Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
Gothic Dawn
We have no idea if the Goths—the ancient Germanic tribe, that is, not the eye-liner'd latter-day Dark Romantics—worshiped a Goddess of Dawn and Spring as did their (later) Anglo-Saxon and Continental German cousins.
If they did, they would have called her Austrô (OW-stroe).
The Goths were the very first of the Germanic-speaking peoples to be converted to Christianity, so very little survives concerning their traditional religion. But if they did indeed honor the Lady Austrô, we can, by way of comparative method, make some educated guesses about what that might have looked like on the ground.
- They would have worshiped Her toward the East.
- They would have offered (i.e. sacrificed) to Her before Sunrise on the Spring Evenday/Vernal Equinox.
- They would have viewed Her as Goddess of both Dawn, the daily Spring, and of Spring, the yearly Dawn, and hence of new beginnings generally.
- They would have spoken of Her as an ever-young Maiden, sister (or daughter) to the Sun.
- Given morning's erotic associations, they would probably also have viewed Her as Lady of Love.
- They would have associated Her with birds, who sing in Her honor every morning, and with the eggs that they lay: as fine a symbol of new beginnings as anyone could ask for.
Who knows? They may even have colored eggs in Her honor, just as we do today.
Hail to thee Austrô, Lady of Love: ever-young goddess, sister to the Sun.
Austrô urrais.
Aþþan urrais!
(OW-stroe oor-RICE.
ATH-thun oor-RICE!)
Spring is risen.
Indeed She is risen!
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