Goddess Ostara: Who is She & How to Honor Her

Ostara (known as Eostre to the ancient Saxon tribes of Britain) gives her name to the celebration we know today as Easter. This goddess’s feast day was traditionally held on the full moon that followed the vernal equinox – much like Easter still is today.

As well as being the goddess of the dawn and the awakening earth, Ostara is linked to fertility and the growth of the light.

Eggs are one of Ostara’s key symbols, symbolizing the renewed circle of life as well as sustenance. The Easter eggs we know today have their roots back in ancient times, where they represented rebirth and fertility.

The spring celebration of Nowruz, the Iranian and Persian new year, has been celebrated with painted, colored eggs for more than 1,500 years.

The Goddess Ostara as The Maiden

Ostara represents the Maiden aspect of the Wiccan Triple Goddess, also made up of the Mother and the Crone. As such, she’s affiliated with the crescent-to-waxing stage of the moon’s cycle – which makes this the perfect time to honor her or leave offerings.

In her guise as the Maiden, Ostara symbolizes qualities of growth, innocence, and burgeoning self-knowledge and self-confidence. She’s linked to creativity, self-expression, and exploration.

As well as Ostara, other goddesses that are regarded as the Maiden archetype include Rhiannon, Freya, and the Greek goddesses Artemis and Persephone.

Ostara the Shape-Shifter

Hares are important symbols in many traditions and myths from around the world. In ancient Egypt, they were associated with the cycles of the moon and believed to be androgynous, shifting back and forth between sexes – a belief also shared by European folklore. In Chinese legend, female hares could conceive by being touched by the light of a full moon, licking moonlight from a male hare’s fur, or crossing water by moonlight.

There are stories of the Celtic Ostara being able to shapeshift, morphing into a hare during each full moon. Hares were sacred to this goddess and said to act as her messengers. Caesar recorded that, for the Celtic tribes of Britain, it was taboo to eat rabbits and hares – while in Ireland, eating a hare was viewed as akin to eating one’s own grandmother. This is probably due to the close affiliation between hares and various goddesses, such as Ostara.

Rabbits and hares were used by the Celts for divination and shamanic practices. The patterns of the animals’ tracks were studied, as were their mating dances – even their entrails were thought to reveal mystic signs.

For the people of these tribes, hares and rabbits burrowed beneath the ground to commune with the spirit world, and carry messages from humankind to the fey, and from the living to those who had passed.

Looking for Ways to Honor Eostre? Try These Ideas!

Ostara may be associated with spring and rebirth, but you can honor this goddess all through the year if you wish. Have a go at these ways to celebrate Ostara, and then maybe come up with some rituals of your own!

Create Your Own Eostre Eggs with Natural Dyes

Creating your own natural dyes for these beautiful Eostre eggs is not only satisfying, but you’ll know the colors contain no nasty chemicals.

For blue-green dye, add a cup of chopped purple cabbage to a cup of water, and two tablespoons of ground turmeric to a cup of water for yellow eggs.

Add a cup of red onion skins, and a cup of shredded beets to two cups of water for purple and pink dyes, respectively.

The water should be added to the saucepan, the relevant additional ingredient added and then brought to the boil. Once it’s bubbling nicely, turn down the heat and simmer for about fifteen to thirty minutes.

Check the strength of the dye by putting a small amount of the liquid onto a white plate. When it’s ready, remove the pan from the heat and let the dye cool to room temperature.

Strain the liquid and add one tablespoon of white vinegar per cup of dye. Next, arrange the hardboiled, room-temperature eggs in a container and carefully pour the cooled dye over them until they are completely submerged.

Pop the container in the fridge, and leave until the eggs are the desired color. When you’re happy, carefully dry each and rub a little neutral oil (such as vegetable) into each one to polish it. And now all you have to do is keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy eating them or hiding them for an Eostre egg hunt!

Make an Altar to Ostara

If you feel drawn to the goddess, then why not set up an altar in her honor? You can use any material you wish for your altar, including materials from the natural world, such as a planed piece of fallen wood you’ve found on a walk. 

Ostara’s association with springtime, rebirth, and fertility means that eggs, flowers, seeds, saplings, and images of rabbits or hares are perfect for your altar, as are the crystals rose quartz, aquamarine, and moonstone. Dishes of milk and honey are perfect, too.

Place some green and yellow candles on your altar, and light them daily as you contemplate your connection to the goddess and offer thanks for her gifts. Get to know Ostara more by reading what you can about her legends and myths, and the ancient peoples that revered her.

Also read:
What is the Purpose of an Altar? Do You Really Need One?
Ideas for Witchy Altar Setups (Is There the Best One??)

Get Planting

You can celebrate the goddess Ostara throughout the year by tending to plants and herbs. Even if you don’t have a yard (or much time!), herbs can be easily grown in containers indoors or in window containers. There’s something profoundly satisfying about putting your hands in the soft earth to plant seeds and care for the saplings as they grow.

As well as being highly versatile and easy to grow, herbs can be used in a variety of dishes, and make for the perfect offering to Ostara, too.

You could also enrich your home with lots of pot plants to add beautiful, vibrant energy to your space. Tending to plants – and simply having them around – has been proven to increase general feelings of well-being. You may be surprised at how quickly your pot plants proliferate, though: you’ll start with a single green baby, and before you know it, you’ll have a sizeable family!

And if you have a large garden and fancy a challenge, have a go at creating a vegetable plot, and planning out what to plant and harvest at which point in the year. This is a lovely way to mark the seasons and make the most of the year’s abundance. And it means you’ll be enjoying home-grown ingredients all year round!

The Goddess Ostara: The Hope of New Beginnings

Welcome the goddess of Spring into your life and celebrate new beginnings and the coming of the dawn. Revered since ancient times, Ostara is still honored today – even if folk don’t realize it – in modern Easter celebrations’ giving of eggs and feasting.

Listen mindfully and you may hear this goddess’ steps, in the sound of a gentle breeze among new leaves, or the quiet rush of water newly released from ice. If you feel drawn to Ostara, use the ideas above to get to know this deity better, and open your heart to her light.