They hunt little children for food. In this story the hare is a previous incarnation of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. As rabbits were not yet introduced to China during Western Han, the original image was not a rabbit but a hare. Theres even a cartoon series based on the books, currently in its third and final season. After a long time, Lepus stopped being a powerful demon, becoming a fluffy and friendly rabbit that lays magic eggs, known as Easter Eggs. The March Hare, on the other hand, is simply certifiable (Lewis Carroll was playing on the English expression mad as a March hare, making him the perfect companion for a certain wacky, riddle-loving Hatter). In Mayan art, glyphs, hieroglyphics, and inscriptions, a rabbit frequently is shown with the Moon Goddess and another deity related to the Moon. Chronicling the adventures of the Monroes through the eyes of Harold, the family dog, the Bunnicula series spun off into seven books, ending in 2006 with Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow (although my favorite title in the series has always been The Celery Stalks at Midnight). Whereas in Western folklore we refer to the "Man in the Moon," the "Hare (or Rabbit) in the Moon" is a more familiar image in other societies. They were considered exotic pets in the city of Sigil, where they were considered clean and quiet. But even with all the competition, Furry-Foot and the other dragonfly bunny spirits rate pretty high on the all-time cuteness scale. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to ourFacebookpage or message us onTwitter. Easter is a Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Christ after his crucifixion on Good Friday. The trio has become the personifications of the holiday, when they descend to the mortal world and give out cellophane lanterns, mooncakes and gifts to children.[8]. Aelian and other observers of this phenomenon believed that hares and rabbits could give birth without copulation. Apparently, Steven Spielberg and Disney werent so into the whole dead-cartoon-rabbit thing, and so the character was resurrected and a monster hit was born (along with at least one amazing dance move). The Celts used rabbits and hares for divination and other shamanic practices by studying the patterns of their tracks, the rituals of their mating dances, and mystic signs within their entrails. And yet everywhere we see it symbolised by a floppy-eared, bucktoothed, and egg-dispensing lagomorph. This legend became part of American folklore in the 18th century, when German immigrants settled in the eastern U.S. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. According to many readings of the film, creepy rabbit Frank is actually the dead, time travelling version of his sisters boyfriend, Frank, who is manipulating Donnie into saving the universe. Whereas in Pisanello's Allegory of Luxuria (1426), a rabbit takes on a completely different meaning (Credit: Alamy). Your Privacy Rights An early Chinese source called the Chu Ci, a Western Han anthology of Chinese poems from the Warring States period, notes that along with a toad, there is a hare on the Moon who constantly pounds herbs for the immortals. Backing up this view is the fascinatingly transnational phenomenon of the "three hare" symbol. Fearing Fenrir's strength and knowing that only evil could be expected of him, the gods bound him with a magical chain made of the sound of a cat's footsteps, the beard of a woman, the breath of fish, and other occult elements. Bai Ze (): An ancient Chinese mythical creature capable of human speech and knowledgeable about the beings of the world. It is usually depicted as a four-legged creature with a human face. The problem with trying to give any definitive answer is the lack of evidence. Captain Carrot, on the other hand, replenishes his powers by eating cosmic carrots, gaining super-strength, heightened senses, endurance, and of course, super-leaping abilities. Technically speaking, Harvey is a pooka (or pca), a benign but mischievous creature from Celtic mythology with a pronounced fondness for social misfitsbut since he takes the form of a giant rabbit, he totally makes the list. In Greece, the gift of a rabbit was a common love token from a man to his male or female lover. Produced by Marvel Studios, the six-part series takes Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) through complicated adventures, traversing the realm of dark elves, alternate timelines and threats of. Through history, rabbits and hares have been seen as sacred and the epitome of craftiness. Appearing as half bird, half mammal at the edge of day and night they are seen as liminal beings and not part of the natural order. You should probably listen to him. Whether hovering above us in the arms of a moon goddess or carrying messages from the Netherworld below, whether clever or clownish, hero or rascal, whether portent of good tidings or ill, rabbits and hares have leapt through myths, legends, and folk tales all around the world -- forever elusive, refusing to be caught and bound by a single definition. Freyja, the headstrong Norse goddess of love, sensuality, and womens mysteries, was also served by hare attendants. In Pisanello's drawing, the rabbit symbolises lechery. He wrote that a pagan festival of spring in the name of the goddess had become assimilated into the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Christ. [5][6][7], This legend also gave rise to the Mid-Autumn