of her would’ve had to be hidden far deeper than claiming her to be evil while hiding the good.
.
Such issues aside, another possibility is that; just as there are many figures who contribute to the lore of Yuletide, Easter also possessed many figures who were associated with it and so it might very well be simply a time of year or season. After all even the ubiquitous Easter Hare finds competition in the Easter Bells and Easter Fox. So Holle and Holda or any other God associate with Spring, fertility or new life finding themselves associated with the holiday season is not out of the question. In Holle’s case her role as the keeper of the souls of infants would certainly qualify her as a Spring God would it not?
Working backwards we have the hare as forbidden lover. Again this one is a bit odd and I do not personally view this one as the most likely to have ancient or even pre-Christian origins. Mostly due to the Easter Hare being male in most versions of the folklore. Its ability to lay eggs here is explained as it being the female lover in this relationship. While in many stories the Easter Hare does lay eggs, it is also generally thought only to deliver them. Such is the odd and at times contradictory stories of the Easter Hare.
.
Finally out of Ostara’s tales we come to the final story I have mentioned. The one involving the hare as mount, lover, and trapped in a constellation. Again I think this is a flawed story but it contains aspects that do catch the eye. For starters it is not unheard of in Northern Hyperborean myth for a figure to be placed in the stars. A notable example being the eyes of Thiazi in the Eddic myth. Although the more notable points I wish to focus on in this tale concern the relationship that exists between Ostara and the hare. They are sometimes said lovers and the hare is placed below the hunter. This is notable for two reasons, not only the Hunter-King in “Sun, Moon, and Talia” but also for the figure of Ewicher Yeeger also known as the Eternal Hunter in German mythology, who collects plant spirits around Halloween. The time period when the night of the year begins marking the return journey to spring.
.
In essence the constellation could be a reference to this god in the folklore, with the Easter Hare being a fertility spirit protected from the Frost King until spring when new life arises. This is most representative during an age when Easter would take place in a less fixed schedule than we have now with the Gregorian calendar.
.
However, the part about being lovers when combined with the “Mrs. Easter Hare” begins to open up some nuance to the over all tale.
First some context. The Hare is a notable animal associated with numerous goddesses in Europe. In Germany we find the Hare associated with both Holda and Ostara as the Hare was also seen as a messenger of the gods. A creature who knows the secrets of the Otherworld. While Eostre and Ostara are often depicted with a Hare it is not something we can guarantee to be ancient, however the association of these Gods with the Easter Hare is not unreasonable. While both Gods find their names tied into the Easter holiday the hare is front and center, popping out of eggs, tilting atop chickens, leaving eggs in nests of moss collected by giggling children and having so many other grand adventures.
The Easter Hare’s status as a Faerie is also very interesting, as gods are often disguised as Fae. For example in Dutch mythology Gods like Fro, Ullr, and even Nerthus are labeled Faerie. Holda herself is labeled a Faerie in many tales, so the possibility that a potential deity such as the Easter Hare himself being labeled Fae is not out of the question. Though it is also possible as with Holle and the Hollen, or Perchta and the Perchten, the Easter Hares might in fact be a kind of retinue accompanying the Easter Gods.
Many Gods of Easter are even said to shapeshift into hares themselves and so the hare becomes commonly associated with things like the moon or lunar cycles as well as being a symbol of fertility and new life; or their burrows serving as a links to other realms.
.
In this vein, there is even English lore involving witches who are said to transform into hares so that they can steal milk from cows doing "the Devils work". Less well known is that Witches are also said to keep familiars which may take the shape of a hare not just cats as we are familiar with. Now while this is the Christian view; especially the bit about doing "the Devils work", we can find remnants here as well.
.
Unfortunately the view of animals and lore often became inverted under the Church's rule, like Holle or Perchta becoming Witches in the folklore, so it is not out of the question that Eostre was hidden in such a way as well. Or that her attributes shifted to a more demonic and evil Witch form given to those who may have kept certain aspects of her worship going under the church’s rule. The stealing of milk especially perks my ears given the fertility importance of these Gods with the stealing of milk being akin to cursing new life to an early grave and so inverting the Gods' role in bringing new life to the land, to one of taking it.
