Who is Eostre? The Lost Goddess behind Easter
Who was Eostre? The Anglo Saxons may have worshipped a spring goddess whose name survives in Easter itself, but the evidence is surprisingly thin.
In this video I look at what we can actually say about Eostre from early sources like Bede, and where the gaps begin. From there, we explore how she might fit into a wider pattern of spring and dawn goddesses across Europe and beyond.
Drawing on comparative mythology, archaeology, and early medieval sources, I attempt a grounded reconstruction of what an Eostre festival in April might have looked like: feasting, seasonal rites, agricultural practice, and the return of light after winter.
Along the way we look at parallels with figures such as Eos, Aurora, Inanna, and Nerthus, asking what they can and cannot tell us about this “lost goddess” of England.
Finally, we return to Easter itself: its timing, its name, and how much of what we celebrate today really connects back to the pagan past.
Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:46 Is Easter Pagan?
01:31 Who is Eostre?
02:08 The Venerable Bede
04:50 The Spring, The East and the Dawn
06:18 Anglo Saxon Gods : The Place Name Evidence
07:58 Archeology : The Matronae
09:42 Comparative Mythology
11:29 Ostara
12:05 Aurora
13:05 Eos
17:14 Aphrodite
18:06 Ushas
18:56 The Proto Indo European Dawn Goddess
20:38 Isthar and Innana
35:02 Reconstructing the Pagan Festival of Eostremonath
38:06 Roman Festival of Floralia
40:33 Tacitus, Nerthus and Terra Mater
46:39 Æcerbot Ritual
50:40 Christianity and Easter
55:45 Easter Eggs, Easter Hares and Jacob Grimm
To support me on Patreon for as little as £3 per monath - see below. Cheers Folks!
/ thestorycrow