The Germanic Goddess of Springtime

Variant spellings: Eostra, Eostrae, Eostre, Eástre, Austra.

 

According to the historian Bede the Venerable (673? -735), writing in chapter 13 of his De temporum ratione, the heathen Anglo-Saxons called the third and fourth months "Rhedmonath" and "Esturmonath" after their goddesses Rheda and Eostra respectively.

Rheda, except for the brief citation above, has been forgotten.

 

Eostra (Ostara) has fared somewhat better, although there is little direct evidence of her and her followers.

The following views, advanced by Jacob Grimm in his Deutsche Mythologie (1835), are generally held by Germanic scholars:

• April, in Anglo Saxon, Old High German, and some modern German dialects, is called "Ostara's month."

• All cultures living in temperate (or winter dominated) climates celebrate the coming of spring with major rituals and festivals. One of the most important of spring festivals among pre-Christian Germanic tribes apparently was dedicated to the goddess Ostara, whose name suggests "east" and thus "dawn" and "morning light." (She was recognized as Baal’s (aka Baalim) wife) Judges 10:6 and I Sam. 7:4

• The Bible mentions Baal or Baalim countless times in the scriptures but to understand his character please read Isaiah chapter 14, where he is called Lucifer, and Ezekiel chapter 28.
  • It may seem at first that the prophet is describing a man but it becomes clear in verses 13 and 14 that he’s referring to Satan. “He was in the Garden Of Eden”

  • Lucifer (Satan) is still in charge of two things: 1. Music 2. Money

  • God gave man dominion over everything except two things…MUSIC and MONEY

  • He told us to play musical instruments as vessels of praise and He told us to use money as a tool to build His Kingdom on the earth.

• The name of Ostara's (Eostra's) festival was transferred to the celebration of Christ's resurrection when Anglo-Saxon and German heathens converted to Christianity. Thus, unlike other European cultures, English and German Christians still attach the name of a heathen goddess to their most sacred holiday: Easter or Ostern. In other European languages the holiday's name is based on the Hebrew word "pasah," to pass over, thus reflecting the Christian holiday's Biblical connection with the Jewish Passover.

• In addition to the name, other popular Easter customs also have heathen origins:
  • The belief in the curative properties of water drawn early on Easter morning. These beliefs were common in Germany into the nineteenth century.

  • The worship (if now only playful) of rabbits and hares.

  • The decoration of eggs (obvious fertility symbols).

• Place names suggest that Ostara was recognized throughout ancient Germany and Denmark.

• Although neither the Prose Edda nor the Poetic Edda mentions Ostara, both works refer to a male dwarf named Austri, whose name also means "east."

• Let us look back into our modern history. Austria-Hungary was an empire that controlled most of Europe prior to WWI. Our modern-day “Germans” derived from these people. “German” was a word used to describe the people of the land because “they swarmed and took over territory just like a germ”.

• Prior to WWI they called themselves Deutschemen. They still carry their original name on the their currency.

 

The Name for "Easter" in selected European Languages

The English and German words for "Easter" derive from the name "Ostara," the Germanic Goddess of Springtime. All other European words for "Easter" derive from the Hebrew word "pasah," to pass over, thus reflecting the Christian holiday's Biblical connection with the Jewish Passover.

 

English	Easter
German	Ostern
Latin	Pascha
Italian	Pasqua
French	Pâques
Danish and Norwegian	Påske
Swedish	Påsk
Icelandic	Páske