The real Easter #Ishtar #Easter #pagan #myth
NOPE
http://bellejarblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/28/easter-is-not-named-after-ishtar-and-other-truths-i-have-to-tell-you/
Let’s start from the top:
This is Ishtar …
Okay, great. So far things are fairly accurate. The relief pictured here, known as the Burney Relief (also called the Queen of the Night relief) is widely considered to be an Ancient Babylonian representation of Ishtar (although some scholars believe that the woman depicted might be Lilitu or Ereshkigal). This relief is currently housed in the British Museum in London, but originates from southern Iraq and is nearly 4,000 years old.
… pronounced Easter.
Actually, in modern English we pronounce it the way it looks. A case could be made for pronouncing it Eesh-tar, but I have yet to come across a credible source that gives the original pronunciation as Easter.
Easter is originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex.
Ishtar was the goddess of love, war and sex. These days, thanks to Herodotus, she is especially associated with sacred prostitution* (also known as temple prostitution), which, in the religions of the Ancient Near East, allegedly took on the form of every woman having to, at some point in her life, go to the temple of Ishtar and have sex with the first stranger who offered her money. Once a woman entered the temple of Ishtar for the purpose of sacred prostitution, she was not allowed to leave until she’d done the deed. I can’t imagine that sacred prostitution sex was ever very good sex, but hey, what do I know? Probably some people were pretty into it – I mean, if you can imagine it, someone’s made porn about it, right?
Anyway, the point I am trying to make here is that, yes, Ishtar was associated with fertility and sex. However, her symbols were the lion, the gate and the eight-pointed star; I can’t find any evidence of eggs or rabbits symbolically belonging to her. And Easter has nothing to do with her.
Most scholars believe that Easter gets its name from Eostre or Ostara**, a Germanic pagan goddess. English and German are two of the very few languages that use some variation of the word Easter (or, in German, Ostern) as a name for this holiday. Most other European languages use one form or another of the Latin name for Easter, Pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew Pesach, meaning Passover.
In the Christian Bible, Jesus returned to Jerusalem from his forty days in the desert just before Passover. In fact, in the Gospel according to John, Jesus was killed on the day before the first night of Passover, at the time when lambs were traditionally slaughtered for the Passover feast (because Jesus was the Lamb of God, etc. – SYMBOLISM, Y’ALL). There are a few differing accounts of when Jesus actually died, but most Christian texts, philosophers and scholars agree that it was around the time of Passover. Easter is still celebrated the week after Passover, which is why it’s a different day each year, because the Jewish calendar is lunar rather than solar.
Her symbols (like the egg and the bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols (or did you actually think eggs and bunnies had anything to do with the resurrection?).
Actually, according to Jacob Grimm’s Deutsche Mythologie, which he wrote after journeying across Germany and recording its oral mythological traditions, the idea of resurrection was part and parcel of celebrating the goddess Ostara:
“Ostara, Eástre seems therefore to have been the divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted by the resurrection-day of the christian’s God. Bonfires were lighted at Easter and according to popular belief of long standing, the moment the sun rises on Easter Sunday morning, he gives three joyful leaps, he dances for joy … Water drawn on the Easter morning is, like that at Christmas, holy and healing … here also heathen notions seems to have grafted themselves on great christian festivals. Maidens clothed in white, who at Easter, at the season of returning spring, show themselves in clefts of the rock and on mountains, are suggestive of the ancient goddess.”
Spring is a sort of resurrection after all, with the land coming back to life after lying dead and bare during the winter months. To say that ancient peoples thought otherwise is foolish, naïve and downright uninformed. Many, many pagan celebrations centre around the return of light and the rebirth of the land; these ideas are not new themes in the slightest.
And yes, rabbits and eggs are fertility symbols, and they are, in fact, associated with Eostre.
Ostara by Johannes Gehrts
After Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus.
Hey! Guess what language Constantine, the Roman Emperor, spoke? Not English, that’s for sure! In fact, when he was alive, English didn’t even exist yet. He would have spoken Latin, so would likely have referred to Easter as Pascha.
But at its roots Easter (which is pronounced Ishtar) was all about celebrating fertility and sex.
Look. Here’s the thing. Our Western Easter traditions incorporate a lot of elements from a bunch of different religious backgrounds. You can’t really say that it’s just about resurrection, or just about spring, or just about fertility and sex. You can’t pick one thread out of a tapestry and say, “Hey, now this particular strand is what this tapestry’s really about.” It doesn’t work that way; very few things in life do.
