The Easter Bunny is one of the most pervasive symbols of Easter today. It is a hare or rabbit that supposedly lays special eggs, or carries them in a basket, for children. However, since Easter is supposed to be a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, this might seem a little strange. What has Jesus’ resurrection got to do with hares and rabbits? This article examines two main theories about the origin of the Easter Bunny.
Firstly, before entering the realm of speculation, let us establish some clear facts about the Easter Bunny. The first direct reference to it comes from a German text dating to 1572. Translated into English, this reads:
“Do not worry if the Easter Bunny escapes you; should we miss his eggs, we will cook the nest.”
As we can see from this, the Easter bunny was associated with eggs from its very earliest appearance. Unfortunately the text does not expand on what the Easter Bunny is. It is clear that the reader is presumed to already be familiar with it. Hence, it was apparently a tradition that existed in Germany before 1572 at the very latest.
While not clearing up its origin, this is an important piece of information which could help us to understand where it came from.
Let us consider one theory about the origin of the Easter Bunny. In recent times, a popular theory is that the Easter Bunny ultimately originates from the belief that hares were hermaphrodites. A hermaphrodite is an organism that can reproduce asexually.
We see this belief in numerous ancient sources, including the Roman writer Pliny and the Greek writer Plutarch. This erroneous belief continued right up until just a few centuries ago.
Because of this, medieval Christians began associating the hare with the Virgin Mary, as if the hare represented her giving birth to Jesus without having had intercourse. This, so the theory goes, led to the hare becoming associated with Easter.
The obvious problem with this theory is that the Easter Bunny is, of course, a symbol of Easter. This has nothing to do with Jesus’ birth. If the hare was a symbol associated with Christmas, then this theory might be logical, but it does not work as an explanation for the Easter Bunny.
The more common theory, which is more likely to be correct, is that it ultimately comes from a pagan symbol of fertility. There are a few reasons why this is more likely.
For one thing, the use of the hare as a symbol of fertility is firmly established across the ancient world. The reason for this is obvious. Hares and rabbits reproduce at an amazing rate.
Furthermore, they are most prominent and active in the spring. For this reason, pagan customs have also tended to associate them with that time of year. Hence, this makes sense of the association between hares and Easter, which occurs in the spring.
Let us examine some specific examples of the association between hares and certain ancient goddesses and pagan festivals. This will help us to see the evidence that the origin of the Easter Bunny really does lie with ancient fertility symbols.
The ancient Greeks worshipped the goddess Artemis. A festival dedicated to her was held every year in the spring. Notably, the hare was one of the animals sacred to Artemis. Hence, the ancient Greeks logically gave not only natural but religious significance to the prominence of hares at springtime.
In Britain, the ancient Celts worshipped a goddess named Andraste. When the Romans arrived, they identified her as Diana, or Artemis. Interestingly, the Roman historian Dio Cassius described her as using a hare in an act of divination. Based on this, as well as archaeological evidence, many scholars believe that the hare was sacred to Andraste.
The eighth-century English historian Bede explained that the Anglo-Saxons worshipped a goddess called Eostre. Interestingly, modern research has revealed that the hare appears to have been worshipped particularly in the very areas that were most closely associated with this goddess.
In other words, there is evidence that Eostre was associated with the hare, despite modern claims to the contrary. It is likely, then, that the Easter Bunny first recorded in German folklore in 1572 does ultimately have an origin in the use of hares as fertility symbols associated with the goddess Eostre.
