and that is not Ishtar, that is Lilith.
Bratch took it seriously, got a nice subthread going.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3325208/posts?page=9#9
The bunny tradition is German in origin and its roots are from preliterate times. “In an attempt to Christianize Easter which began as a pagan holiday, is named for a Saxon goddess who was known by the names of Oestre or Eastre, and in Germany by the name of Ostara.”
The egg is a pre-Christian symbol of rebirth (among some other things), coming from the Etruscans’ traditions, subsumed into Roman traditions, and spread throughout the Roman Empire. Here’s a painted egg (in this case, from an ostrich) found in an Etruscan tomb; the egg is often found in Etruscan art, almost all of which comes from tombs.
http://www.fci.unibo.it/~baccolin/uovstrueast.jpg
