Ragne's Abyss

Having the sudden urge to research rabbits, I ended up going down a “rabbit hole” (pun wasn’t intended) of the mystery surrounding an ancient symbol. Three Hares, also known as Tinner’s Rabbits, is an ancient visual of three hares attached by the ears running in a circular formation. This symbol has been used in a multitude of churches to symbolize the circle of life—though its true meaning has still yet to be named. There are theories that come about, often pinning it to the religious perspective of life and death, but ultimately, nothing can be proven. After doing some digging, I’ve come to a theory of my own that I’d like to share and suggest you ponder.  

Let’s travel to the origin of this symbol. 6th century in China, in the Buddhist cave temples of Dunhuang, is the oldest date tracking these hares. During the 6th century, China was undergoing a division between the southern and northern regions of China. This part of history is what marked the Sui Dynasty, for General Yang Jian, also known as Emperor Wen, conquered the South of China—binding the two halves together. This was a huge mark in Chinese history because the northern and southern dynasties had been separated for a multitude of different periods lasting up to 169 years. That doesn’t even include the other splits that occurred within this country. Now, with this new union comes the appearance of the Three Hares.

In order to determine the meaning behind this image, we have to analyze every aspect of the symbol. The first thing you notice when looking at the symbol is, of course, the three hares. The symbolism of the number “three” is normally tied to the idea of harmony. The number, when placed in art and literature, is used as a measure of time; past—present—future, beginning—middle—end, birth—life—death. The use of a hare is intentional as well, being that hares often symbolize prolific fertility, quickness, and innocence. With these two factors in place, I can safely assume that the usage of the three hares is meant to be a message towards the harmony of constant life; essentially meaning the constant production of birth, life, and death. 

Analyzing the image further, the three hares look to be running in a circular motion. The symbolism of circles is meant to indicate an infinite movement—the motion of repetition. The hares’ ears are all connected, forming a triangle in the center of the image. Triangles are also symbols of harmony and balance due to their three points, connecting themselves back to the symbolism of the number three. Triangles can also refer to higher consciousness and/or inner wisdom. This is also a reason as to why the “third eye” is often seen in the shape of a triangle in art and literature. With the use of three hares running in a circular motion, forming a centered triangle, it can be considered that the symbol is meant to illustrate the prolific flow of birth, life, and death.

Being that the symbol was found in the Buddhist caves of Dunhuang, China, I would assume the artist followed the philosophy of Buddhism. Karma and rebirth are huge philosophical concepts in Buddhism. The idea is that actions have consequences and you are driven into a constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth until liberation is reached. When tying this concept to the symbol, I can conclude that Three Hares is meant to signify the never-ending loop of the birth, death, and rebirth of human karma, from which we cannot cease to liberate ourselves due to the prolific desires of the human body, mind, and soul. 

Now that I’ve come to this conclusion, let’s discuss the Sui Dynasty once again. As stated before, the Sui Dynasty emerged in the same century as this symbol. A theory that I have is that this symbol is religious political art. When using the meaning I concluded for the symbol, the correlation of it with the Sui Dynasty could be seen as an intuition that, though the country has merged, more destruction can soon follow due to the corruption of human nature; China is a country that has seen the constant cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. This theory is further supported by the fact that the Sui Dynasty later fell to ruin in 618 CE during a civil war before Li Yuan founded the Tang Dynasty in 628 CE; this new dynasty was seen as a “golden age” in Chinese history. 

To conclude, Three Hares or Tinner’s Rabbits is a religious symbol, tied to the inner wisdom of Buddhism, meant to signify the never-ending loop of the birth, death, and rebirth of human karma in which we cannot cease to liberate ourselves due to the prolific desires of the human body, mind, and soul. The symbol stands as a political expression towards China and the Sui dynasty and its constant meeting with destruction and triumph.