Easter Bunny

[[File:Oueschterhues.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Finding a picture of the Easter Bunny that isn't unintentionally creepy is almost impossible.]]
{{folklore}}
The '''Easter Bunny''' is a rabbit who delivers eggs to people (primarily in [[North America]] and certain parts of [[Europe]]) on [[Easter]]. The eggs may be real ones that have been painted, chocolate ones or colored plastic ones that may or may not contain candy.

==Pagan?==
The Easter Bunny enters history in the year 1682, when an Alsatian [[Germany|German]] professor at the University of Strasbourg, Georg Franck von Frankenau, wrote ''Disputatio ordinaria disquiriens de ovis paschalibus'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.europeana.eu/resolve/record/09428/urn_nbn_de_bsz_24_digibib_bsz3355896347|title=Satyrae Medicae, Continuatio Franck von Franckenau, Georg|author=Franck von Franckenau, Georg|accessdate=2014-07-02 |publisher=Europeana}}</ref> a {{wpl|macaronic}} [[Latin]]-German essay about Easter eggs that no doubt seemed very clever at the time (and rose to #4 on the ''[[New York Times]]'' bestseller list for 1682.)  

Notwithstanding the fact that the rabbit's association with Easter appears first in Alsace in the seventeenth century, various nineteenth century folklorists and their followers just ''knew'' that the Easter Bunny had to be a "[[pagan]] [[pagan survival|survival]]".  The usual reasoning process to arrive at this conclusion was given an unusually frank treatment in Holtzmann's ''German Mythology'': "The Easter Hare is unintelligible to me, but probably the hare was the sacred animal of Ostara".  The existence of the alleged [[Goddess movement|goddess]] Ostara is likewise dubious.<ref name="Billson"></ref>   

Elsewhere in Germany, the Easter Hare was eaten. This was said to "openly bear the marks of the original paganism;" none but a heathen bold would make a dinner of hassenpfeffer, it seems.  And:  

{{cquote|At Coleshill, in Warwickshire, if the young men of the parish can catch a hare, and bring it to the parson before 10 o'clock on Easter Monday, the parson is bound to give them a calf's head and a hundred of eggs for their breakfast, and a groat in money.}}

This too, apparently, counted as pagan; if eating a calf's head for breakfast doesn't make you pagan, we don't know what will. It is understood that the offer still stands.<ref name="Billson">Billson, Charles J. "[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Folk-Lore/Volume_3/The_Easter_Hare The Easter Hare], in ''Folk-Lore'', Volume 3, Number 4 (December 1896).</ref>  

As rabbits don't have anything to do with Christian [[theology]], and play only a slight role in pagan theology as well, why this continues to be accepted by some [[fundamentalists]] remains a mystery.  The pagan survival folklorists had to go as far as the [[Native American|Menominee]] god {{wpl|Manibozho}} before they could find pagans actually worshipping rabbits.  The poet {{wpl|Martial}}, a genuine pagan, knew nothing of the Easter Bunny, but he did mention a belief that eating rabbit for seven days straight would turn any woman beautiful.<ref>Si quando leporem mittis mihi, Gellia, dicis:<br>
'Formosus septem, Marce, diebus eris.'<br>
Si non derides, si verum, lux mea, narras,<br>
Edisti numquam, Gellia, tu leporem.<br><br>Martial, ''Epigrams'' 5.29</ref>

Should the Easter Bunny arrive at your house, and you are feeling humane, trap it and steal its eggs. If not, kill it and steal its eggs.  You are upholding the authentic tradition that way.

<gallery heights=250px widths=200px>
ChickBunny.jpg|The Easter Bunny died for your sins.
Easter-Bunny-loves-children.jpg|The Easter Bunny loves children.
Easter bunny hops through Incirlik 120404-F-BS505-041.jpg|He really does.
Easter-Bunny-loves-animals.jpg|He loves animals too.
Easter Bunny (2898504947).jpg|And little old ladies.
Easter-Bunny-from-Hell.jpg|Sweet dreams . . . I'm always watching you
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Rabbit's foot]]
*[[Santa Claus]]
*[[Tooth fairy]]

==Further reading==
*Devereaux, Robert.  ''Santa Steps Out''.  (Leisure Books, 1998; {{Isbn|0843947810}})

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Folklore]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Paganism]]

Categories: Animals, Folklore, Food, Paganism