Happy Ishtar

Venerable Bebe, the Christian monk and scholar who was the first historian of England is the person who gives us the etymology of Easter saying it comes from a lost Saxon goddess called Eostre. She is very much lost for this is the only reference to her and yet, ironically, this Christian monk invented a goddess adored by modern pagans looking for an Easter replacement.

    The truth is a little more obvious, Easter has connotations with the East, the place of the rising sun, and the Goddess who had connotations with both is Ishtar. In fact, after you have three Scotches and perhaps a joint, pronounced Ishtar and Easter are exactly the same. Her ancient feast, the story of her willing dying and rising, were marked around this time of year and she is known variously as Asherah, Aphrodite and Inanna.

    Saint Paul, who probably never read Babylonian or Sumerian stories, nevertheless echoed the story of Inanna when he said that Christ put aside all of his power and glory to come into this world and give his life. This is the same thing Inanna does to visit the underworld. Unlike the rather straightforward story of Easter, Inanna’s visit to the underworld is slightly more complicated and longer lasting, but then, a close look at the Christian story reveals that it is not that simple either. In these last few days of Lent, we will pay attention to Inanna and her story.