Ishtar, in Mesopotamian religion was the goddess of war and sexual love. Ishtar’s primary legacy from the Sumerian tradition is the role of fertility. She evolved, however, into a more complex character. Surrounded in myth by death and disaster. She was a goddess of contradictory connotations and forces. Fire, fire quenching, rejoicing, tears, fair play and enmity. Ishtar is also, to a greater extent, an astral deity associated with the planet Venus. In this manifestation her symbol is a star with six, eight or sixteen rays within a circle. As the goddess of Venus, delighting and bodily love, Ishtar was the protectorate of prostitutes and the patroness of the alehouse. Did you know that part of her cult worship probably included temple prostitution? Anyway, her popularity was universal in the ancient Middle East. In many centers of worship, she probably sub sued numerous local goddesses. In later myth, she was known as the Queen of the Universe.
So, eggs occupy the special status during Easter observances. They're symbols of rebirth and renewal. Life bursts forth from this otherwise plain inanimate object that gives no hint to what it contains. In this regard it is a handy symbol for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it is a symbol that has held this meaning long before Christianity adopted. Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Current symbols like the egg and the bunny were and still are fertility and sex symbols. Or did you really think eggs and bunnies had anything to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Come on so basically after Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus. But at its roots, Easter is all about celebrating fertility and sex. Remember each spa was the goddess of love and war and sex, as well as protection, fate, child births, marriage and storms. There's some fertility in there, but as with Aphrodite - there is also an element of power. Her cult practiced sacred prostitution, where women waited at a temple and had sex with a stranger in exchange for divine blessing- meaning for money to feed hungry children or pay a debt, Ishtars symbols with lion the morning star and eight or sixteen pointed stars. Again, symbols of power. The word Easter does not appear to be derived from Ishtar but in the German “EOSTORE” the goddess of the dawn, a bringer of light. Remember English and German are in the minority languages that use a form of the word Easter to mark the holiday. Elsewhere the observance is framed in Latin ‘Pasca’, which in turn is derived from the Hebrew ‘Pesach’, meaning of or associated with Passover. Ishtar and Easter appear to be homophones, meaning they may be pronounced similarly but have different meanings. Ancient Egyptians believed in the primeval egg, from which the Sun God hatched. Alternatively, the Sun was sometimes discussed as an egg itself, laid daily by the celestial goose named Seb, the god of the earth.
The Phoenix is said to have emerged from the side the egg. This egg is also discussed in terms of a world egg, molded by Num from a lump of clay on his pottery wheel. So, these are some of the stories that build the foundation for the tradition of eggs on Easter. Ishtar has a connection to the rites of spring. And admittedly Easter itself is an observation of spring. But in an age where so much wrong has been done in the name of religion- and religion is a focal point for criticism and debate- it's worth remembering that the overlap of time and history has given us richer traditions than any of us can truly be aware of.