The fact is that the Ancient Romans were smart when it came to conquering. In their pagan days, they would absorb gods and goddesses from every religion they encountered into their own pantheon; when the Roman Empire became Christian, the Roman Catholic Church continued to do the same thing, in a manner of speaking.
And do you know why that worked so well? Because adaptability is a really, really good trait to have in terms of survival of the fittest (something I wish the present-day Catholic Church would remember). Scratch the surface of just about any Christian holiday, and you’ll find pagan elements, if not a downright pagan theme, underneath.
Know what else? Most Christians know this. Or, at least, most of the Christians that I’m friends with (which is, admittedly, a fairly small sampling). They know that Jesus wasn’t really born on December 25th, and they know that there were never any actual snakes in Ireland, and they know that rabbits and eggs are fertility symbols. But they don’t care, because they realize that religions evolve and change and that that’s actually a good thing, not a bad thing. The fact that many Christian saints are just re-imagined pagan gods and goddesses doesn’t alter their faith one iota; because faith isn’t about reason or sense, it’s about belief.
Look, go ahead and debate religion. Go ahead and tell Christians why what they believe is wrong. That’s totally fine and, in fact, I encourage it. A little debate and critical thinking are good for everyone. But do it intelligently. Get to know the Bible, so you actually know what you’re disagreeing with when you form an argument. Brush up on your theology so that you can explain why it’s so wrong. And have some compassion, for Christ’s sake – be polite and respectful when you enter into a debate, even when the person you’re debating with loses their cool. You want to prove that you’re better, more enlightened than Christians? Great, do it by remaining rational and level-headed in the face of someone who’s willing to stoop to personal attacks. To behave otherwise is to be just as bad as the people you’re debating.
Anyway, I hope you guys have a fantastic long weekend, no matter how you spend it. If your holiday involves chocolate, then I hope you enjoy that. If not, just enjoy the extra day or two off work and the (hopefully) warm weather. No matter what you believe in, I think that we can all agree that the end of winter and the rebirth of spring is worth celebrating.
And also? Richard Dawkins? You need to fact-check yourself before you fact-wreck yourself. Spreading this kind of misinformation to your foundation’s 637,000 fans is just plain irresponsible, especially coming from someone like you. Get with the program, buddy.
ETA: The post now seems to be removed from The Richard Dawkins’ Foundation for Science and Reason’s FB page. Thanks Richard!
*It should be noted that the only actual historical evidence that we have of sacred prostitution comes from Herodotus (I’ve included an excerpt from Herodotus’Histories below) and no one is really sure how accurate it is. Herodotus is known for making shit up, like giant ants for example. But it makes for an amazing story and people still make the association between Ishtar and sacred prostitution, so I decided to mention it here.
The foulest Babylonian custom is that which compels every woman of the land to sit in the temple of Aphrodite and have intercourse with some stranger once in her life. Many women who are rich and proud and disdain to mingle with the rest, drive to the temple in covered carriages drawn by teams, and stand there with a great retinue of attendants. But most sit down in the sacred plot of Aphrodite, with crowns of cord on their heads; there is a great multitude of women coming and going; passages marked by line run every way through the crowd, by which the men pass and make their choice. Once a woman has taken her place there, she does not go away to her home before some stranger has cast money into her lap, and had intercourse with her outside the temple; but while he casts the money, he must say, “I invite you in the name of Mylitta” (that is the Assyrian name for Aphrodite). It does not matter what sum the money is; the woman will never refuse, for that would be a sin, the money being by this act made sacred. So she follows the first man who casts it and rejects no one. After their intercourse, having discharged her sacred duty to the goddess, she goes away to her home; and thereafter there is no bribe however great that will get her. So then the women that are fair and tall are soon free to depart, but the uncomely have long to wait because they cannot fulfil the law; for some of them remain for three years, or four. There is a custom like this in some parts of Cyprus.
That crack about ugly women was totally unnecessary, Herodotus. I am just saying.
**The first written reference we have for Eostre comes from Venerable Bede’sTemporum Ratione, in a passage explaining that April was often referred to as Eostremonth:
“Eosturmonath” has a name which is now translated “Paschal month”, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month.
Jacob Grimm said that he found further evidence of Eostre and her associations with Easter, eggs and rabbits when researching his Deutsches Mythologie, although he was unable to discover any written records about her.
THIS. Thank the mother-f’ing goddess(es) for the smackdown of this bullshit meme. I keep shaking my head every time I’ve seen this photo (or a version of it) on Facebook this week.
Late night prosperity magic & new abundance altar set-up. I am very pleased with how this one turned out. It’s kind of hard to see in candle light, I’ll take some with natural light tomorrow.
