Ostara Symbols: Goddess of Spring

Ostara symbols are related to hope and spring around the world. Ostara or Astara is the Germanic goddess of spring. The gift she brings to the earth is renewal and new life. Her name (also sometimes spelled Eostre) is the root of the spring celebration now known as Easter.

The name Ostara or Astara means “star” or “to shine.” Ostara is also a goddess of the dawn, a bringer of light after the dark night. Others consider her to be synonymous with Freya, the Norse goddess. Freya’s consort is the Norse god of music.

Historically, the Babylonians, the Sumerians, and the Persians revered Ostara as the goddess of spring and fertility. They held feasts in honor of the miraculous rebirth of life on earth after the long winter. These feasts occurred at the Spring Equinox. More recently, this has become the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

Ostara Symbols: Creation of the Hare

Ostara is associated with many Easter customs. This includes rabbits and Easter eggs. According to Germanic folklore, the rabbit or March hare was originally a bird that pulled the chariot of the Goddess of Spring.

The goddess Ostara discovered that the bird was too delicate for the constant toil. The bird also suffered from the change in climate each year. As a result, Ostara changed the bird into a quick little animal with four legs and thick, warm fur.

In addition, the long ears and short tail would help the hare to guide the chariot through the frozen wastelands of the north. In this way, the hare became the friend of Ostara and a key messenger of spring.

In Germany, celebrants made toy rabbits or hares from flannel stuffed with cotton. They gave the toy rabbits as gifts on Easter morning. Today, the use of bunnies in Easter celebrations symbolizes spring, youth, new birth, and vitality.