Ostara: the holiday, Goddess, & myth

Modern pagans have plenty of options for starting their spiritual paths. Whether joining existing egregores¹ in the form of a trad ("tradition," such as Blue Star), an established Coven and/or Grove, or carving your own way through the beautiful eclectic wilderness~

I feel safe in saying that there is a wealth of "common ground" education available to the majority of pagans, including the Sabbats. Whether an individual or group celebrates 1 or all 8, there is usually knowledge and understanding of Yule (Winter Solstice), Imbolc (cross-quarter), Ostara (Spring Equinox), Beltane (cross-quarter), Litha (Summer Solstice), Lughnasadh/Lammas (cross-quarter), Mabon (Autumn Equinox), and/or Samhain (cross-quarter).

This time of year, I find myself keeping an eye open for the perennial conversation about the legitimacy of Eostre as a Goddess and Ostara as a holiday. (Remember when the drama was "Ishtar = Easter"²? )

In "The Goddess Eostre: Bede's Text and Contemporary Pagan Tradition(s)" (link) Carole Cusack writes: "Modern Pagan groups often consult texts from the European Middle Ages and rely upon scholarly assessments of the authenticity of these texts and the traditions they contain. Often these texts become 'scripture' for Pagans and are thus vitally important for identity and community."

The main source for Ostara/Eostre comes from the Venerable Bede's De Temporum Ratione (The Reckoning of Time), published in 725. The book deals with a number of topics related to the passage of time, including information on the naming of the then-current English months.

Latin source (starts on page 179):

"Eostur-monath, qui nunc paschalis mensis interpretetur, quondam a dea illorum quae Eostre vocabatur, et cui in illo festa celebrabant, nomen habuit, a cuius nomine nunc paschale tempus cognominant; consueto antiquae observationis vocabulo gaudia novae solemnitatis vocantes."

The popular Faith Wallis translation (link is to Windintheworldtree's article that includes a translation of this passage):

"Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs names Eostre, in whose honour feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honoured name of the old observance."³

Windintheworldtree reminds us that, "Bede has no reason to lie about this because it was not ordinary for clerics to invent new gods but was however common to find them arguing against ancient gods that they knew about from earlier times. Basically, he has no reason to lie about so small a detail. Furthermore, he is generally a very reliable source of information when he is relaying information from his own time period."

So if we accept Bede's morsel as truth, then we can accept Goddess Eostre. As Windintheworldtree notes, "Eostre is linguistically related to several goddesses through the PIE root word *haéusōs: Eos (Greek), Aurora (Roman), Aušrinė (Lithuanian), Auseklis (Latvian), Ushas (Vedic). Each of these goddesses is linked both to dawn and the east in this linguistic way, which makes sense given the location of dawn in the east." Pretty interesting, and a very common way that Gods and Goddesses would move between cultures as colonizers and immigrants made their mark.

All of the above said, I ultimately feel that modern pagans should embrace their power in creating holidays and traditions, whether that be from the thin air of possibility or the hearty tomb of an established mythology/history book.

I appreciate the desire to have a link to the past through ancient texts and passed-down knowledge, and strive myself to seek out existing material whenever possible, whether formal or unverified personal gnosis (UPG). Whatever notes, whatever texts or pictures you can find that pull at you, inspire you - remind you, sometimes, of what you already know to be true. There's no fault in needing a spark.

If Ostara as a holiday feels right to you, then celebrate it! There is no One Pagan To Rule Us All, no One Text To Guide Us. Your path should be tread with intention, and the words and dressings that you use to express your magic may come in many forms over many years. To stay stuck to the past is to choose to stay ignorant of what you've learned - and as a Blue Star Wiccan, I have an especial interest in Learning, as it is one of our Tenants of Faith.

The next article will pertain to our suggested Work for celebrating Ostara at home, and will have more information about the other traditional trappings of this time of year, like bunnies and eggs!

Blessed Be!

By Acorn, 1°

¹ "Egregore refers to a collective consciousness that emerges from a group of people who share common beliefs, intentions, or emotions." https://esotericwitch.com/egregore-the-collective-consciousness/

² So many sources for this, but here's one just to have one: https://haljohnsonbooks.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/membusters-easter/

³ Actual book text (well, some of a preview) can be found here: Bede, The reckoning of time / translated, with introduction, notes and commentary by Faith Wallis. Liverpool : Liverpool University Press, 1999: https://books.google.com/books/about/Bede_The_Reckoning_of_Time.html?id=yFsw-Vaup6sC