The theory of the Ancients that the hare was hermaphroditic and could procreate without a mate led to the belief that it could give birth to young without the loss of virginity. In Christian contexts, the three hares may be associated with the Virgin Mary in her role in the redemption of mankind. – from the website: The Three Hares Project, “What Does the Symbol Mean?”
For me this image is related to the Celtic triskelion, or triple spiral. Both symbols imply a dynamic movement; you can imagine them in an endlessly cycling motion, while eternally connected by the inner triangle. They suggest the repeating cycle of life, death and rebirth. They speak of resurrection, and for many, the spiraling progression of reincarnation towards reunification with the Divine. They tell us that while we trace a path of personal experience, we are never in fact separate from God (the center triangle), or from all other beings.
Like any good archetype, as a symbol tapping deep into the collective unconscious, the three hares motif holds within it all of the cultural meanings ascribed to it at all times and in all places. It is appropriate to pick and choose the meanings which resonate with you.
My piece superimposes the three hares motif on a trillium flower.
[*] To learn more, see the extensively researched website, “The Three Hares Project”, or the book of the same name, by Grieves, Chapman, and Andrew