Festivals of China, Tt Trung Thu of Vietnam, Tsukimi of Japan, and Chuseok of Korea, Sampeah Preah Khae in Cambodia, all of which celebrate the legend of the Moon rabbit. In medieval societies in Europe, the March hare was viewed as a major fertility symbolthis is a specific species of lepus that is nocturnal most of the year, but in March when mating season begins, there are bunnies everywhere all day long. Magical uses for rabbit energy include protection, good luck, and messages from the underworld. The Italian band, Moonlight Haze, has a song "The Rabbit of the Moon", inspired by the Japanese legend. The Easter bunny therefore seems to recall these pre-Christian celebrations of spring, heralded by the vernal equinox and personified by the goddess Eostre. According to the legend, on clear nights, Rabbit still may be seen riding the Moon. When an old man begged for food from them, the monkey gathered fruits from the trees and the otter collected fish, while the jackal found a lizard and a pot of milk-curd. The rabbit brought forth brightly colored eggs, which Eostre gave the children as gifts" (Miller & Taub, pg 169). From lust to Bugs Bunny the rabbit has taken on different meanings throughout history, in global folklore and artistic symbolism. The symbol of our village is three hares in a circle, their interlinked ears forming a perfect triangle -- an imge found in roof boss carvings in seventeen Devon churches, including ours. Throughout northern Europe, folk traditions record a strong belief that witches would often take the form of a hare, usually for causing mischief such as stealing milk from neighbors cows. Bakeneko means "changed cat" in Japanese. Bakeneko. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was only the second non-American movie to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and it was the very first stop-motion film to win, which is pretty impressive. The eating of the hare may have been associated with various longstanding folk traditions of scaring away witches at Easter. Freya (Norse) emblem of Freya, a mother goddess, giver of fruitfulness and love; associated with Holda, the Norse moon goddess, Hermes (Greek) God of the spoken word; the rabbit was sacred to Hermes as a fleet-footed messenger. Over a thousand years later, during the Iron Age, ritual burials for hares were common, and in 51 B.C.E., Julius Caesar mentionedthat in Britain, hares were not eaten due to their religious significance. The Bible offers mixed attitudes towards rabbits. In Japan, the fox is the primary Trickster animal, but hares too are clever, tricky characters. Hares were likewise believed to be androgynous, shifting back and forth between the genders -- not only in ancient Egypt but also in European folklore right up to the 18th century. Presumed to be arising likewise, through lunar pareidolia, legends of Moon rabbits also exist among some indigenous cultures of North and Central America. Country of Origin: Japan. They are both part of the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, and the family Leporidae, and have often been treated in the same way in religions, fables, and in visual culture. A version of this story may be found in the Japanese anthology, Konjaku Monogatarish, where the rabbit's companions are instead a fox and a monkey. In Chinese, Japanese, and Korean mythology, rabbits live on the moon. The Three Hares Project has explored the imagery, studying its meaning and history, and points out that hares are "contradictory, paradoxical creatures: symbols of both cleverness and foolishness, of femininity and androgyny, of cowardice and courage, of rampant sexuality and virginal purity.". One of the most important and popular stories in the Chinese canon, the tale of Chang'e plays a central role in the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. More like this:- The ancient enigma that still resonates today- Why magic's secret symbols fascinate us- The symbol that spread around the world. A famous poet of Tang China, Li Bai, relates how "The rabbit in the moon pounds the medicine in vain" in his poem, "The Old Dust".[3]. On the whole the Elves kept themselves away from the affairs of humans, appearing only occasionally to either cause or cure illnesses, based on their whims. In fact, the symbol is much older and farther ranging than early folklorists suspected. To amuse children, Eostre changed her beautiful pet bird into a rabbit. Since they generally do not appear to people unless they sense a strong spiritual connection, the dragonfly bunny spirits were initially only visible to Jinora (the young daughter of Tenzin/granddaughter of Aang and Katara). Hare of Inaba is a demon in the series. The Utes tell the story of Ta-vwots, the Little Rabbit, who shatters the sun and destroys the world, all of which must be created again; and an Omaha rabbit brings the sun down to earth while trying to catch his own shadow. Lust is one of the seven deadly sins, and when artists depicted it in allegorical form ("Luxuria"), it sometimes took the form of a woman with a bunny. Jo Walton has discussed the book at length, although I was initially introduced to Fiver, Hazel, and company through the animated film version; as a seven year old, I found it equal parts disturbing and fascinating (and Im apparently not the only onein writing this post I ran across a Facebook group called Watership Down (the film) traumatized me as a kid!). Carvings of rabbits eating grapes and figs appear on both Greek and Roman tombs, where they symbolize the transformative cycle of life, death, and rebirth. To amuse children, Eostre changed her beautiful pet bird into a rabbit. Get the latest History stories in your inbox? You may take a spontaneous "hop" and land on a prosperous lead, for example. They have been connected with the enigmatic purity of the moon, with chastity and with superlative powers of fertility. is significantly different from the blockbuster Disney hit it was eventually turned into. Egg-Laying Bunnies and Mad March Hares. In Chinese mythology, Chang'e () is best known for stealing an elixir of immortality from her husband, the legendary archer Hou Yi (), and escaping to become the goddess of the moon. