The Three Hares - a powerful divine feminine icon!

The Three Hares is an ancient motif with mysterious origins. In the image, each of the ears is shared by the other and although the rabbits are believed to bring peace and abundance, the meaning of the connection between the three, and why they share their ears, is unknown.

The earliest record of this image can be found in the ceilings of some of the temples in the Mogao Caves of China, dating back to the Sui dynasty (6th and 7th centuries). It is believed this image spread along the Silk Road in the 13th century, found on glass, ceramics, coins, and other textiles, making its way to Germany and the United Kingdom where it is often found in the structure of churches.

Before the religious appropriation of the hares as the holy trinity, the symbol of the three rabbits in both Eastern and Western cultures goes back to the magical qualities of the hare, mysticism, spirituality, fertility, femininity, and of course, the lunar cycle.

In Eastern Asia, there are stories about the bunny, the details change, but the moral remains the same.

For me, becoming a mother was the ultimate surrender so it’s no surprise to me that the rabbit represents this journey we walk as women with the moon, fertility, and motherhood and why the three hares remains a divine and feminine icon.