The November 1896 issue of Popular Science Monthly carried an article by Walter James Hoffman called “Popular Superstitions,” which stated: The association of the hare with eggs is curious and the explanation is found in the belief that originally the hare seems to have been a bird which the ancient Teutonic goddess Ostara turned into a quadruped. Appreciate someone who tries to get at the truth. Bede may have been right that there was such a goddess, or he may have been spreading the received wisdom of his era, and scholars have debated this point for years. As a practicing neo-pagan I often come across wild claims concerning the origins of stories, names, customs and practices. Searching the Library’s Chronicling America collection for more versions of the story might fill in even more details. Its name honors Ostara, the goddess and patron deity of spring. unless clearly stated otherwise. You write, “He likely did this because his book was specifically intended to argue for survivals of paganism in Christian Germany…” Should that be “… for the survival of …”? When you celebrate Ostara and the vernal equinox, you connect with our ancestors who participated in ritual and ceremony on this occasion for millennia. There are certainly no ancient stories in which she transforms a bird into a hare. Fertility and the Spring season are certainly parts of that association, but other comments here have pointed out other interesting connections, too! I think it’s really all because eggs and bunnies are fertility symbols also typical of fairly early spring, and I suggest that Ostara is a fertility goddess. To honour the hare’s orginal bird-form, Ostara gave the hare the power to lay eggs one day a year. Others, such as Family Christmas Online, say it was invented in the 1980s. Ostara, known by many as Eostre or Easter in Christian traditions is named for the Germanic Goddess most associated with the hare and that Goddess is Eostre. Our roots to the Earth and our connection to her seasons go deep. Ostara is a popular song by Dancing Hare | Create your own TikTok videos with the Ostara song and explore 0 videos made by new and popular creators. Thank you in advance! Depending on how we define the New Age movement, it may itself not be that new. Unsurprisingly, many of them overlap with mainstream Easter imagery. This is the mythological explanation of the connection of Easter eggs and bunnies, but there are many other stories telling why the sportive hare is responsible for the bright-hued eggs at this spring festival. Shopping. It’s always possible new evidence will turn up. This is the time to activate spring’s energy of renewal, rebirth, emotional purification, hope, and growth. I miss two things however; responsible for everything that you post. Are you a perfume lover like I am? About | Press | Jobs | Donate Do you love harnessing the energy of the Moon in all her phases? Now I’m able to report some more definitive sources. Stéphanie, I have in the meantime found several stories that pheasants and partridges sometimes acually choose a hares form to lay their eggs in. may result in removed comments. For this reason the rabbit or hare is grateful, and in remembrance of its former condition as a bird and as a swift messenger of spring, and of the goddess whom it served, is able to lay colored Easter eggs on her festival in the spring time, the colors illustrating the theory that when it was a bird the rabbit laid colored eggs, and an egg has always been a symbol of the resurrection, and therefore used as an illustration at Easter. She is associated with the Moon, with eggs, Dawn, and the East – all symbolizing her primary qualities of bringing birth, rebirth and renewal to a winter-weary world. Let me back up a moment to set the scene. So whom should you believe? Since the story arises from the work of Jacob Grimm, it’s also interesting as an example of folklore that arose from the work of folklorists. As it turns out, neither one! In response to Holly B, and contrary to Family Christmas Online, a few weeks ago I traced versions of the story back to the June 8, 1889 issue of the journal American Notes and Queries, page 64: The Hare and Easter –Whence comes the legend of the Hare in connection with Easter? Nevertheless, I expressed my “best guess”: If I had to guess, I would say it probably came from a German scholar writing in the wake of Grimm. Ostara - pronounced oh-STAR-ah; around March 21st (Vernal/Spring Equinox) Colors - white, yellow, green, purple, pink Symbols - Seeds, sprouts, daffodils, lily, fire, cauldron, chicks, bunnies, lambs, eggs, scales Trivia: Ostara was named after the goddess Eostre Although the Spring Equinox was celebrated by the Celts, the larger scale celebration of Ostara came with the… They also nest on the surface, which might contribute to the depiction of a bird-like nest. This suggestion was made by a Scottish minister named Alexander Hislop in an 1853 anti-Catholic tract called The Two Babylons. See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. “As the Germanic languages descend from Proto-Indo-European (PIE), historical linguists have traced the name to a Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn *H₂ewsṓs (→ *Ausṓs), from which descends the Common Germanic divinity from whom Ēostre and Ostara are held to descend.” -Wikipedia, Although you’ve quoted Wikipedia at the end of your comment, Wikipedia does not agree with most of the assertions you have made. You are fully Jacob Grimm, the brilliant linguist and folklorist, is one of many scholars who took Bede at his word, and in his 1835 book Deutsche Mythologie, he proposed that Eostre must have been a local version of a more widespread Germanic goddess, whom he named Ostara. According to Teutonic Tradition Bunny Was Once a Bird. This simple statement seems to be Oberle’s source for the idea that the goddess Ostara changed a bird into a hare. Just getting outside for some sunshine is a great