~sparrowqueen ♥
The Wild Hunt on a BBC news item, re: the growing number of pagans who identify as spiritual but not religious. Also, apparently pop star P!nk has studied some paganism (so she claims).
Intetesting article, worth the read but I think it’s reflecting things that are already common knowledge, e.g. a shift towards syncretism by many magical practitioners and spiritual but not magic using pagans.
Celebrating Samhain 2012
Today, October 31, is one of our favourite holidays and days of the year! Known as Halloween to most people in North America, it is also called by the ancient Celtic name of Samhain (pronounced SOW-hin). Outside of the cultural celebration elements we all know about – trick-or-treating, dressing up in costumes and eating lots of treats – Samhain is also celebrated as a high holiday (sabbat) in the Neopagan and Wiccan Wheel of the Year.
Sunset on the night of Samhain marks Celtic New Year and the festival continues until sundown on November 1. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and this calendar year it also roughly coincides with the Full Moon (which was completely full on Monday, October 29). Like Beltane, which is opposite Samhain in the Wheel of the Year, Samhain is one of the times when the veil between worlds is said to be the thinnest.To read more about the history of Samhain, see our article from last year about its history and lore.
This year we decided to focus more on ways you can celebrate Samhain, so here’s ideas about how to observe this sabbat.
Read more on the Wonderworks Blog »
However you choose to celebrate, have a Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain from all of us here at Wonderworks!
Hagstone Journal of Occult Arts: HAGSTONE REMINDER! + A FEW UPDATES...
Hey everyone! If you haven’t submitted to Hagstone yet, you totally should! The deadline is Oct 31, 2012.
We’re making a few changes to the submission process. There will no longer be a submission fee (yay!) - those who already paid this fee will receive a free copy of the zine. So, submit as…
Reblogging as a reminder: You have until Samhain (October 31) to submit your articles. I’m on the editorial selection board and working away on my own submissions. I know our first edition is going to rad and each one after it will only continue to be more awesome than the previous. Click through for more info on Hagstone and what we’re looking for!
Secular Witch: I mean right now the pagan tag is being flooded with examples of crap the Cunningham writes.
“Need should not be confused with desire because Desire is passing and need isn’t.”
wat. I desire and need. I’m a desirable needy bitch, excuse you Cunningham.
Meh…this line actually makes sense to me. The difference between wanting and needing…
I’m not usually one to jump in on these types of commentaries, but I really feel obligated to say something here I believe because that specific quote is taken out of context for two reasons, first let’s consider when Scott Cunningham was writing this. He died in 1993 - almost 20 years ago, and the majority of his writing between 1978-1990 (before he feel ill). So if his style of writing, or flavour of Witchcraft (in this case, a very specific type of Wicca - Raven Grimassi was his first formal magical teacher) isn’t your cup of tea, that’s fine. But also remember when it was written and how far things have come since then.
It’s a positive thing that more people are practicing and there is an active, vibrant and diverse community of magical practitioners who are out of the broom closet. It’s a good thing that there’s more diversity within the magical community than there was 20-25 years ago. However, Cunningham and his work still deserve some respect, for his significant contributions to making information about witchcraft available to a mainstream audience. Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner is one of the most read books on witchcraft ever written. It was one of the first ones I ever read on the subject and though I don’t adhere to the type of path he describes, it lead me to find books and seek out other resources.
The second reason I think we need to more carefully consider this specific quote is because need and want are ultimately subjective. That is, unless we’re talking about the most basic of all human needs (food, water, shelter). What one person thinks they need, another person finds frivolous and vice versa. What Cunningham is getting at in this one specific quote is not a blanket statement about spell-casting ethics, but more so that magic is to be taken seriously.
It’s a prompt to consider whether the thing you subjectively want/need is something you really, personally feel you should do magic around. There’s lots of mundane things in our everyday lives that get along just fine without magical intervention. It’s a call to be accountable for our actions, both magical and mundane. What this quote really means, is to give thought to about what we’re doing and to resist impulsive action.
Cunningham was Wiccan and he adhered to the Three-Fold Law and Wiccan Rede, so that was his set of magical ethics. With that in mind - what he’s saying makes perfect sense from his viewpoint. Many contemporary magical practitioner aren’t Wiccan, some are. As such, many do not follow The Rule of Three for a variety of reasons: UPG, their particular tradition’s way of doing things, or they adhere to their own set of ethics. That’s fine too, but from a historical context and from Cunningham’s own set of ethics it’s a perfectly valid statement.
