Eostre, The Goddess of Spring, Hares, and Eggs

Written and Narrated by Ellen Evert Hopman   Have you ever wondered why we have Easter eggs and bunnies? Rabbits don’t lay eggs, and yet we associate both bunnies and colorful eggs with the spring festival of rebirth and goodies in baskets. This tale will explain it all and tell you about the Goddess Eostre, for whom Easter is named. Henrik* and Annemie* led a very unusual life. They lived with their oma, or grandmother, in a tiny, thatched cottage deep in the forest. (*Henrik’s name is pronounced [HEHN-rihk]. Annemie’s is [ANN-eh-me]) Oma didn’t care if they did their lessons or combed their hair or even if they finished their beans at dinner. She always said there were more important things in life, like knowing where the otters hid their slide into the river, and where the wild swans nested, and which herbs were good for a wound or a cough. Since they didn’t have a calendar in the house, Oma taught Henrik and Annemie to read the signs of nature so that they would know which month of the year they were in... Continue Reading this article at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article) Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay © 2022 Ellen Evert Hopman. Printed with permission from Destiny Books, an imprint of Inner Traditions International. Article Source: BOOK: Once Around the Sun Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts, and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year by Ellen Evert Hopman. Illustrated by Lauren Mills. In this beautifully illustrated book, Ellen Evert Hopman shares rich stories drawn from traditional folktales, hands-on crafts, and seasonal recipes to help families and classrooms learn about and celebrate traditional holy days and festivals of the sacred earth year. Designed to be read out loud, the stories are complemented with pronunciation guides and translations for foreign words. For each story, the author includes hands-on projects special to the holiday--from crafting magical wands and brooms to flower crowns and Brighid’s Crosses--as well as seasonal recipes, allowing families to enjoy the tastes, smells, and sounds associated with the feast days and celebrations. For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition About the Author Ellen Evert Hopman has been a Druidic initiate since 1984. She is a founding member of the Order of the White Oak, an Archdruidess of the Tribe of the Oak, and a member of the Grey Council of Mages and Sages. She is the author of several books, including Walking the World in Wonder. The book's illustrator, Lauren Mills, has won national acclaim as both an author/illustrator and a sculptor. She is the author and illustrator of the award-winning The Rag Coat.