Hausos: The Original Dawn Goddess

This is number 2 in a series I’m writing about Proto-Indo-European deities. For part one, click here: Perkwunos: the Original Thunder God

The Anglo-Saxon, Lithuanian, Roman, Greek and Hindu dawn goddesses are (probably) all related, and descended from an ancient goddess worshipped 6000 years ago. 

Hausos: The Proto-Indo-European Dawn Goddess

We have no writing or records about Hausos, just as we have no writing or records of any part of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language and culture. All we know about the religion the PIE people followed we learn by reconstructing, working backwards from the many European religions that descend from PIE, as well as ancient Hindu texts, the Vedas.

By working backwards from the 5 deities in this post, and seeing what they have in common, we can get a rough idea of what the original goddess was like, and work out her name. We know she was associated with the rising of the Sun. She probably rode in a chariot, pulled by horses. We know she was beautiful, and probably a symbol of love and lust, as well as fertility and rebirth. She was probably the child of the Dyēus Phter, the Sky-Father .

Her name, *Hausos, is derived from *h₂ews-, meaning “east” and “dawn”, and the names of all these goddesses are derived from her name.

Ēostre: The English Spring Goddess

We know very little of the Anglo-Saxon deity called Ēostre. She was mentioned only by the contemporary historian Bede, who said that during her month, Ēosturmōnaþ (the Old English word for April), the Anglo-Saxon pagans celebrated with a feast in her honour. This holiday was appropriated by the Christians as Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. As a spring festival, it remained associated with fertility and birth. The modern symbols of Easter: eggs, rabbits/hares, newly born animals, are probably relics of this ancient association with fertility.
In Old German, the name of April was Ôstarmânoth, suggesting that they once had a related god, called *Ôstara. The Proto Germanic word for this goddess could have been *Austrǭ, while their word for east was *austrą, which is where the name of the country “Austria” ultimately originates.
There is no record of a related goddess in the Norse religion.

She was probably a goddess of the spring, and the dawn, and her name is related to the word East, showing an association with the raising sun.

Aušrinė: The Baltic Goddess of the Morning Star

Aušrinė was a Lithuanian goddess associated with the planet Venus in the morning sky. Latvian paganism had a related god called “Auseklis”. She appeared in the form of the morning star (Venus), a beautiful maid, or a horse.

Aurora: The Roman Dawn Goddess

Aurora was the Roman goddess of dawn. She was also associated with sexuality and fertility, and often appears in sexual poetry. Her name also meant dawn, and the East. In modern English, she gives her name to the aurora borealis (northern lights) in the arctic, and aurora australis (southern lights) in the Antarctic. Her name is related to the Latin word for “south”: “auster”, which is where we get “Australia”.
This means 6 of the words in the sentence “Austrians watch the Aurora Australis in eastern Australia at Easter”, have the same root (PIE *h₂ews-).

Eos: The Greek Dawn Goddess

Eos was the Greek goddess of the dawn, responsible for opening the gates of heaven for the Sun to rise. Her chariot was pulled by horses. She was curse to be always in love and have an insatiable sexual desires. She was often said to have rose coloured fingers and arms, likely an associations with the fingers of light from the rising sun.

Ushas: The Vedic Hindu Dawn Goddess

Ushas is the embodiment of the dawn, and of the end of darkness. She is one of the most important Vedic deities, and is said to give life to all creatures. She rides a chariot pulled by golden red horses, or sometimes cows.

 

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Other similar posts about history and religion:

Perkwunos: The Original Thunder God

Dyēus Phter: The Original Sky-Father

The Evolution of Father Christmas