Was a Germanic goddess Eostre or Ostara ever honored in the old days? Are Easter and the German 'Ostern' named after her? Does the widespread Easter lore have roots in ancient pagan rituals? The answers to these questions are disputed among both laymen and scholars. Often it can be hard to distinguish between faith and facts. Therefore, the available sources have been brought together in this book and offered with explanatory notes. However, it is left to the reader to consider whether in Germany a goddess Ostara, Eostar or Ostera was worshiped as was Eostre in England.

In this episode, Jan  discusses the book by GardenStone for Ostara.  

Eostre Ostara Eostar by GardenStone is available from GardenStone's website and on Amazon. 

Ostara Artwork by Connla Freyjason - Iaconography. Poem by Jan 

Visit the Gifts of the Wyrd webpage for blog posts.

Music: Intro to episode 16: Stanza 31: Valkyries Assemble from Voluspa by Tonya Threet.  (no longer available: Update 2021)

Outgoing: When the Dead Walk by Hauk from Apple Blossoms and Abandoned Tracks.

Music by Hauk Heimdallsman Hauk is currently on Bandcamp but you can find him on Facebook @HaukMusic. 

All music selections on this podcast are written, produced, and copywritten by their respective creators/owners. They are used with permission.

Check out The Cartomancer magazine. The Cartomancer is a quarterly journal featuring original content in the form of articles, reviews, artwork and more.

Gifts of the Wyrd contact:

Instagram and Twitter: @WyrdGifts1  Facebook: @GiftsoftheWyrd Email: [email protected] 

Jan's Facebook page @JohnHijatt

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Logo Created by Xander Folmer of Huginn's Heathenhof. Contact Xander for logo designs for all your needs. 

Logo based on the Vanic boar created by Vanatru Priestess Ember of the Vanic Conspiracy (Ember was interviewed on episode 7). 

Studio recordings by Zencastr and Audacity.