The Three Hares is a enigmatic symbol, which according to leading expert Dr Tom Greeves 'in so many places was given overtly special status or sacred status, as the centrepiece of Buddhist caves in Dunhuang, or on an Islamic coin, or cast into one of the finest bells in Christian Europe, …almost certainly used on different levels and meanings… Today we are free to interpret [its meaning]' 1.

The symbol almost always features three hares running or crouching in a Godelian Strange Loop, with the ears of each hare shared by another. According to Trois-lievres.skyrock.com, 81.3% of Hares in England are turning counter-clockwise [while] 80% of Chinese hares turn clockwise.

Some believe the rabbits symbolize eternity… [or] fertility. Still others consider them a representation of the connection between the heavens and the Earth TMOFTHM, Hyperallergic.com. And for William Wotton and Browne Willis in 1716, the meaning of the three hares by then was lost TTH:ACWR (2016).

References

Footnotes

1. Greeves, T.; Andrews, S.; Chapman, C. (2016) The Three Hares: A Curiosity Worth Regarding p.320