LOL @ Heaven. I laughed so hard I soiled my armour!
Rabbits in the Church!
by cameo-d 43 Replies latest watchtower bible
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poppers
Run away, run away! LOL!
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Robdar
Hey Cammi,
When I first saw the title to your thread, I thought it read, "Rabbis in the Church!". Of course I had to take a peak. LOL
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cameo-d
Did anyone happen to notice that this image is an optical illusion?
The three leaping hares in the motif are all joined by the ears. When you look at the hares individually they appear to each have 2 ears. That would make a total of 6 ears, where in actuality there are only 3 ears carved in this design.
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doofdaddy
I'm with BTS. There appears to be commonality in our deep subconscious.
Also
When I was at the museum in Bangkok (Thailand), there was a Roman oil lamp that was discovered only last century still being used in a Wat (temple)!! How did it get there? Believed to traded on the Silk Road.
From the first century too.
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Heaven
Rabbits are considered the happiest sign/animal in Chinese astrology. The motif in this thread is all about the number '3' ... 3 hares with 3 eyes, 3 ears, 3 tails, 3 front legs, 3 back legs, 3 noses... etc. The number 3 is considered 'a sacred-like oneness', a unity between mind, spirit, and body.
The symbol of the triad or trinity has existed over immeasurable time and throughout the world. It can be understood as a key to the integrity and interdependence of all existence.
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cameo-d
Well, Heaven, so it's all about the happified number 3!
I suppose your guess is as good as the rest. There are some ridiculous explanations for these rabbits in the church. I really don't think these people have a clue. Just listen to some of these explanations:
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The three hares motif was clearly revered in all the different contexts in which it is found, but, as yet, we have not come across a contemporary written record of its meaning. It may be expected that the motif would have had different meanings in different cultures but, as an archetype, perhaps there was an element of meaning common to all. The theory of the Ancients that the hare was hermaphroditic and could procreate without a mate led to the belief that it could give birth to young without loss of virginity. In Christian contexts, the three hares may be associated with the Virgin Mary in her role in the redemption of mankind. This might explain why a three hares boss is often juxtaposed in western European churches with a boss of the Green Man, perhaps a representation of sinful humanity. http://www.chrischapmanphotography.co.uk/hares/index.html The Three Hares Project is supported by Devon County Council, the Devonshire Association, Dartmoor National Park Authority, Videotel Productions, private individuals and the Classical Chinese Puzzle Foundation. ---------------------------- Whilst we are unable to explain the Three Hares, it is significant that they frequently appear near to, or in association with, the equally mysterious Green Man, often in the form of carved roof bosses. It is therefore highly likely that their origin is similarly entwined with pagan beliefs about fertility and regeneration. Their presence in Christian churches (like the Green Man) has also prompted speculation about symbolism of the Holy Trinity . http://www.finestoneminiatures.com/catalog/catalog_89.htm -------------------------------------- Guan Youhui, a retired researcher from the Dunhuang Academy, spent 50 years studying the decorative patterns in the Mogao Caves . "The three rabbits are just a small part of the whole decorative art of Dunhuang, and when we look at the surrounding patterns on the ceilings we notice that a lot came from the West. But the ceiling designs were not transported as a whole to Dunhuang. The local artists chose the artistic elements and assembled them into the Dunhuang designs. The rabbits—like many images in Chinese folk art that carry auspicious symbolism—represent peace and tranquility." http://www.threerabbits.net/ ---------------------------------
These are the oldest known dated examples of the Three Rabbits as a puzzle. I feel it is likely that the popularity of the image stems from its being a puzzle.
http://www.threehares.net/puzzles.html
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Some claim that the Devon name, Tinners’ Rabbits, is related to the fact that local tin miners adopted it as their own symbol. They generated so much wealth in the region that they funded the repair and rebuilding of many local churches, and thus the symbol may have been used as their signature mark. [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_hares
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Writer and historian, James Crowden, follows three historical detectives from a church in Devon to a high mountain kingdom in the Himalayas searching for the meaning and origin of the ancient symbol of the three hares. So what does the symbol mean and how has it travelled such immense distances?
The answer connects the pagan goddess who gave her name to Easter to the Virgin Mary, the Buddha , and the great Mongol Empire . http://db.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/hares.shtml------------------------------
Since the 1980s Tom Greeves has been investigating a motif of three hares (or rabbits) following each other in an everlasting circle The meaning of the symbol is still elusive, but it has been found in Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Jewish and Hindu contexts in the medieval world, and contains wonderful messages of harmony for our own time. http://www.tomgreeves.org/pg001.html
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In their book 'The Leaping Hare', George Ewart Evans and David Thomson (1972pp. 15-17) point out that in early Chinese mythology the hare was a symbol for resurrection. In fact the Chinese don't refer to 'the man in the moon', they refer to 'the hare in the moon'. This hare in the moon is said to pound the herb of immortality. In India there is a similar legend and in addition the hare figured as a sacrificial animal that offered itself to be burnt in order to provide food for Brahman. In ancient Egypt the figure of a hare was used as a hieroglyph which denoted existence. In Europe there is evidence of a cult of a hare goddess. In his book 'The Sacred Ring', Michael Howard explains that in Saxon times the Goddess Oestara or Eostre was said to rule over the spring and the dawn. Her sacred animal was the hare which was also the symbol of the moon. Coincidentally, the gestation period of a hare is 28 days which is comparable with the moons monthly cycle. And whilst talking cycles it is also interesting to note that the female monthly cycle is affected by the hormone oestrogen and also lasts about 28 days. Howard goes on to note that the moon hare was supposed to have laid the Cosmic Egg from which emerged all life. (1995 pp. 58-9). It is from Eostre that we get the festival of Easter which originally celebrated the coming of spring. It was only when the Christians came along that the festival was bastardised to represent their celebration thus overshadowing the origin pagan concepts. The very symbols of the pagan festival were transformed into Christian icons, the 'hare of Eostre' became the ' Easter Bunny ' and the 'Cosmic Egg' became the Easter egg .
