Ēostre

High school (ages 12+)
Holidays & Celebrations

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/-ostre

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Ēostre built?H₂ewsṓs (goddess of the dawn)
2. What is the primary textual source?Bede's 'The Reckoning of Time' (8th century CE)
3. What is the associated month?Ēosturmōnaþ (Anglo-Saxon for April)
4. Who was Ēostre?Ēostre was a goddess that the Anglo‑Saxons honored in the month that is now April. She was linked to the dawn and the idea of new beginnings.
5. Why do people think Easter comes from Ēostre?The word Easter in English comes from the name of the goddess Ēostre, because the month she was celebrated in was called Ēosturmōnaþ, which matches our April.

Venerable Bede: An 8th-century English monk and scholar renowned for his historical and theological writings.
Comparative Philology: The study of the relationships between languages and their historical development.
Proto-Indo-European: A hypothetical reconstructed prehistoric language from which many modern European and Indian languages are descended.
Neopaganism: Modern religious movements that seek to revive or create traditions based on ancient pagan beliefs and practices.