Over at the Belle Jar blog, there is an excellent article just in time for Easter refuting the long-standing (and false) claim that "Easter" is derived from "Ishtar," a pagan goddess:
Easter Is Not Named After Ishtar, And Other Truths I Have To Tell You
While it is (sadly) not too surprising that Richard Dawkins et al. would repeat this claim, I did find Carlos Xavier, the son-in-law of Anthony Buzzard, make this ludicrous claim just today (though this is hardly the first time he has put his foot in his mouth; example 1 example 2)
It is time for this stupid claim to die the death it deserves.
Easter Is Not Named After Ishtar, And Other Truths I Have To Tell You
While it is (sadly) not too surprising that Richard Dawkins et al. would repeat this claim, I did find Carlos Xavier, the son-in-law of Anthony Buzzard, make this ludicrous claim just today (though this is hardly the first time he has put his foot in his mouth; example 1 example 2)
It is time for this stupid claim to die the death it deserves.
