The Three Hares and the Green Man.
Malcolm Low
Medieval roof boss, South Tawton,
Photograph reproduced
by courtesy © Chris Chapman/The Three Hares Project.
Three
Hares motif is an ancient symbol of hares or rabbits running in a circle and
joined by their ears which form a triangle at the centre of the design. The
symbol is a puzzle; for each creature appears to have two ears yet, between them,
they share only three ears.
The motif is an extraordinary and ancient archetype,
stretching across diverse religions and cultures, many centuries and many
thousands of miles. It is part of the shared medieval heritage of Europe and
The Three Hares motif was clearly revered in
all the different contexts in which it is found, but, as yet, no written record
of its meaning has been found. It is
believed that it would have had different meanings in different cultures but,
as an archetype, there probably was an element of meaning common to all.
The hare is strongly represented in world
mythology and from ancient times has had divine associations. Its elusiveness
and unusual behaviour, particularly at night, have reinforced its reputation as
a magical creature. The hare was believed to have mystical links to the female
cycle and to the moon which governed it.
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. Superficially
the Green Man would appear to be pagan, perhaps a fertility figure or a nature
spirit, carved in wood or stone, in churches, chapels, abbeys and cathedrals,
where examples can be found dating from the 11th century through to
the 20th century.
(A scan from a
35mm transparency taken by Simon Garbutt.)
This wood carving of a Green Man ("foliate
head" type) is on the 17th century Renaissance screen at
Dore Abbey,
Adapted with kind permission from the ‘Three Hares
Project’ and Wikipedia article ‘The Green Man’.
Malcolm Low can be contacted on
email: m.low1@ntlworld.com