Moon Hare
My sister-in-law is a great artist and has blown me away with some of the most delicate pictures she has created with water colour. she has a fine touch and should be recognised for her talent. I realised that she had never received a carving and I asked my brother what would she want? At that time she was into Moon hares as a subject matter and I was only to glad to oblige.
The Hare was sourced off Pinterest and carved out of a sycamore turning round I had. My apologies as this is a poor photo, as I was in a rush to take it before it was given as a Christmas pressie., It looks if the whole thing has been painted, but it’s down to the poor light at the time I took the photo. It had to be stained to add contrast to the background night sky of the carving and the hare has had pyrography add to highlight his fur. The moon was painted and it was finished with an acrylic spray. It was a pleasure to do…Happy Christmas sis
The folklore of the Moon Hare originated in China and then spread to other Asian cultures. In East Asian folklore, the rabbit is seen as pounding with a mortar and pestle, but the contents of the mortar are different among Chinese, Japanese and Korean folklore. In Chinese folklore, the rabbit often is portrayed as a companion of the Moon goddess Chang’e, constantly pounding the elixir of life.
In Europe, the hare moon is a Pagan symbol which originated in Medieval England. Whereas many cultures nowadays refer to the “man on the moon”, a few centuries ago the image of a hare was, in fact, more commonplace - hence the name “hare moon”.The hare is a symbol of regeneration, fertility, and magic in many ancient cultures. Pagans, in particular, held the belief that the hare moon was a promise of growth, re-birth, and new beginnings - likely due to the hare’s associations with high reproductive rates. This imagery was later adopted by various religions. In fact, the “Three Hares” design can be found in a wide range of locations - from cathedrals in Britain to Buddhist caves in China, and synagogues in Poland.
