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Description
The word Ostara is just one of the names applied to the celebration of the spring equinox on or around March 21. The Venerable Bede said the origin of the word is actually from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring. For early Pagans in the Germanic countries, this was a time to celebrate planting and the new crop season. Typically, the Celtic peoples did not celebrate Ostara as a holiday, although they were in tune with the changing of the seasons.

Spring equinox is a time for fertility and sowing seeds, and so nature's fertility goes a little crazy. In medieval societies in Europe, the March hare was viewed as a major fertility symbol -- this is a species of rabbit that is nocturnal most of the year, but in March when mating season begins, there are bunnies everywhere all day long.

The Easter lily or Tiger lily is associated with all kinds of Spring connections -- fertility, rebirth, renewal and abundance.

According to the Venerable Bede, Eostre was the Saxon version of the Germanic goddess Ostara. Her feast day was held on the full moon following the vernal equinox -- almost the identical calculation as for the Christian Easter in the west. There is very little documented evidence to prove this, but one popular legend is that Eostre found a bird, wounded, on the ground late in winter. To save its life, she transformed it into a hare. But "the transformation was not a complete one. The bird took the appearance of a hare but retained the ability to lay eggs...the hare would decorate these eggs and leave them as gifts to Eostre."
~info from About.com

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This is the 2nd in a forth-coming series of Pagan holiday art. See the 1st:

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Promoting these fabulous products:
Fairy Dust by Patslash
Celtic Vectors by ObsidianDawn

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Poser Pro 2012, Paint Shop Pro X4
all resources used were created by, gifted to, and/or purchased by me
all rights reserved, ©Brandy Thomas

Please do not download or copy my art. I retain all copyrights. If you want to share this artwork, please use the SHARE buttons to the right. My art is not to be used for tubes, sig tags, web pages, or otherwise altered and is not to be published elsewhere unless given written permission by me. Using and/or publishing my art without my permission is stealing!

Description
The word Ostara is just one of the names applied to the celebration of the spring equinox on or around March 21. The Venerable Bede said the origin of the word is actually from Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring. For early Pagans in the Germanic countries, this was a time to celebrate planting and the new crop season. Typically, the Celtic peoples did not celebrate Ostara as a holiday, although they were in tune with the changing of the seasons.

Spring equinox is a time for fertility and sowing seeds, and so nature's fertility goes a little crazy. In medieval societies in Europe, the March hare was viewed as a major fertility symbol -- this is a species of rabbit that is nocturnal most of the year, but in March when mating season begins, there are bunnies everywhere all day long.

The Easter lily or Tiger lily is associated with all kinds of Spring connections -- fertility, rebirth, renewal and abundance.

According to the Venerable Bede, Eostre was the Saxon version of the Germanic goddess Ostara. Her feast day was held on the full moon following the vernal equinox -- almost the identical calculation as for the Christian Easter in the west. There is very little documented evidence to prove this, but one popular legend is that Eostre found a bird, wounded, on the ground late in winter. To save its life, she transformed it into a hare. But "the transformation was not a complete one. The bird took the appearance of a hare but retained the ability to lay eggs...the hare would decorate these eggs and leave them as gifts to Eostre."
~info from About.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the 2nd in a forth-coming series of Pagan holiday art. See the 1st:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Promoting these fabulous products:
Fairy Dust by Patslash
Celtic Vectors by ObsidianDawn

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poser Pro 2012, Paint Shop Pro X4
all resources used were created by, gifted to, and/or purchased by me
all rights reserved, ©Brandy Thomas

Please do not download or copy my art. I retain all copyrights. If you want to share this artwork, please use the SHARE buttons to the right. My art is not to be used for tubes, sig tags, web pages, or otherwise altered and is not to be published elsewhere unless given written permission by me. Using and/or publishing my art without my permission is stealing!