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), for example, noted how rabbits could breed at jaw-dropping speed. Could the Easter Bunny be connected to this classical idea of fertility, used to express the rejuvenation and fecundity of springtime? "Egg-Laying Bunnies and Mad March Hares." Eostre (Anglo-Saxon) in antiquity, worshipped in a spring festival; "Also known as: Eastre, Goddess of the Spring. Read more: Norwegian Mythology & Folk Tales Top 25 Cats From Mythology. It is with some justness that this supremely enigmatic animal continues to evade meaning. This German mythological creatures was inspired to induce fear in the children to make them sleep. For the Chinese Lunar Rover, see, "Jade Hare" redirects here. With no food or water around, he thought he would die. It is said the lunar image is still draped in the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire. In Ireland, it was said that eating a hare was like eating ones own grandmother -- perhaps due to the sacred connection between hares and various goddesses, warrior queens, and female faeries, or else due to the belief that old "wise women" could shape-shift into hares by moonlight. Did You Know? Bugs made his official debut in 1940s A Wild Hare, a huge critical and commercial success (it even got an Oscar nomination), with the legendary Mel Blanc providing the bunnys now-famous New Yawk accent and delivering his catchphrase, Whats up, Doc? Since then, the rascally rabbit has starred in countless cartoons, movies, video games, even commercials, satirizing and spoofing decades worth of popular culture and accumulating plenty of SF/F cred along the way. Hares are fast and agile runners, which may account for the general perception of them as either wily, or mysterious and obscure. Eventually, Jinora urged the spirits to reveal themselves to Tenzin, Korra, Bumi, and the rest of her family, and they helped the group gain access to the spirit world. The chase will incorporate both rabbits and hares when examining folklore and art history, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the two. He is so generous and devout that when he meets a starving priest, he self-sacrificially clambered into a fire to provide him with a meal. A mystical hare inhabits the moon in Japanese folklore, as shown in Rabbit Pounding the Elixir of Life Under the Moon by Mori Ippo, 1867 (Credit: New Orleans Museum of Art). The idea that the witches of winter should be banished at Easter is a common European folk motif appearing in several festivities and rituals. Based on the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, Usagi is a formidable warrior in adorable rabbit form, and is frequently ranked among the greatest comic book characters of all time (by Wizard magazine, Empire magazine, and IGN, among others). If you're doing a meditation that involves an underworld journey, call upon the rabbit to be your guide. Could the Easter Bunny have derived from this ancient Buddhist symbol? It is, the Three Hares Project reports, "an extraordinary and ancient archetype, stretching across diverse religions and cultures, many centuries and many thousands of miles. African hare stories traveled to North America on the slavers ships, mixed with rabbit tales of the Cherokee and other tribes, and were transformed into the famous Brer Rabbit stories of the American South. It is often portrayed as taking the form of an animal, such as a rabbit or a horse, and is known for playing tricks on humans. Okay, full disclosure: Ive never actually played Star Fox, but when I mentioned this post to Chris and Sarah here in the Tor.com offices, they immediately started yelling about Peppy Hare and wouldnt stop playing clips of all his weird wingman advice and catchphrases until I added him to the list. Originated from South Germany, this folklore is described as a giant and nocturnal raven-like bird. [citation needed]. "Tell them," she says, "that just as the Moon dies and rises again, so shall you." These symbolic animals, still in use today, follow this cyclical order: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and boar. While it might seem very likely, the connection can never be proved for certain. Eostre, the Celtic version of Ostara, was a goddess also associated with the moon, and with mythic stories of death, redemption, and resurrection during the turning of winter to spring. The themes of renewal and rebirth seem linked to the Easter message. In the Panchatantra tales of India, for example, Hare is a wily Trickster whose cleverness and cunning is pitted against Elephant and Lion, while in Tibetan folktales, quick-thinking Hare outwits the ruses of predatory Tiger. | Most of the depictions of a Jackalope show an animal that has