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Eostre - The Forgotten Goddess Behind Easter - German Mythology

Long before Easter became a Christian celebration of resurrection, there may have been a goddess whose name still lingers in its English title. Eostre (sometimes spelled Ostara) was a Germanic/Anglo-Saxon goddess associated with spring, dawn, and renewal; her name sharing roots with words like "east" and "sunrise."

Our primary source for her existence comes from the 8th-century monk Bede, who mentioned that the Anglo-Saxons held a month-long festival in her honor during what we now call April, marking the arrival of spring and longer days. Some scholars connect her to fertility symbols like eggs and hares; imagery that echoes eerily in our modern Easter traditions.

Was Eostre a genuine deity worshipped widely, or a minor local figure whose legacy was amplified by later folklore? Historians still debate it. What's clear is that as Christianity spread across Europe, many pagan festivals were absorbed and reshaped rather than erased; and Eostre's name may be one of the last echoes of that transformation.

Want to dive deeper into her mythology, the historical debates, and how her legacy shaped modern Easter traditions? Watch the attached video for the full story!

The audio and images below are the ones featured in the video.

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