which day and night, and the forces of male and female, are in equal
balance. The Spring Equinox, the first day of Spring, marks the birth of
the infant Sun God and paves the way for the Goddess and the coming
lushness of Summer.
The Story of The Goddess Eostre
The promise of Spring and rebirth is the Anglo-Saxon Goddess' gift to
humanity. Her traditions and rituals remain alive today; her sacred hare
still "lays" eggs at Easter time. This is the story of how the sacred
hare came to lay eggs.
Long ago, in the land of the Vikings, the Goddess Eostre was late in
coming. A little girl, almost numb with the cold of Winter, was out
gathering firewood, when she found a little bird almost frozen to death.
She called out to Eostre for help. Eostre answered her call. She came
down to Earth on a rainbow bridge, her red robe radiating sunlight and
melting the snows. Wherever she walked, lilies sprang up, symbols of her
potent sexuality and fertility. She brought the season of Spring with
her. The little girl asked her to save the bird, whose wings were
frozen. Because the bird could no longer fly, the Goddess turned him
into a white snow hare. The snow hare laid eggs the colors of rainbows
and delighted the little girl. Eostre told her that henceforth the hare
coming to the woods would be a sign that Spring was coming soon.
