Stories and storytelling are such an integral part of humanity and how it has evolved that it can by and large be credited for the shaping of modern humanity. For millennia, humanity has used stories to explain the unexplainable, pass down heritage, teach children lessons, to entertain, and even to explain why things are the way they are. As cultures grew and melded and travel and emigration became more common, stories were retold, and they changed a little with each retelling. We merged our stories with new discoveries in science and changes in religion. They evolved a little at a time to stay relevant with their current cultures. Some of them fading from memory, but many others lifting into legendary status (no matter if modern science or the newly discovered world could empirically prove they did not exist or weren’t what we thought). Story telling is how we connect with our past in the present.  

Our ancestors have been telling versions of these same stories for time immemorial. You know the ones I mean. Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, the Lochness Monster, the Tortoise and the Hare, The little mermaid. From fairytales to fables and even religious representations, hundreds of these stories permeate cultures around the world. No matter how old we get, these stories hold a place near and dear to our hearts. As children they enchant us and as adults sometimes, they are the glue that holds our childhood together when we need something nostalgic and magical to believe in, even when we know better. 

The history of such stories fascinates me. Especially when you look in relation to how those stories shaped religions and cultures and vice versa. Today, I’d like to take a look at the history of the Easter Bunny with you.  

Everybody raised in a Christian home knows that The Easter Bunny is responsible for Easter Egg hunts, sweet treats, and pretty baskets filled with goodies on Easter morning. For some kids this happens overnight- much like Santa Claus; and they wake up Easter morning to a house that has been visited by the crafty bunny in question. In my house, The Easter bunny came while we were at Sunday Mass (I honestly think my parents “reasoning” behind this was that there was no way one bunny to get to everybody overnight and he needed the overtime). 

From ancient times all the way up to today, where stores are filled with fake grass, packages of peeps, stuffed bunnies, the ubiquitous Jelly-Belly, and Chocolate Bunnies of all sizes. I even saw peep flavored Pepsi in a store this year. The holiday is so large that the White House even hosts an Easter Egg Roll every year. Families have been building traditions around this elusive rabbit for generations. One year my parents even wrote a letter from the Easter Bunny saying that there would be “No Chocolate Bunnies that year because everybody always eats the Ears off first”. My dad and I had a tradition where every year he’d try to find me a slightly bigger chocolate bunny, because that’s all I ever really wanted. We had a lot of fun each year sharing that bunny between us until we had to stop for obvious reasons as the rabbits in question had gotten titanically large (Our record was a 4-foot-tall chocolate rabbit that stood as tall as I did at the time). But why a bunny? Why Eggs? Rabbits do not lay eggs. Who started the tradition and where did it come from?  

In more modern history, The Easter Bunny made the jump to the United States in the 1700’s from German Immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and told stories to their children of the Osterhase (https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/easter-symbols). At this point in time Easter was already a well-established Christian holiday and observed even more strictly by the Catholic See and the Orthodox Church.  

But where did they get a rabbit from? The Hare was considered a sacred animal by many cultures and religions dating all the way back to the Neolithic Age. There’s Even documentation from Julius Caesar in 51 B.C.E. about how in Britain, hares were not eaten because even then they had religious significance. Though visually rabbits may not come across as overly sexual, being primarily cute and fluffy, the expression “breed like rabbits” exists for a reason. In Greece, Hares were sacred to Aphrodite and her son Eros was often depicted holding a Hare as a symbol of love and sexuality. Other ancient cultures who used the Hare or rabbit as a symbol of fertility, love, and sexuality include the Celts & the Chinese. The Egyptians in the form of the goddess Wenet. The Aztec god Tepoztēcatl, God of both fertility and drunkenness. Even the Norse goddess Freyja (Eostre: The Mystery Goddess Who Gave Easter its Name | History Cooperative). Take a jump to Christianity, where the Virgin Mary was frequently depicted with a white rabbit, representing her overcoming sexual temptation and the birth that was a “new spring” for men.  

But despite the rabbit’s long history as a symbol for birth, love, and all things sexual, it’s a far cry from that to the fairytale of a candy depositing, dapper rabbit, and the universal symbol for Christianity’s biggest holiday. 

Like many fairytales- the Brother’s Grimm play a part. although ironically, they did not write the tale. In 1835 Jacob Grimm theorized that the Easter Bunny was a direct holdover from Pagans converting to Christianity. In fact, in 731 C.E. the monk Bede, who is often referred to as the father of English history, wrote that the month of April was referred to as Eosturmonath after the goddess Eostre. The German’s may have called this same goddess Ostara (as in the holiday of the same name symbolizing the start of spring). In ‘De Temporum Ratione’ Bede even went as far as to say that a pagan Spring festival in the name of the goddess had been assimilated into the Christian holiday symbolizing the resurrection of Christ (which is of course in turn a celebration of the new beginnings as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice).  

It was Jacob Grimm however, who argued the connection between the Anglo-Saxon celebration of Eostre in Eosturmonath and the Old High German counterpart of Ostara in Ostermonat. (The Anglo-Saxon’s were a Germanic people). This is also in keeping with the fact that the German Emigrants to the U.S. later celebrated the ‘Osterhase.’ 

While most European languages refer to the Christian holiday with names that come from the Jewish holiday of Passover, such as Pâques in French or Påsk in Swedish, German, and English languages retain this older, non-biblical word: Easter. (The Ancient Origins of the Easter Bunny | History| Smithsonian Magazine) More recent archeological evidence has supported proof of Esotre’s worship in England and Germany, with the Hare being one of her primary symbols along with eggs. 

