Shifts in Easter Folklore
Anglo-Saxon King Alfred
Folklore is living lore. While
the primary message folktales, fairytales, and legends delivers, such as understandings
about what is acceptable behavior, the actual bearer of that message can be
adapted to fit particular situations and settings.
Take the trickster, for
example, this character can be a deity, human, animal or some combination of
each. It is very clever, possesses special knowledge and can play tricks that
allow for unconventional behavior. In Navajo culture, the trickster is a coyote
who can fool humans and other deities. For the ancient Greeks, it was Hermes, the
patron of thieves and viewed as the inventor of lying.
Changes also occurred in
holiday customs and traditions. One of the most obvious examples of this is the
evolution of the Christian Easter from earlier Anglo-Saxon spring celebrations.
Spring Fertility Goddess
According to the English Heritage
Blog, Easter itself was originally a spring feast honoring the
Saxon spring fertility goddess Eostre, in the season of Eosturmonath. For the
Saxons who came from the Netherlands the day was called Osterday (Easter Day)
and for the Germans who also came to Britain after the Roman soldiers left
around 410 AD, it was known as Ostern.
Interestingly, linguistic research indicates that the
root of these names is the direction East, which refers to the fact the sun
rises directly in the east at the spring equinox.
Over time the focus of the folklore surrounding the festivities
shifted. Christians adapted the traditions to reflect a new set of beliefs.
Easter then became about the Christian belief in the resurrection of Christ at
Easter. It has been noted that during the Tudor period in England, while ancient
lore still said that the sun danced with joy at the revival of the season,
it came to link the rising sun with Christ.
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