In today’s long-awaited episode, we will be debunking common myths and misconceptions about Ostara! We separate fact from fiction and explore the true origins of the holiday, going back to the 725 with the monk Bede. We discuss everything from the significance of eggs and rabbits in Christian mythology to why Easter is definitely not stolen from the Goddess Ishtar. 

To help us with this discussion, we have invited a special guest, A Hearth Witch, who is a German-American folk practitioner and scholar specializing in the study and practice of German Folk practices. You can find their work at their Patreon (https://patreon.com/ahearthwitch), TikTok (tiktok.com/ahearthwitch), Instagram (instagram.com/a.hearth.witch), and YouTube (youtube.com/ahearthwitch).

Citations: 

1. Modern Pagan Festivals: A Study in the Nature of Tradition Author(s): Ronald Hutton Source: Folklore, Vol. 119, No. 3 (December 2008), pp. 251-273 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/40646468


2. Pagan Goddesses In The Early Germanic World: Eostre, Hreda and the Cult of Matrons; Philip A Shaw


3. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/aidankelly/2017/05/naming-ostara-litha-mabon/


4. https://sittingbetweentworivers.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/a-brief-history-of-ostara/#f11


5. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/panmankey/2018/04/why-we-believe-in-untrue-things/


6. https://dbpedia.org/page/Ostara_(magazine)


7. https://ia904701.us.archive.org/0/items/UnknownOstara152ndSeries/Ostara_01.pdf


8. https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck/no-easter-wasnt-named-after-a-mesopotamian-goddess/


9. https://www3.nd.edu/~pantsakl/Archive/dateofeaster.pdf


10. Newall, Venetia. An Egg at Easter: A Folklore Study. Routlege & Paul, 1984. 


11. Bede’s a Reckoning on Time


12. Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology

Wolzogen, Wegweiser zu deutschern Galubern, 16, 29.

ISTOR, page 786:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/43965085?seq=27