Three Hares

The three hares is a circular motif appearing in sacred sites from the Middle and Far East to the churches of southwest England (as the "Tinners’ Rabbits"), and historical synagogues in Europe. It is used as an architectural ornament, a religious symbol, and in other modern works of art or a logo for adornment (including tattoos), jewelry and a coat of arms on an escutcheon. It is viewed as a puzzle, a topology problem or a visual challenge, and has been rendered as sculpture, drawing, and painting.

The symbol features three hares or rabbits chasing each other in a circle. Like the triskelion the triquetra (and their antecedents, e.g., the Triple spiral and the Yin yang whorl), it has a threefold rotational symmetry. Each of the ears is shared by two hares, so that only three ears are shown. Although its meaning is apparently not explained in contemporary written sources from any of the medieval cultures where it is found, it is thought to have a range of symbolic or mystical associations with fertility and the lunar cycle. When used in Christian churches, it is presumed to be a symbol of the Trinity. Its origins and original significance are uncertain, as are the reasons why it appears in such diverse locations. That the image's meaning changes depending upon the context and the viewer could be characterized as being analogous to pareidolia; its widespread appeal may be characterized as being a meme.

Read more about Three Hares:  Origins in Buddhism and Diffusion On The Silk Road, In Christianity, In Judaism, As An Optical Illusion or Puzzle, Other Uses and Related Designs

Famous quotes containing the word hares:

    The human imagination ... has great difficulty in living strictly within the confines of a materialist practice or philosophy. It dreams, like a dog in its basket, of hares in the open.
    John Berger (b. 1926)