Hretha

Hretha is a deity prominent in Anglo-Saxon paganism, often associated with the spring season and new beginnings. While detailed contemporary accounts are scarce, she is widely believed to be a goddess of fertility, childbirth, and perhaps the dawn. Her name is thought to be related to the word "youth" or "spring," reinforcing her connection to renewal and the blossoming of life after winter.

The month of April in Old English was known as "Eostre" or "Ostri," a name that is widely considered to be derived from Hretha's own. This linguistic connection strongly suggests her worship was particularly significant during this time of year, a period of agricultural awakening and increasing daylight. The celebration of Easter by Christians in the spring is also believed by many scholars to have adopted and adapted existing pagan spring festivals, with Hretha potentially being a central figure in these ancient observances.

Evidence for Hretha's worship comes primarily from the writings of the Venerable Bede, an 8th-century Northumbrian monk. In his work "The Reckoning of Time" (De temporum ratione), Bede mentions a goddess named Eostre, in whose honor the month of April was celebrated. He describes her as a goddess of the dawn and springtime, and states that the English name for Easter ("Easter") derives from her. While Bede uses the name Eostre, many scholars believe Hretha and Eostre refer to the same or closely related deities, given the shared associations with spring and the month of April. Little else is known definitively about Hretha's specific rituals or mythology, leaving much to scholarly interpretation and reconstruction.