What means the term Easter itself? It is not a Christian name. It bears its Chaldean origin on its very forehead. Easter is nothing else than Astarte, one of the titles of Beltis, the queen of heaven, whose name, as pronounced by the people of Ninevah, was evidently identical with that now in common use in this country. This name as found by Layard on the Assyrian monuments, is Ishtar. ~ Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons
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| Venus, Mars & Cupid, Piero di Cosimo |
The concept of Ēostre or Ostara has had a strong influence on European culture since the 19th century - as reconstructed by Jacob Grimm and Adolf Holtzmann - from many fanciful legends and associations growing up around the figure of the goddess in popular speculations of these early folklorists.
A holiday named for the goddess is part of the neopagan Wiccan Wheel of the Year (Ostara, 21 March). In some forms of Germanic neopaganism, Ēostre is venerated as well and has been popularized again in current practice.
