“And this was 300 years after paganism died out.”
Paganism dried out? Today, Paganism, is mostly referring to, the neopagan religious movements that are taking place currently in the West. Some examples of such movements are, Wicca, Odinism, Adonism, Druidism and so on. It still is active.
“There are no writing about this Eostre anywhere else. There was no pagan goddess called Eostre”
Here are a number of sites where they mention her:
https://www.thefield.co.uk/country-house/easter-eostre-24035
http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter1.htm
https://www.manygods.org.uk/articles/essays/Eostre.shtml
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/apr/23/easter-pagan-roots
https://www.saintsfeastfamily.com/copy-of-ostara-or-eostre-2
And there are many more.
rwood
Paganism had been dead 300 years in England when Bede wrote.
Wiccan etc are reconstructions based on fiction. No one has any clear idea how druids etc worshipped.
The links you give claim bede and those who derive from bede. There are no contemporary writings or idols or carvings or tunes for Eostre. And she is not mentioned by any other writer before Bede or indeed after him until the brothers Grimm in the 18th century
The last link is the funniest and the most if a oie.
“Pagan traditions “?! What pagan traditions kept a fictional goddess? None.
Yup, Paganism died out in England in the years before Bede.
Perhaps you don’t realize it but
1. the mention of Eostre is only a conjection and only by Bede, who wrote AFTER paganism died out in England.
2. it is mentioned in no other place,
3. in contrast you have lots of mentions of Woden, Odin, Thor, Tew, Fryja, Frigga etc. in various texts by the pagans themselves before the dawn of Christianity among the Anglo Saxons.
4. Eostre is derived from the germanic word for east - spring.
There never was any goddess named “Eostre”.
Wicca, Odinism etc. are modern newly created religions based on what people THINK the pre-Christian pagans believed.
There is no continuity not historically, nor in beliefs
Did you even read the links you sent? All of them have only one reference - Bede
And Bede himself wrote as speculation.
Think of it - there are tons of references to Thor, Twe, Woden, Oden etc. in Anglo-Saxon and norse writings and runes, but not a single one of any eostre, no mention, nada, zilch.
there is no contemporary mention of this goddess - while the Romans wrote down the names of the barbarian gods quite thoroughly.
Ergo - there was no goddess called Eostre