Moonstruck tricksters, witches in disguise, the subject of a nationwide treasure hunt in the 1970s, and the original Easter Bunny — hares have long been linked with magic, moonlight, and madness. Their superficial similarity to rabbits makes us think we know them better than we do, but hares are a much wilder, weirder animal, associated with spirituality, the divine, and the occult. What is it about them that has made them such liminal figures in the collective imagination?
Elizabeth Dearnley (Wed,) studied this question.