You aren’t obligated to adopt Cunningham’s perspective as your own. Constructive dialogue around these issues is awesome, but it’s kind of pointless getting up in arms at the ghost of a 19-years deceased author. It’s not an argument you’re likely to win.
Hagstone Journal of Occult Arts: Official Call For Submissions: Hagstone Journal of Occult Arts
“Any occultist who claims to have secrets is a fake. All wisdom is an open book to those who would read it.”
Letter from Robert Cochrane to Joe Wilson, 1966
Hagstone is critical, contemporary, alive.
Hagstone is magic without bullshit.
Hi everyone! I’m going to be on the editorial team for this awesome new zine founded by my homegirl littlecitywitch. We’d love to read your submissions, so please send ‘em on in! :) ~sparrowqueen ♥
A little something about the Equinox that I wrote for the Wonderworks blog.Welcoming Spring Equinox with Open Arms
In the Northern hemisphere, today is Vernal Equinox - the first day of spring! This
day is also known as Ostara or Ēostre, after the Goddess known by those same
names. This day is one of the eight major pagan and Wiccan sabbats, as marked
by the Wheel of the Year. It is a time to celebrate birth, fertility, new beginnings.
The great Goddess has passed from her crone phase and is reborn as maiden. This day also marks when the sun enters Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, so astrologically speaking - Happy New Year!
If the name Ēostre sounds familiar, it is because the Anglo-Saxon month(Eostremonth), also gave its name to the Christian festival of Easter. Many of the Neopagan, as well as Christian themes and symbols associated with this time of year have roots in ancient springtime fertility rites - eggs, rabbits or hares, lambs, chicks or ducklings, and lots of flowers (particularly daffodils, tulips, crocus and others which bloom early in the growing season.)Read more about how to celebrate this holiday @ The Wonderworks Blog »
Burning Love incense- a new custom blend of loose incense made by Wonderworks to draw love, promote joy, and enhance existing romance.
Ingredients: amber, juniper, thyme, chamomile, patchouli, cinnamon, lavender, coriander, ylang ylang, rose, sandalwood, jasmine, mandarin orange and geranium
The A.V. Club’s guide to Toronto’s occult shops
Check out this review of Occult shops in Toronto … featuring Wonderworks :)
Wonderworks, photograph by Anne T. Donahue February 16, 2012
Everyone loves a bright, beautifully scented space, so it’s no “wonder” (sorry) that the shop is a beacon of both the occult and arts communities. With a gallery located at the back, you can bask in the warm glow of artistry after perusing crystals, flower essences, and tarot decks.
Oddest item: You’re out of luck when it comes to “odd” items, but local artist and energy healer Leslie Peters supplies the store with the most unique. Creator of personal talismans, she makes love spoons in the tradition of Welsh sailors, who bestowed them upon their loved ones before departing indefinitely. Wrapped in crystals, beads, and shells, the love spoons are meant to be given as gifts.
Clientele: Like with most occult and alternative wellness shops, their clientele has broadened substantially. On some days, we’re told mostly Wiccans come in, but on others you’ll find a more eclectic customer base. Owner Rochelle Holt tells us it “depends on the ebb and flow of the season.”
Biggest seller: Despite the popularity of crystals, it’s Wonderworks’ flower remedies—the largest in Canada—that draw people in. Holt says that the user-friendly all-natural products are part of a non-cryptic proactive process to help battle physical and emotional issues. They run between $12 and $33 depending on the size, bottle and brand, and you can visit their website to see the full repertoire.
Lookie - Wonderworks got a mention in The A.V. Club yesterday! :D
Ancient Goddess statues - starting with tallest and moving clockwise- Artemis of Ephesus, Nile River Goddess, Cucuteni Bird Goddess, Late Cucuteni Bird Goddess, Doorway Goddess, Nile River Goddess (pocket version), Venus of Malta, Venus of Willendorf , Bird-Headed Snake Goddess and Dreamer of Malta (in the centre of the circle)
So when I first started this Tumblr
I had been perusing the Pagan community, really getting a feel for it, and I had began to admire five tumblrs that really motivated me to start my own:
- LittleCityWitch
- Moonsiren
- Loupgarou
- SparrowQueen
- CosmicForestPeople (Although she was probably Teacupofmoons then…)
They just really shaped my experience on here for the better, and when they started following me back? It was like a dream come true for me.
I’m such a nerd.
I love you, ladies! <3
Wow! I feel beyond flattered to be on this list alongside other fantastic Tumblr users. I have immense respect each and everyone of you lovelies. I feel like I am always learning new and exciting things from following each of these fantastic ladies, as well as Tarot Blades. Sending much love, light & brightest blessings to you all. ~sparrowqueen ♥