horns that are branched like that of a deer, but there are some variations that show the creature with the . So how did we get the notion that a rabbit comes around and lays colored eggs in the spring? It depicts three hares running in a never-ending circle with their ears touching to form a triangle. For example, the novel was set in the present day (and not the 1940s), the cartoon characters interacting with humans are mostly drawn from comic strips (like Dick Tracy, Garfield, and Life in Hell), and not classic animated cartoonsand Roger Rabbit? I could go on, but I dont have much to say about Radagasts sleigh-pulling Rhosgobel Rabbits (big! Along with Sam, a wise-cracking, fedora-wearing dog, Max works as a private investigator with a healthy disrespect for the law; where Sam is grounded and professional, Max is gleefully violent and maybe a tad psychotic (in a fun way!) Sometimes called Ashmedai, and other times Asmodeus, this curious creature is best known as the "king of demons.". Garden Visitor | According to folklore in the United Kingdom, witches can transform into rabbits and hares, and in many cultures they are seen as harbingers of both good and bad luck. Rabbits and hares are both good and bad in Trickster tales found all the way from Asia and Africa to North America. Sam & Max have attracted a rabid cult following over the years, initially appearing in comics, then a series of video games and TV series in the late 90sI first encountered them in the now-classic LucasArts adventure game Sam & Max Hit the Road, which I cant recommend highly enough12-year-old me was a little obsessed with it, back in the day, and Im pretty sure it holds up, even now. The moor rabbit was found in the region of High Moor. (2020, August 28). It involved eating a pie made with hare meat and people scrambling for a slice. As a folklorist, Im aware of the origins of the long and interesting journey this mythical figure has taken from European prehistory to today. Learn how and when to remove this template message. In one well-known story from Dartmoor, a mighty hunter named Bowerman disturbed a coven of witches practicing their rites, and so one young witch determined to take revenge upon the man. //]]>. Only the crane was willing to take him there. Add a few rabbit hairs to. The pca (Irish for spirit/ghost), pooka, phouka, phooka, phooca, puca or pka, is primarily a creature of Irish folklore. The Japanese anime Mad King Granzrt has characters who are humanoids with rabbit ears and they are natives of the Moon. Wenenut is the female counterpart of thehare-headed God, Weneu. Even within Europe, different societies used rabbits as an icon of fecundity and linked them to deities of reproduction. In the Buddhist Jataka tales,[4] Tale 316 relates that a monkey, an otter, a jackal, and a rabbit resolved to practice charity on the day of the full moon (Uposatha), believing a demonstration of great virtue would earn a great reward. Quetzalcoatl then collected and buried the remains of his . In West Africa, many tribal cultures, such as the Yoruba of Nigeria and the Wolof of Senegal, have traditional story cycles about an irrepressible hare Trickster who is equal parts rascal, clown, and culture hero. The reason it was dispersed so widely is probably due to international trade in the first millennium AD. In Greco-Roman myth, the hare represented romantic love, lust, abundance, and fercundity. The Hare of Inaba ( or , Inaba no shirousagi)?, is a rabbit who wants to see Princess Yakami () of Inaba, so it makes a wager with a shark to see whose family is more numerous, the shark or the rabbit. Archaeologists have interpreted this as a religious ritual, with hares representing rebirth. Protectress of fertility, goddess of rebirth and friend to all children. Jerk.) Although the phrase itself is often attributed to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland adventures, it actually appears much earlier. Taoist traditions in China relate a story about a moon-dwelling rabbit who pounds together the ingredients of the elixir of life. But how did it become the poster boy for Easter? 1. So here we go: Peppy Hare is a member of the original Star Fox team who serves as a mentor to the games protagonist, Fox McCloud. Peppy wants you to do a barrel roll. In Canada and the United States, a Cree cultural legend tells a different story, about a young rabbit who wished to ride the Moon. The rabbits are played by Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, and Scott Coffey (all of whom appeared in Lynchs Mulholland Drive), and the set and some footage from the series were used in Inland Empire, lending fuel to the theory that all of Lynchs films are somehow interrelated in some crazy way. Based on the Australian science fiction novel The Year of the Angry Rabbit, the movie version moved the setting to Arizona, leaving the books satirical elements behind while retaining the basic premise: giant, mutant carnivorous rabbits threatening humans. The ancient enigma that still resonates today. The sharks . A Jackalope is a creature that is thought to be a strange jackrabbit and deer or antelope hybrid. furry! This idea provides the underlying rationale behind various festivities and rituals, such as the Osterfeuer, or Easter Fire, a celebration in Germany involving large outdoor bonfires meant to scare away witches. Maybe its not surprising, then, that both the book and its film adaptation are discussed in Donnie