EOSTRE ISHTAR EASTER

The Hidden Goddesses Behind Easter: Eostre, Ishtar & the Mystery of Spring

What if Easter—a cornerstone of Christian tradition—has roots stretching far deeper into the soil of ancient fertility rites and goddess worship? Behind the celebration of resurrection and renewal lies a tangle of ancient names: Eostre, Ishtar, and the dawn goddesses of old.

Eostre was mentioned by the Venerable Bede as an Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring, whose feast month gave rise to the English name for Easter. Though little archaeological evidence exists, her name lives on in linguistic traditions and the symbols of hares and eggs.

Ishtar, by contrast, ruled the ancient skies of Mesopotamia—goddess of love, war, and fertility. Her most famous myth is a descent into the underworld and resurrection, a tale of cyclical death and rebirth echoing the agrarian rhythms of the Earth.

The Easter–Astarte Confusion

The name "Easter" is often mistakenly associated with Astarte, a Phoenician goddess of fertility and the moon. However, this connection is not accurate. Easter is actually rooted in the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, celebrated during the spring equinox, and the name was later attached to the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

While Astarte was worshipped in various cultures including the Phoenicians and Babylonians and was associated with fertility and lunar cycles, the English word "Easter" comes from the Old English Ēostre, a distinctly pre-Christian spring goddess. The confusion arises due to the similar phonetics and overlapping themes of spring and fertility.

• Easter: Derives from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess celebrated at the spring equinox.
• Astarte: A Phoenician goddess of fertility and the moon, often equated with Ishtar in Babylon.
• The Confusion: Similar names and shared symbolism have led to the false belief that Easter originated from Astarte worship.
  

In essence, while both Astarte and Eostre are goddesses of fertility and spring, the name "Easter" is rooted in Eostre, not Astarte.

For a popular explanation of the Easter-Ishtar connection myth, see this video: Watch here.

Comparative Table: Eostre, Ishtar, and Easter

Aspect	Origin	Season	Key Themes	Symbols	Festivals	Language Influence	Resurrection Motif	Worship Centers
Eostre	Anglo-Saxon / Germanic	Spring (Ēosturmōnaþ)	Dawn, fertility, rebirth	Hare, eggs, flowers	Spring equinox feasts (speculative)	English: 'Easter'; German: 'Ostern'	Implied seasonal rebirth	No known temples
Ishtar	Mesopotamian (Sumerian → Akkadian)	Spring (linked to Venus cycles)	Love, war, fertility, descent/resurrection	Lion, star, planet Venus	Akitu, sacred marriage rites	Cognate of Astarte; echoes in 'Ishtar Gate'	Descent into underworld and return	Uruk, Babylon, Nineveh
Easter (Christian)	Christian tradition (2nd century CE onward)	Spring (linked to Passover)	Resurrection of Christ, new life	Cross, lamb, egg, lily	Pascha (Easter)	Latin: 'Pascha'; Greek: 'Πάσχα'	Jesus' death and resurrection	Churches worldwide (from Jerusalem)

Layers of Meaning

Over millennia, the sacred feminine evolved—first as Earth mothers and sky queens, then as state-sanctioned goddesses, and later as figures suppressed or subsumed under patriarchal religions. Eostre and Ishtar were not the same, but they reflect overlapping motifs: the dawn light, renewal, fertility, and the cycle of death and rebirth.

Today’s Easter eggs, bunnies, and sunrise services are cultural palimpsests—layers of symbolic inheritance. Whether you see it through the lens of Christian theology, Neopagan revival, or historical curiosity, Easter bears the hidden signature of ancient women once worshiped beneath stars, at dawn, in spring.

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” —William Faulkner