That passage is fascinating in that it itself confidently makes statements about history that are based more on supposition than evidence.
For starters, it’s true that the name “Easter” probably comes from a Germanic goddess, but in most other languages the name of the holiday is related to Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover. (As a holiday, Easter is directly descended from Passover, as that’s when Jesus died.)
The English name for Easter derives only indirectly from the pagan goddess, because Germanics used the name Easter for the springtime month of April. Similar to how Good Friday took its name from the day of the week, not because it had any relation to the worship of Frigg.
Easter eggs aren’t a “fertility ritual” either—they came to Easter via Persian New Year celebrations.
> That passage is fascinating in that it itself confidently makes statements about history that are based more on supposition than evidence.
It's not making statements about history. Elsewhere in the book it states that the Ancient Egyptians traveled to America, which is why Thoth has a presence there. It's a fictional world.
> [Easter eggs] came to Easter via Persian New Year celebrations.
Is this something we know? I had the impression that Easter eggs were attested for the Kievan Rus.
For starters, it’s true that the name “Easter” probably comes from a Germanic goddess, but in most other languages the name of the holiday is related to Pesach, the Hebrew word for Passover. (As a holiday, Easter is directly descended from Passover, as that’s when Jesus died.)
The English name for Easter derives only indirectly from the pagan goddess, because Germanics used the name Easter for the springtime month of April. Similar to how Good Friday took its name from the day of the week, not because it had any relation to the worship of Frigg.
Easter eggs aren’t a “fertility ritual” either—they came to Easter via Persian New Year celebrations.