So it becomes quite possible we may find not only Eostre but others hidden in these tales as well.
She, like Ostara and Eostre is associated with Stork’s who bring children; as the “Treasure Bringers” of folklore. It is not out of the realm of possibility that one or all of the Easter Gods fulfill roles similar to Holle in granting a child to a couple or tending the souls of the soon to be born, as well as those who die to soon.
This is where the tradition of the Easter Tree comes into play. In Dutch folklore for instance, Holle tends forests where the souls of babes grow from trees like fruit where newborns are gently plucked before being placed in their cradles.
.
The Easter tree being a fertility ritual is rather blatant as it surely finds part of its origins in such myths which were likely far more widespread than we think. However we must not ignore the obvious; this beloved tradition of the Easter tree originated out of foraging for eggs in springtime, with the other customs growing up around it.
No matter the case, the idea of new life springing from trees is not by any measure a new or unreasonable association to make. Many sacred groves dedicated to Spring Gods were known to be decorated with eggs, ribbons and other decorations; where birds may have even been encouraged to nest, as evidenced by the providing of nesting material, similar to the Clootie traditions in Gaelic areas. A sort of wildlife management system or tradition.
.
As if the waters weren't muddied enough many of the Gods especially the female ones such as Holle are often viewed as trios of or triple Gods, viewed as three figures making up a single whole. While the names Holda, Hulda, and Holle are often used interchangeably; now and then stories of them interacting as distinct individuals do happen, with Holle being in the service of Holda in one tale. Just as Perchta and Berchta are often thought of as the same God, yet in some traditions they are sisters. These Gods have all been considered the same for so long that whether they are or not has become almost impossible to discern and so it becomes the better option to assume they are not. For example; Gods such as Ostara, Eostre, and Eostar.
It is here I must mention another set of Gods even more obscure than Eostre and Ostara, a group of Gods who are venerated in Northern Germany. Gods who we unfortunately do not have records of their names as individuals, only their collective title. They are known only as the “Austriahena Matronae”.
.
The Austriahena Matronae are found on altars in North Rhine-Westphalia known collectively as the Matronae altars. The Matronae are trios of Gods who are the “Mothers” or “Matrons” of specific tribal groups. While it is possible all the Matronae are the same it is unlikely given our various traditions. Instead it is more likely that there are many variations resulting in different mothers for different tribes. In this case; a trio of “Mothers” in the same vicinity as the Easter cult, their name even referencing the East. Though it is equally possible that these Austriahena Matronae are in fact tied to a nearby town with a similar name and it is quite likely these Matronae and the Easter Gods may be tied together more than we may think.
.
There is one more piece of evidence that I wish to bring to bear in regards to these Gods. The mysterious ancient symbol of the “Three Hares”. A Triskelion style symbol of three hares interlocked at the ears. While the supposedly oldest variation of this symbol is found in caves in China, the highest amount of occurrences of this symbol is in fact right in the heart of the Easter cult, Northern Germany and England.
Its range lining up so well lends ground to the possibility that these Austriahena Matronae; these Easter Gods, are in fact connected to this custom and are a trio of individuals or sisters. Whether that trio is Eostre, Eostar, and Ostara. Eostar, Ostara, and Ostar. Or perhaps even Ostara, Eostar, and Holle. Does not matter in the broader landscape of this custom and likely varies area to area.
All of these customs lend credence to there being an Easter Trio or group of Gods whose remnants have remained long after their trinity was forgotten. Sadly this same Three Hares symbol was also appropriated and made to represent The Holy Trinity, just as the Triquetra and Triskelion were post Christianization. As we know many pagan symbols and artifacts were destroyed or appropriated by the Church as it moved across the land. So it is quite likely the Three Hares had far older versions in these lands that were lost or hidden before they could be repurposed. Perhaps like many other Gods they were obscured behind a Mother Mary figure, who while not part of the Trinity became connected to The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost. Much as Mary, God, and Jesus were carved into Externsteine.