It is fascinating just thinking about all the ways that stories and beliefs shape our culture and our surroundings. Even though Eostre hasn’t been prominently celebrated in almost two thousand years and most Christians may not have knowledge of the evolution of certain symbols & celebratory practices- in a way the story itself lives on. That even though Pagans and Christians have very different beliefs, their stories are still interwoven in the fabric of the universe. That the number of overlapping symbols and beliefs in the world shared among cultures thousands of miles apart, feeds into the idea of a bigger greater shared ‘human story.’ This is usually where I have this small moment of existential reflection about ripples, and the echoes of the lives of people long dead. But the idea that in a way you are telling the same stories as your many times over great grandmother when you observe those traditions or share them with your children; and that someday many centuries from now you will still be alive among your descendants in some tiny way because of the stories you tell today, will always be a magical one to me.

Happy Rabbit Day,

Mikaela

I’m so excited to start discussing plants with you. Everybody needs plants in their life. Gardening in and of itself is more Taylor’s thing (I say this because she is far better at it than I am.) BUT I myself love to putz around in the dirt. Whereas Taylor will be focusing more on care of plants, cultivation and propagation; I will be focusing on “what’s this plant, can I eat it, what are it’s uses?” as well as the history, lore, and magic in said plants”-especially herbs-but all plants.

So many modern solutions and fixes still have their roots (haha, roots) in the ancient study of herbology. Humans have been studying and relying on the magic of plants for thousands of years, and there’s a lot of wisdom you can draw from if you’re willing to take the time to learn. And no study of herbology would be complete without first starting with the queen of all herbs. 

The Dew of the Sea: Rosmarinus officinalis, also known as Elf Leaf. 

Throughout the ages Rosemary has been used for not only culinary purposes but medicinal and spiritual ones as well. Its uses are almost endless and steeped in tradition. It’s easy to grow and care for; and it’s almost as good dry as it is fresh. If there is one plant on the planet I will love forever, it is Rosemary. Its one of those plants whos aroma I immediately associate with warmth, peace, and calm; which is apropos considering the over-arching commonalities we’re about to discuss all center around clarity, purification, and love. 

History + Lore:  

Rosemary hails from the Mediterranean and the original myth was that Aphrodite was draped in the magical plant when she rose from the sea born of Uranus’s semen, whilst not the most romantic of stories, being so heavily associated with the goddess of Love’s origin story may play a heavy part in why the plant later became so closely tied with love.  

Culinary, Nutrition, and Medicinal Uses:  

From a culinary standpoint, you really cannot go wrong with this herb. Aside from its amazing flavor and aromatics it is high in anti-oxidants, anti-microbial and is heavily used in anti-inflammatory diets. It can help improve blood circulation, fight free radicals, and some studies are even beginning to show consistent evidence of its ability to help maintain brain function and fight Alzheimer’s (for more info on this see HERE). In older medicinal practices, it was used to improve memory. It can also help lower blood sugar. It is high in Iron and Vitamin B6 and can be taken orally as well as used topically for eczema and skin inflammation. It has also been used historically in skin care to tone skin and reduce redness. Much of Europe also uses the herb to treat indigestion. 

Rosemary can be used to season meat (rosemary is king when it comes to seasoning lamb), baked into breads, steeped into teas, infused into oils, and made into all kinds of balms and tinctures. A more versatile herb you will not find anywhere in the world. From a practical standpoint it can also be used to repel insects; in your garden but also I also like to put a bit into my campfires and the smoke keeps the mosquitos away.  

Symbolism:  

Among other things, rosemary has long been a symbol of love. In ancient times brides traditionally wore a headpiece of Rosemary and even into modern times have been known to include it in their bouquets. It is also typically symbolic of friendship, loyalty, and remembrance- thus is typically one of the plants carried by funeral mourners. It is also commonly used to symbolize the cycle of life from death to the rebirth of Spring. 

Spirituality: 

Rosemary is closely associated with the Third Eye Chakra and Spiritual Clarity. Common uses include smudges used to cleanse and sanctify spaces, inclusion in dream sachets to produce clear dreams and deep sleep, clairvoyant rituals, protection spells, alter representations, healing, memory spells, and (historically) love spells (though I morally don’t support that). Among the many things that make Rosemary the Queen of magical herbs is the fact that Rosemary can be used in mixes to amplify most other forms of magic as well.  

Again, it can be cooked into things or steeped. It can be dried and tucked into wreathes, garlands, protective symbols, or made into sigils. you can burn it, turn it into anointing oils, and use it in your common day to day aroma therapy practices to help focus meditation and mindfulness as well as reduce anxiety. 

Care: 

Rosemary is a hardy little plant, with its woody stems and deep growing roots. It will grow from year to year if maintained well. Since it hails from the sea swept coasts of the Mediterranean she prefers temperatures of 68-86 degrees Fahrenheit with soil temperatures above 65 degrees. If you live somewhere colder I would suggest growing her inside, or in a greenhouse (side note for those who think greenhouses are a pipe-dream: there are some decent sized portable ones on Amazon until we can all be millionaires and afford the Victorian grow house of our dreams). Rosemary is drought tolerant and prefers sandy loamy soil that is well draining as well as full sun. It can survive in mid sun provided you do not over water it. you want to fully let the soil dry out between watering as over watering can lead to root rot.  

Whether you are buying it or growing it (I would encourage you to try growing your own), Rosemary is more than worth it.  

All the best,  

Mikaela