- Mysterious ancient symbol found through England, Europe, Middle East and China.
- It is also used as a motif in heraldry, jewelry, ornaments, tattoos and other works of art.
- There is a threefold rotational symmetry with each of the three ears being shared by two hares. The ears form a triangle that appears at the centre of the circle, where, instead of there being six ears visible, there are only three, even though individually the hares all show two.
- The symbol is similar to the triskelion the triquetra and the triple spiral, or triskele.
- The Three Hares motif seems to have spread from the Far East westwards between 600 AD and 1500 AD.
- The Three Hares motif is found in a number of churches in some European countries. In Lyons, France the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière and in Germany, the Paderborn Cathedral display excellent examples of the use of the motif.
- The southwestern parts of England has the most examples and the Three Hares Trail can be followed to see them.
- Ancient German riddle - Three hares sharing three ears, Yet every one of them has two.
Three Hares Gate - Photo by J.-H. Janßen - CC0 An ancient symbol The three hares is an ancient symbol that is found in many religious places, buildings and caves ranging from the British Isles, Germany, France and other parts of Europe to the Middle East and parts of China in the Far East. In Britain the symbols are mostly architectural ornaments or found in church roofs and sometimes on ceilings of private homes. In Europe they are found mostly in churches and synagogues. It is also used as a motif in heraldry, jewelry, ornaments, tattoos and other works of art. It has been wrought in many different materials and can be thought of as a puzzle, a topological problem, or a visual challenge, and can be found in stone sculptures, wood carvings, paintings, drawings and metal work. Read more
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