Southey, in his _Book of the Church_, derives our word _Easter_ from a
_Saxon_ source:--
"The worship," he says, "of the goddess _Eostre_ or _Eastre_,
which may probably be traced to the Astarte of the Phoenicians,
is retained among us in the word _Easter_; her annual festival
having been superseded by that sacred day."
Should he not rather have given a _British_ origin to the name of our
Christian holy day? Southey acknowledges that the "heathenism which the
{116} Saxons introduced, bears no [very little?] affinity either to that
of the Britons or the Romans;" yet it is certain that the Britons
worshipped Baal and _Ashtaroth_, a relic of whose worship appears to be
still retained in Cornwall to this day. The Druids, as Southey tells us,
"made the people pass through the fire in honour of Baal." But the
_festival_ in honour of Baal appears to have been in the _autumn_: for
"They made the people," he informs us, "at the beginning of
_winter_, extinguish all their fires on one day and kindle them
again from the sacred fire of the Druids, which would make the
house fortunate for the ensuing year; and, if any man came who
had not paid his yearly dues, [Easter offerings, &c., date back
as far as this!] they refused to give him a spark, neither durst
any of his neighbours relieve him, nor might he himself procure
fire by any other means, so that he and his family were deprived
of it till he had discharged the uttermost of his debt."
The Druidical fires kindled in the _spring_ of the year, on the other
hand, would appear to be those in honour of _Ashtaroth_, or _Astarte_,
from whom the _British Christians_ may naturally enough have derived the
name of _Easter_ for their corresponding season. We might go even
further than this, and say that the young ladies who are reported still
to take the chief part in keeping up the Druidical festivities in
Cornwall, very happily represent the ancient _Estal_ (or _Vestal_)
virgins.
"In times of Paganism," says O'Halloran, "we find in _Ireland_
females devoted to celibacy. There was in Tara a royal
foundation of this kind, wherein none were admitted but virgins
of the noblest blood. It was called Cluain-Feart, or the place
of retirement till death," &c ... "The duty of these virgins was
to keep up the fires of Bel, or the sun, and of Sambain, or the
moon, which customs they borrowed from their Phoenician
ancestors. They both [i.e. the Irish and the Phoenicians] adored
Bel, or the sun, the moon, and the stars. The 'house of
_Rimmon_' which the Phoenicians worshipped in, like our temples
of Fleachta in Meath, was sacred to the _moon_. The word
'_Rimmon_' has by no means been understood by the different
commentators; and yet, by recurring to the Irish (a branch of
the Phoenician) it becomes very intelligible; for '_Re_' is
Irish for the moon, and '_Muadh_' signifies an _image_, and the
compound word '_Reamhan_,' signifies _prognosticating by the
appearance of the moon_. It appears by the life of our great S.
Columba, that the Druid temples were here decorated with figures
of the sun, the moon, and stars. The Phoenicians, under the name
of _Bel-Samen_, adored the Supreme; and it is pretty remarkable,
that to this very day, to wish a friend every happiness this
life can afford, we say in Irish, 'The blessings of _Samen_ and
_Bel_ be with you!' that is, of the seasons; Bel signifying the
sun, and Samhain the moon."
--(See O'Halloran's _Hist. of Ireland_, vol. i. P. 47.)