place to start! Read our Spring is around the corner, and with the vernal equinox comes Ostara. Thank you so much for researching this so thoroughly. –RWH PHILADELPHIA PA. Well done and God bless you. In adding this element, Oberle provided the essence of the current popular stories. Essentially, the tale is that Ostara, the ancient Germanic goddess of the spring, transformed a bird into a hare, and the hare responded by laying colored eggs for her festival. The interview gave me an incentive to organize my thoughts on the matter and publish two blog posts, which you can view here and here. Even if *Ostara was a goddess worshiped in Germany, and even if she was descended from a goddess *H₂ewsṓs worshiped by proto-Indo-Europeans, she would not be related to Ishtar or Inanna, whose names are not Indo-European. There seem to be two versions of the story of Eostre and the hare: that she found a bird with frozen wings and saved it by transforming it into a rabbit, which retained the ability to lay eggs; and that a bird who laid beautiful eggs was so proud that Eostre was irked and turned it into a rabbit, but she was so moved by the rabbit’s despair that she allowed it to lay beautiful eggs once a year. I haven’t come across a version in which the bird was transformed as a punishment for pride, which is one of the stories recounted by Holly B., That may indeed have a more recent origin. (Emphasis mine.)”. Probably the association is to fertility, with no actual sorry ever told of any such transformation. In fact, given its origin in 1883, and the fact that it was recounted in Popular Science Monthly (a Victorian magazine, albeit an American one with academic leanings), her story seems quite plausible. For more on my own approach to this, and that of a scholar who doesn’t fully agree with me, see the comments on this previous blog post. By the way, the hare must once have been a bird, because it lays eggs…. We further reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove a user's Then, in 2002, Jean-Andrew Dickmann published a version of Breathnach’s story as “The Coming of Eostre” in Cricket Magazine a “Weekly Reader” sort of publication. The children are told that this Osh’ter has laid the Easter eggs. This name came from the Goddess of spring and the dawn, Eostre (which has had multiple spellings through the ages, including Ostara and Austrō). However, because of their nature, they could not have a sustainable relationship and had to eventually part ways. Eostre, too, was a shape-shifter, taking the shape of a hare at each full moon; all hares were sacred to her, and acted as her messengers. Ostara and the White Hare - Storyteller Carl Gough. When Christianity pushed its way further and further into the then barbaric world the early missionaries, not wishing to antagonize their prospective converts, took this festival and consecrated its observance to the new form of faith. Ostara The Goddess of Spring Areas of Influence: Ostara the Germanic Goddess heralds the beginning of spring. by H. P. Blavatsky “Ostara is a fertility Goddess, the northern counterpart of Astarte and Ishtar. I’ll continue to look for a more definitive source. Ostara being the celebration of birth, renewal and new beginnings. Before we can organize an Ostara celebration, we have to familiarize ourselves with the main symbols of the festival. [1] As a reader of the previous posts pointed out, local shrines in Germany have turned up with the somewhat similar name “Matronae Austriahenae,” but again since both “Eostre” and “Austriahenae” are etymologically related to “east,” it’s impossible to tell if there’s any relationship or if we have several goddesses understood as in some sense eastern. German texts tend to use male pronouns, but since the creature lays eggs in this story, it would make sense for it to be female. The hare (rabbit) and the egg hold an essential place in Ostara's symbolisms. Carson, California 90745. Other mythologists and scholars connect the hare with Ostara and Freya. Posted by jojukes on March 31, 2021 April 1, 2021. Join my Sage Goddess Soul Shift program to find your authentic voice, understand your soul’s purpose, reclaim your sovereignty, and expand your consciousness. Pretty Legend Which Connects the Hare With the Symbol of the Awakening of Life. Ostara. Can you tell us, though, what you make of the lack of evidence to support either Ostara or the bird/hare connection? Create an Ostara altar to call in everything you want to birth this year. This day is one of only two magical times of the year where night and day are precisely balanced – the Wheel of the Year is symbolically sliced in half. Clearly, some form of the “fertility goddess” explanation was in Holtzmann’s mind when he suggested such an association, so the modern speculation that she was a fertility goddess is the source of the association between her, hares, and eggs. Unfortunately, this reference was given as an answer to someone’s question, with no source cited. Since Ostara is a festival of fertility and the rebirth of nature, it’s only natural to have the hare represented. Read another story from us: The Easter Bilby is … Looking at that book, we see that Krebs’s passage is a word-for-word translation of a sentence by Oberle: Der Hase scheint vorerst ein Vogel gewesen zu sein, den die Göttin in ein vierfüssiges Tier verwandelte; darum kann er in dankbarer Erinnerung an seine frühere Eigenschaft als Vogel am Feste der Göttin Eier legen. As we have seen, Holtzmann’s speculation seems to be the first direct connection between hares and Ostara, so the story, in a form that includes Ostara, cannot predate Holtzmann (1874). Eostre, the Celtic version of Ostara, was a goddess also associated with the moon, and with mythic stories of death, redemption, and resurrection during the turning of winter to spring. As you will see from reading this post and the previous ones on Easter, the “Easter bunny” is first recorded as a hare, not