The Moon Rabbit in legend, is a rabbit that lives on the moon. Based on pareidolia that identifies markings of the moon that resemble a rabbit.
The story exists in many cultures, including Korean, Japanese, Chinese and more interestingly it also exists in Aztec mythologyBut my favorite is the legend from the Native American, Cree Nation. This legend tells about a young rabbit who wished to ride the moon. Only the crane was willing to take him. The trip stretched Crane's legs as the heavy rabbit held them tightly, leaving them elongated as crane's legs are now. When they reached the moon Rabbit touched Crane's head with a bleeding paw, leaving the red mark cranes wear to this day. According to this legend, Rabbit still rides the moon to this day.
A small wooden clock box is gold-stained on the outside, and holds a fanciful china rabbit inside. I replaced the back of the clock box with a vintage glass pane that has a silhouette of a tree painted on it, allowing the viewer to see straight through the box. A small wind-chime is attached to the side of the box adding whimsy. You can see a sterling silver moon in the upper right hand corner of the back glass. A vintage wooden drawer pull finishes the piece. 8" x 6" x 3"
Love this, and the tale that goes with it--I love these stories!
ReplyDeletethank you diane! funny but, this piece sort of made itself. . . i can't explain how that happens some times, but i love it when it does.
Deletealways nice hearing from you.
love this. i remember a story that my grandmother used to tell us kids about the rabbit that lived on the moon . . . this reminds me of it.
ReplyDeleteyou too? i remember a similar story, but i am missing many of the details.
Deletethanks for stopping by.
I had never even heard of the Rabbit that lived in the moon, much less the one from the Cree Nation. I sure like this beauty, though. It looks like a carousel rabbit, too. Pretty awesome, in fact!
ReplyDeleteyes, it is a carousel rabbit . . . but he looked so fanciful that i thought he could be a moon rabbit too.
Deleteps: although, as a child i remember a similar fairytale with a rabbit and a moon, i didn't know the Cree Nation story either . . . isn't the internet great?
I remember as a child hearing about the rabbit in the moon, though not a story to go with it. I still tell my grandchildren to look for the rabbit in the moon, and sometimes it is really visible, to our great delight.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful artwork, I really love it.