The bunny not only lays eggs, but, he's a male bunny..and it's not so odd when you know the story. The Goddess Ostara comes every Spring to make the world green again. One year, long ago, she was late and she felt really bad about it. To make matters worse, she found a bird frozen in the snow. She held him in her hands and warmed him, saving his life, but, his poor wings were damaged by frost. So she changed him into a hare. She made him very fast so he could outrun any hunter. She liked him so much she named him Lepus and he became her constant companion. Because she felt bad that he couldn't fly anymore, she gave him the ability to lay colored eggs. The eggs symbolized rebirth and fertility.*
The tricky part came when Ostara decided to let Lepus take human form. As a man Lepus was very handsome and charming and some say..well, he had a wondering eye. Ostara was furious and in her anger she flung Lepus into the sky. He became the constellation Lepus or The Hare. Adding to his indignity, he was placed right under Orion..The Hunter.
*
Goddess Ostara, like most wronged women, eventually missed him. Softening her heart, she allowed Lepus to come to Earth once a year, in the Spring, and take the form of a bunny. On this one day a year he could again lay colored eggs for the children to find. This day is called Ostara.
*
And that's why your kids hunt for colored eggs layed by a male bunny on Spring equinox. Because Lepus pulled a Tiger Woods on Goddess Ostara. Who knew?
18 comments:
I like that story DD. Thank you for sharing this with us.
i like that!
Yeah, but, she's late again this year and now we have to color eggs in the house. Yick.
Excellent story and [rant]I love it because almost every christian holiday has its roots in Pagan beliefs so it's especially gratifying when judgmental 'christian' zealot trolls make their ignorant comments about your Pagan beliefs and show just how misinformed and irrelevant they are.[/rant]
Thank you for the background story, DD.
Nope its because of marketing and spring being a time of awakening and love ... what better way to symbolize it than by using a bunny and an egg to represent fertility or so they thought.
And of course it just so happens to coincide with the christian calendar hence why it is called Easter instead of "spring fertility time"
Not that I give a damn what Christians do or don't do but it's called Easter because Spring Fertility Time would be a overt nod to Pagans. There are no fertility bunnies in the bible. Who decided a bunny represented fertility? That would be the point of DD's story. Pagans haven't compromised, Christians have. Christians are obligated to have no other belief than what Christ taught and he taught principals not laws which transcend centuries and cultures. Marketing wasn't in the mix until recent times. Candy coat the eggs any way you want, make cute bunnies the symbol of Easter if you want I don't care, but Pagans originated it and if Christians were following Christ in the manner that he lived it and commanded his followers to live it, there would be no Easter, there would only be Ostara.
Not trying to incite a war here, I was simply trying to say that the story was excellent and explains why we have bunnies and eggs at 'Easter' and also that I wish judgmental trolls would examine their own beliefs before they condemn DD for hers.
I love this story :)
Oatara teased me this week with temps hovering around 70 all week. This morning it's 28 with 5-10" of snow expected and there's already 5 on the ground. I wish she'd come back.
Ludicrous!!!
Bunnies are baby factories...hence a rebirth. Eggs are symbolic of many things, again a birth. It all boils down to fable & mythology and the spring & autumn solstice. It IA pagan. It has zero to do with christians or god. Pagans existed waaay before Christians. They made this shit up, the Christisnas had to go along, so they blended the traditions. Thats long been known as fact. The Catholics mostly did this.
DD Im now familiar and grateful to know this story.
Thank you for posting this today. Kiki :)
anon -personally I do not care if you wish to
worship a dray of squirrels on the last Tuesday
in the month of may ! So so so so much to say
everything except your name ?! Kiki :/
Always glad to see this told, although your's is my favourite, especially the addition at the end
"And that's why your kids hunt for colored eggs layed by a male bunny on Spring equinox. Because Lepus pulled a Tiger Woods on Goddess Ostara. Who knew?"
LMAO! I've now got the image stuck in my head of the goddess of spring chasing a bunny with a golf club, thanks to the Tiger Woods reference.
Hold up ... especially you silly Frimmy ... put that pitchfork away.
I, IN NO WAY, said bunnies and eggs had anything to do with Christians. Easter, as it has to do with Christianity, is a completely different story.
What I did say was that the celebration of spring and fertility coincided with the christian calendar hence why it goes by the name of EASTER. Good grief who in the hell DOESN'T know that most of the "Christian holy days" were thought up because they were trying to find common ground and convert pagans back in the day.
And to the rest of you it may be wise to stop being so defensive about your beliefs. I have not tried to impose mine on you (note I never defined what my beliefs are).
One with limited knowledge and a quick temper is almost as bad as an ignoramus.
hey, one of the LJ icon communities i belong too just posted some Ostara icons!!!
http://community.livejournal.com/icons_by_mea/55046.html
Anon 6:41
I haven't defined my beliefs either. As for other people's beliefs, I'm quite secure in what I do believe that I am not threatened when someone disagrees with me. In fact I often enjoy intelligent arguments opposing what I believe. (I mean "argument" in the Monty Python "argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition" sense of the word) How else do we learn from others? What better way to learn from others? My comments were directed toward the judgmental 'Christian' zealot trolls who trash DD's beliefs. You may not have said it but regardless, bunnies and eggs ARE tied up with Christianity and my comments were directed to that. I hope I did not come across as putting words in your mouth, it was not my intention but I can see how it might have looked like that and I apologize.
"Good grief who in the hell DOESN'T know" In my experience most people I've talked to do not know the origins of their own beliefs, and I find it impressive that you do, but that is the reason I hold in contempt the hideous comments of the narrow minds who infest this site from time to time. It is the pigeon hole to which I consign DD's trolls, possibly a bit of negative stereo typing on my part. If that includes you, I'm fine with that. You don't seem like the troll type though.
However I AM silly and I heartily and genuinely laughed out loud when I read that. Hopefully I'm capable of an isolated moment of clear thought here and there. I don't think I'm quick tempered but I don't suffer fools gladly. Is that the same thing as brandishing a pitchfork? I hope not cuz the one I have matches my shoes so well.
DD...loved the story. But I'm still confused as to where the baby ducks and the colored chicks come in!!!!!
What do you think comes out of the colored eggs?
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