http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk/three_hares.htm
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Greeves, Tom (2000) ‘ The Three Hares - Dartmoor’s Ancient Archetype’, Dartmoor Magazine , 61 , 8-10.
Greeves, Tom (2001) ‘Three hares – a Medieval Mongol mystery’, Devon Today , April 2001, 58-63.
- these last two items explore a medieval symbol which is the subject of a modern ‘myth’ (The Tinners’ Rabbits) but for which the true story links medieval Dartmoor with ancient China.
http://dartmoorresource.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=17&Itemid=233
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China caves hold clue to riddle of three hares motif - Nic Fleming -
http://www.british-israel-world-fed.ca/PEFile57.html --------------------------------
A RESEARCH team led by a British archaeologist is to travel to China in search of the origins and meaning of a mysterious ancient symbol identified in sacred sites across Britain, Europe and the Middle and Far East. Striking depictions of three hares joined at the ears have been found in roof bosses of medieval parish churches in Devon, 13th century Mongol metal work from Iran and cave temples from the Chinese Sui dynasty of 589-618. Academics are intrigued at the motif's apparent prominence in Christian, Islamic and Buddhist holy contexts separated by 5,000 miles and almost 1,000 years. The symbol shows the hares chasing each other in a circle. Each ear is shared between two animals so that there are only three ears shown. Four researchers will travel from Britain to Dunhuang in China next month to examine paintings in 16 caves and meet experts in an attempt to shed light on the mystery. Dr. Tom Greeves, a landscape archaeologist, has suggested the motif was brought to the West along the Silk Road. Dr. Greeves, of Tavistock, Devon, said: "It is a very beautiful and stirring image and has an intrinsic power which is quite lovely. "Until recently there has been little awareness of its wide distribution. We are uncovering new examples all the time."Together with other scholars and researchers, the Classical Chinese Puzzle Project and The Three Hares Project have been involved in studying the history, meaning and journey of the three hares motif. This website is dedicated to stimulating discussion and further research on the three hares.
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I know what the three hares mean. The story shall unfold. -
cameo-d
Hares----Not Rabbits!
There are over 50 species of rabbits, but it is not until you take a closer look that the meaning of this symbol becomes apparent. This motif is not three rabbits, but three hares and knowing the differences in the characteristics reveals the hidden meaning.
Rabbits are born naked and blind; they are helpless. They live in burrows or warrens underground and they congregate in colonies as they are very social creatures.
If you have ever heard the expression to "hit the ground running" that describes the hare. Hares are born with fur and with vision. Unlike rabbits, hares can care for themselves soon after birth. They do not live in underground burrows nor do they live in colonies. When the parent gives birth it is on flat grassy ground beneath a bush or low branch. There is no nest and no long term coddling.
Rabbits are often domesticated; hares are not. There is an inherent wildness and independence about them. The hare relies on its nose, eyes, and ears to detect danger. It is always on the watch. Hares have a wide range of vision and can watch a predator while scouting for cover at the same time.
The long ears of the hare are very sensitive and well equipped to detect enemies. To escape enemies, it relies on speed and agility. The hare has longer hind legs, can out jump any rabbit, and does not tire as quickly. The hare can leap 15 to 20 feet in a single bound and moves at a speed of 45 miles per hour. It can make sudden sharp moves in another direction and often uses this skill to lead its predators to a cliff, quickly leaping in another direction as the predator bounds toward the edge.
Many hares have a natural quality of camouflage, turning white in winter. Finding a way to blend in with surroundings, or get lost in the crowd, are lessons we can learn from the pursued hare.
Hares pursue no other animals; they themselves are the ones pursued by dogs, wolves, and owls.
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cameo-d
Breaking the Code: Imminent Danger!
The Three Hares motif is a warning signal of danger. The hunt is about to begin! Sound the alarm!
Those who will successfully escape the predators will have all those attributes of the hare: the ability to hit the ground running on a moment's notice; the flexibility to change flight plans, and a method of camouflage or erasing their tracks, blending in...whatever it takes to become invisible. More than this, the victor must always be alert and cautious by using heightened sensivity whether it is intuition, deductive reasoning of circumstances, or physical perception. The hare must be self reliant and not depend on safety from a group. Flight will be required; it should be unencumbered and timely.
In order to substantiate my hypothesis that this symbol is used as a warning of danger and a call to flee, I think it is important to look back at the history of the time and place where these remaining symbols have been found.
A distinct pattern emerges when considering the historical overview of the time period when the hare motif becomes prominent. On each occassion, there is a period of political tyranny, followed by economic devastation, and an attempt at political/religious reformation which causes persecution and the resulting slaughter of masses of people who resist the changes.
The symbol of the Three Hares gives warning of a coming religious inquisition or religious/political upheaval and general disintegration of society and culture.
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