.
Where the sun and the moon look down upon the scene, the face of Mary having long ago been broken away.
.
This is yet another possible hiding place for our missing Gods of Easter, the very Folk Christian lore that replaced them.
Yet, I know what you are thinking. What could possibly support dividing a deity, a God so well known as Ostara/Eostre/Eostar into three separate Gods? It seems not only unnecessary but downright foolish. Well for one thing just because their names mean the same thing does not the same deity make.
Many words can be derived from a singular one. The dwarf Austri of Eddic mythology for example, is also a deity whose name means East. Yet he seems to have no ties whatsoever to these deities I have mentioned in regards to Easter. Nor is there a direct parallel for these “East” gods from Icelandic mythology. For instance, it is Dellingr who performs the role of a dawn God in the Eddic tradition.
There are also many deities whose names derive from the same root word either due to being related like Frey and Freya, or performing a similar role in different tribes as with Frigg and Freya. All of their names can be translated as “beloved” though Frey and Freya are more often translated as “Lord” and “Lady”, yet to claim Freya is the same as the Lady of the Lake would be met with laughter and derision.
Names are titles, and something as small as a single letter change can mean nothing or it can mean everything. The Valkyrie Hilda vs the German God Holda, Vor and Var, two separate Gods mentioned in the Prose Edda. Otter and Ottar, one a companion to Freya the other the brother of Fafnir who takes the shape of an otter. So the argument they are all the same is itself riddled with holes and fallacies.
So when the combination of said gods is built on shaky ground, the possibility of there being many instead of one is not far fetched, nor disrespectful. It is in fact equally if not more likely. Especially when all the differences are brought to bear. Even if say the distinction between Eostre and Eostar could be perceived as too thin, Holle or Ostar could fill that gap in said trio. There is far more lore surrounding Easter and likely far more on the other Gods mentioned here than I can even begin to cover in a single entry. So all of this brings me back to my original point. Is Eostar the God of Spring? Yes….. and no.
.
If I had to pick I would proclaim Eostar a God of Summer, specifically the Summer Solstice. When life is at its peak. She stirs and begins to move when the snow begins to melt but it is the Summer Solstice where she truly shines. Before that, Gods such as Ostara, Ostar, Hretha, Eostre, and Holda begin to crack the ice, they begin to return the spirits of the plants to their full exuberant glory. They bring man and woman together. They bring the new season shifting little by little. They hide eggs. They serve as Easter Queen with her King at her side. They shine as the May Queen awaiting the sun to hit its peak.
.
Bit by bit the land awaits Earths full glory. The waking of Summers full beauty. Tree after tree, birth after birth, smiling child after smiling child. The joys of Easter slowly giving way to the Wild Hunt and to the moment where Midsummer’s ecstatic joy shimmers across the land.
.
Perhaps this is all guesswork, perhaps it is well researched and well reasoned. Perhaps it is more accurate than we might ever be able to prove.
I did not find a dawn God but I did find a sun God. I did not find a single Spring God, I found so much more. While I may never know how right or wrong this is, in many ways it does not matter and I regret nothing.
.
We all live Easter every year. We paint eggs with family. We leave eggs for some Easter Hare home invader while many still pretend any of this has anything to do with Jesus Christ.
Yet all the way we are living Easter.
All I’ve presented here are the stories, the myths, the places, the traditions, the history and legends of it all. But even then; when you really think about it, it all pales in comparison to the time we spend every year at Easter with those we love. That is the true spirit of Easter. We do not need anything else, it is not the Dawn we focus on. It is not even Spring. It is hope. Hope for a future full of life and love.
.
It is the time we spend with family. It is the hope of the new arrivals who even today toddle around in wide eyed wonder at the world waking up little by little. As songbirds sing and sun shines through the trees we hold each other close.
.
And for one brief moment.
.
We are there beside our ancestors from ages past watching the new life being born before our eyes and smiling.