Darko, The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog probably needs no introductionin the immortal words of Tim the Enchanter, its the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on. Roger gets murdered early on in the book, leaving private eye Eddie Valiant to track down his killer. In Rome, the gift of a rabbit was intended to help a barren wife conceive. Its not long before the village is being terrorized by a giant, vegetable-crazed Were-Rabbit, and Wallace and Gromit must solve the mystery before the monster can ruin the annual Giant Vegetable Competitionand if you havent seen this movie, you probably should. Author and folklorist Suzanna Linton says. In medieval societies in Europe, the March hare was viewed as a major fertility symbol. Or a total stranger tells you something that, when followed up, turns out to be an amazing opportunity. Many of the most well-known mythologies feature moon goddesses, such as the Greek goddesses Selene and Artemis as well as, of course, China . [citation needed], According to an Aztec legend, the god Quetzalcoatl, then living on Earth as a human, started on a journey and, after walking for a long time, became hungry and tired. Terms of Use Last but not least, heres Bugs: wily trickster, Warner Bros. royalty, and comedy icon. In Teutonic myth, the earth and sky goddess Holda, leader of the Wild Hunt, was followed by a procession of hares bearing torches. Described as a weird hyperkinetic rabbity thing, Max is the smaller, more aggressive member of the infamous crime-fighting duo known as Sam and Max: Freelance Police. Type of Entity: Supernatural. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"Iwx8igBLrh._vaB3F.M1nIvgLLkAz9idDEzaf7xttaE-1800-0"}; In Chinese, Japanese, and Korean mythology, rabbits live on the moon. In Vietnamese mythology, the Jade Rabbit on the Moon is often accompanied by the Moon Lady and Cui, who sits under a magical banyan. The pca has counterparts throughout . You can find it being used in many medieval churches in the UK in South Tawton (Devon), Long Melford (Suffolk), Cotehele (Cornwall), St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, and Chester Cathedral. The Moon rabbit legend is popular and part of local folklore throughout Asia. While most European languages refer to the Christian holiday with names that come from the Jewish holiday of Passover, such as Pques in French or Psk in Swedish, German and English languages retain this older, non-biblical word: Easter. Comments (10). The association of rabbits, hares, and the moon can be found in numerous cultures the world over -- ranging from Japan to Mexico, from Indonesia to the British Isles. Accounts from the 1600s in Germany describe children hunting for Easter eggs hidden by the Easter hare, much as in the United States today. Then a rabbit grazing nearby offered herself as food to save his life. Elves were often portrayed as morally ambivalent. Wigington, Patti. For those of you who might not be familiar with the Lepi (Lepus carnivorus), they are the sassy sentient rabbits of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, native to the planet Coachelle Prime (although their rapid breeding rate quickly led them to colonize their entire star system, becauserabbits.) Plus its chock-full of bunnies, of course. Later, it appears in both the writings of Sir Thomas More, with "As mad not as a March hare, but as a madde dogge,"and later in a 16th-century book of proverbs. Their strange presence symbolizes inexplicable phenomenons. According to Chris and Sarah, Peppy is way more awesome than the teams other wingmen, Slippy Toad (who is the worst) and Falco Lombardi (who does nothing but criticize, even when you save his life. She traveled with a sacred hare and boar in a chariot drawn by cats. Rabbits have sometimes been a symbol for lust, as in Venus, Mars, and Cupid (1490) by Piero di Cosimo (Credit: Alamy). | Purple Crocus , Posted by Carla Huffman, MFT on March 05, 2017 at 03:30 AM in Hare/Rabbit | Permalink. ((I should mention that our understanding of the Ostara/Eostre myth is controversial, with mythologists divided between those who believe she was and was not a major figure in the British Isles.). In European traditions, the Easter bunny is known as the Easter hare. In Chinese folklore, female hares conceive through the touch of the full moon's light (without the need of impregnation by the male), or by crossing water by moonlight, or licking moonlight from a male hares fur. But Hare, in the role of Trickster buffoon, manages to get the message wrong, bestowing mortality instead and bringing death to the human world. For as long as civilization has tried to impose order on its subjects, Tricksters have been thumbing their nose at the rules. Moon folklore from certain Amerindian cultures of North America also has rabbit themes and characters. Read about our approach to external linking. In some lands, Hare is the messenger of the Great Goddess, moving by moonlight between the human world and the realm of the gods; in other lands he is a god himself, wily deceiver and sacred world creator rolled into one. [9] Another version of the legend says that Tecciztecatl was in the form of a rabbit when he sacrificed himself to become the Moon, casting his shadow there. Fortunately for Lepus, he had a better fate than other tulpas and gods who were demonized by the Church. Woods, W. David; MacTaggart, Kenneth D.; O'Brien, Frank.
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