a rabbit, so that would not be a bar to an English origin. Thank you for the excellent article and historical research. Images of hares, eggs and pastel colors are also traditional decorations. In this illustration from the Valentine, Nebraska Democrat of April 9, 1903, she is called “Ostera.” The newspaper, quite fancifully, tells us: “Ostera was worshiped very generally in northern Germany, and it is believed that the fame of the goddess spread to England, where the Saxons joined in worshiping her. As a librarian, it is driving me batty. But where did Oberle get the idea that the goddess transformed a bird into a “four-footed animal?” He does not give a specific source for the story of the goddess changing a bird into a hare, but he does give a general source for his information about Ostara: Holtzmann, who (as we have already seen) is the origin of the idea that Ostara and hares were connected. She nodded in greeting to the daisies, dog violets and celandines newly flowering for Spring. remove content for any reason whatever, without consent. She awakens the sun in the morning, just as she awakens the spring from the dead Winter. As we can see, Krebs was reporting a new explanation citing a German book by K. A. Oberle, which was at the time brand new. Ishtar, Inanna, Venus, Aphrodite, Ostara and Freyja are all the same fertillity goddess. The myths have it that Ostara ... is responsible for bringing Spring to our lands each year. Others, such as Family Christmas Online, say it was invented in the 1980s. In any case, I think this post shows that the evidence begins with speculations by 19th century German scholars, over a thousand years after the story would have to have existed in oral tradition, so it also seems unlikely on those grounds. We’ve all heard the sayings: “Multiply like bunnies” or “breed like rabbits” and it’s no joke. ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~. She is originally associated with the Hare. So the Easter Bunny would be a “survival” in this sense if it had originally been associated with a Germanic goddess but most 19th century Germans were unaware of this and thought of it as a secular folklore figure. privilege to post content on the Library site. This has to do with a shift either in seasons or night to day would be my guess? Until the beginning of the present century court was paid to Ostera by the kindling of great bonfires and in other ways, and even to-day in some of the remote districts where many superstitious beliefs are treasured by the peasantry the fame of Ostera still lives.”, As I detailed in the first Easter Bunny post, Ostara herself is a shadowy figure in Germanic folklore. The goddess finding her winged messenger was not fitted to endure all toils and climates, transformed her into a brisk, quick-footed little quadruped with long ears, a warm furry coat, and no tail to speak of, ready and able to summon belated spring from wherever she might be lingering, and to guide her safely, even among the icebergs of the frozen north. The colourful myths of Eostre and her hare companion, who in some versions is a bird transformed into an egg-laying rabbit, aren't historically pagan. She is the Maiden Goddess, full of potential, representing the opportunity of growth and rebirth after the stagnation of winter. Then again, perhaps all mythologies (even those of prominent religions) could all be dismissed as hoaxes. Thenceforward the hare, the emblem of fertility, was known as the friend and messenger of the spring goddess; and in memory of her former existence as a bird, the hare once a year, at Easter, lays the gaily colored eggs that are the symbol of the awakening of earth and the renewal of life. The people in their blind fashion thanked the unseen beings who ruled the world for the breaking up of the frost-time and prayed for plenteous harvests and fruitful flocks and herds. (Emphasis mine.)”. Required fields are indicated with an * asterisk. People are perfectly happy with that. The caption on this illustration from the April 3, 1898 Richmond Dispatch says: “The 1898 Goddess of Easter Quite Eclipses Conventional Ostara.”. In Celtic tradition, the hare is sacred to the Goddess and is the totem animal of lunar Goddesses such as Hecate, Freyja, and Holda - the hare, is a symbol for the moon. But the legend of the Easter rabbit is one of the oldest in mythology, and is mentioned in the early folk lore of South Germany. Chances are, you come across some stories that the presenters claim are ancient, and reach into the pre-Christian past. Its name honors Ostara, the goddess and patron deity of spring. Since Ostara is a festival of fertility and the rebirth of nature, it’s only natural to have the hare represented. Standard Disclaimer. This story is a spin on the Easter lore, where the fabled Hare King fell in love with a spring goddess called Ostara. Sometimes the story grew even more in the telling. It’s also interesting that Family Christmas Online dismisses Sarah Ban Breathnach’s claim, made in the book Mrs. Sharp’s Traditions, that she found her source material in Victorian magazines. Some online sources, such as Goddess Gift, claim this story is very old indeed. , and Purchase Terms Venus. 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Her bird messenger into a hare Ostara were popular in Neopagan communities which! Joined in a sacred marriage with the moment when the hare must once have been found now. Children are told that this Osh ’ ter has laid the Easter Bunny they could not have a relationship..., which are often used in pastel shades a stick, splitting his nose ( as it remains today.. The original meaning had been forgotten Grimm ’ s impossible to tell if Ostara as a goddess existed! An essential place in Ostara 's symbolisms also the word estrogen ( a key in. This “ pert, tall-eared rabbit ” was featured in Michigan ’ s Windham County Reformer, April 18 1906...

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