Subject: Eostre. Goddess of Spring, Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus

Actually, "Sonrise" is perfect Fundie. There are even Fundie churches named "Sonrise". Yes, I get the "rises in the Easter" joke, but this is a fun subject.

It's Spring, too. Let's talk Eostre, bunny, and eggs. Santa Claus, or my two favorite incarnations of him, can come too.

First. I propose that the current era of abandonment of pretense of Xtian values should be referred to as "Sonset". I think that that is even worth a hashtag: #sonset

Easter is a more awkward "embrace and extend" of pagan holidays than Christmas is. The name #Easter itself is actually a corrupted version of "Eostre", the Goddess of Spring.

Somebody's son here, possibly yours, I don't recall, talked about Jesus coming back as a rabbit. That is the best take on the subject that I've seen.

I'm reminded of the cartoon "The Goddess of Spring" [1934] from Walt Disney Productions. It's based on Persephone as opposed to Eostre and the two goddesses are distinct. But it's close enough if one would like to use it to explain to children or Fundies what the basic idea of "Easter" is actually about.

See the attached Disney "Goddess of Spring" poster. That, loosely speaking, is Persephone, Eostre, and Easter.

The rabbit is a separate issue. He's a recent addition. His role isn't simply to hide decorated eggs. It's to give the eggs to children as rewards for good behavior. In short, the Easter Bunny is the Vernal Equinox version of Santa Claus.

I don't know if the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus hang out together in the off-seasons that they share, but the movie "Rise of the Guardians" [2012] suggests that they do. OTOH "Rise of the Guardians" depicts the two characters as action heroes. I'm not sure that that is canon in Sunday School just yet.

I'll add that the character of North in "Rise of the Guardians" is one of my two favorite incarnations of Santa Claus. The other one is Klaus in "Klaus" [2019].

The two Santa Clauses are towering figures. Potentially frightening and Klaus actually is. The protagonist of "Klaus", Jasper, isn't certain until well into the film that Klaus isn't a serial killer. But both North and Klaus are about that which is right at a fundamental level. They reject dogma and get down to business.

North, who is less traumatized than Klaus is, is able to open up and to show us the concept that is at his core: Wonder. Klaus simply wants to die, and in the end he does. However, he rises from the dead to bring the world what no Son ever did: Hope.

I'd never thought about the two characters together before. Upon doing so, I recommend them as characters to movie-goers and families. That said, "Klaus" is the better movie. FWIW The best scene in "Rise of the Guardians" is the one where North explains and justifies himself to Jack Frost.

That is an odd film. Jack Frost is overjoyed halfway through to find out that he's a dead human teenager and not just the personification of a concept. He doesn't seem to mind that he left a loving family behind when he died and that they must have grieved.

"Rise of the Guardians" is also too cautious about its suggestion that there is a deity other than #YWHW who is able to resurrect the dead. I assume that the studio was hoping to avoid the rage of the Fundies. But I do like the character of North.

The Disney cartoon is in the public domain and there are dozens of copies online. Here's a YT link to a good copy. I can offer a copy directly for D/L as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PAAurr5PYM

The writer is a Full Service Old Coder. He needs to nap further now but he is feeling detailed this morning. It's a virtue and not a deficiency to be detailed. Bumper sticker: All Hails Details.

#disney #easter #klaus #movies #santa