Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash
You'd be correct in assuming our artists have an obsession about British Wildlife. Of all the wildlife they feature, none is as popular as the mystical and mysterious hare. This always puzzles us as it is such a rarely spotted creature. A recognisable character for sure - but what is it that makes these creatures so fascinating?
To find out more we've had a leap into the exciting tales surrounding hares and their origins. If you weren't a hares fan before, we're confident you will be by the end of this blog.
We'll also share our favourite hare-themed goodies by our British artists at iapetus .
Photo by Mathias Elle on Unsplash
The madness of March. And no, we don't mean the rush to find the perfect Mothers Day gift! Instead, we're talking about the unusual phenomenon where, if you look across those Springtime fields, you may be witness to hares suddenly leaping and bounding as if from nowhere as they look for a mate. This also results in the well known image of the hares 'boxing'. But, hares and their 'mad' jumping are mostly associated with dawns and new beginnings.
As well as their more active Spring antics, hares were also traditionally associated with everyone's favourite chocolate-eating holiday, Easter. That's right, before there was ever an Easter bunny, there was our friend the Easter hare. This actually dates all the way back to pre-Christianity Britain where we celebrated the goddess of Spring, Eostre - who's symbols just happened to be eggs and hares!
One of our talented artists who always seems to capture the essence of the season and the joy of hares in their work is Dawn Maciocia. With vibrant colours and stunning detailed illustrations, Dawn's handmade collection of home accessories are definitely worth celebrating. Her beautiful range includes gorgeous lampshades, cushions, mugs, coasters and placemats.
You can discover more of Dawn's colourful creations of British wildlife here.
Photo by Juho Luomala on Unsplash
However, there are many tales of the hare that lie in the realm of the supernatural. There was once a time where it was believed hares were the chosen forms of shapeshifting witches! In many stories of these hare shapeshifters, especially in old Scottish folklore, they tell the tale of an injured hare who is then discovered later on by its hunter to be a woman suspiciously displaying the same scratches or bites.
Similarly, the legend of the White Hare sometimes tells the tale of a woman who becomes a hare to follow her faithless husband. In some other variations, the white hare is considered a bad omen for what is to come. It is also believed that Boudica would take a hare with her to battle and, when it was let free, the path it ran would be an omen for victory.
Amongst all the beautiful depictions of this creature, these raku-fired ceramic hare sculptures by Paul Jenkins never fail to create an air of magic around them. Ears pricked up to listen out for danger, they sit prettily, inspired directly from glimpses in the wild.
More of Paul Jenkins' unusual sculptures can be found here.
A hare gazing up at the moon is a symbol we all would have seen at some point, even if its only in passing. Hares are commonly believed to have links to femininity, just like the moon. And so these three subjects are often brought together for discussion. Hares are generally known and used as symbols of fertility and rebirth - the moon-gazing hare especially was meant to be a symbol of this. It was thought to bring good luck. Using the moon cycles is how we decide when we have Easter, looping us right back around to our celebrations of a new beginning.
Women and hares have always been closely related in old traditions and tales within many cultures all across the world. Many telling of how they are messengers of goddesses, travelling on moonlight between the spirit world and ours. As hares go out to feed in open fields at night, it's no wonder how we think of them as intertwined.
The image of the hare and the moon has been captured in art for centuries, including beautifully in jewellery by artists like Xuella Arnold, Fi Mehra and Linda Macdonald. All three working in silver (as well as bronze and gold!), they create unique handmade jewellery just as magical as their inspiration.
Find more of Xuella's silver and bronze jewellery here.
Find more of Fi Mehra's handmade jewellery here.
Find more of Linda Macdonald's quirky jewellery here.
Photo by Silvan Schuppisser on Unsplash
From madness, to shapeshifting, and then even to the moon and back - I think it's safe to say we just can't help but be fascinated by hares and all their secrets.