Rarity Fibers

Myths stand in that fuzzy middle ground between reality and fantasy. One culture's religious fact is another culture's crazy myth, so it is rude to discount unfamiliar tales. After all, who was there when the Earth was created? Who can know the real Truth? "Only God" many will say, but have you ever stopped to wonder, "What does God look like?"

The Great Hare that Created the World North America

Nanabush, Naniboujou, Nanabozho, Gitchii-waabooz, Chi-waabooz, Mishaabooz, Michabo, Great Hare, Big Rabbit

He is known by many names and can take any form, he wishes but in many cases he seems to appear as a male anthropomorphic rabbit that may or may not be a giant. The many names listed above are but a fraction of what he is called, but for the sake of consistency and ease of spelling I will refer to him as Michabo.

He is honored by several Native American tribes from Upper Appalachia, throughout Canada, and out to the western plains. Stories between tribes differ, but at its heart, the myth remains the same. It was Michabo who created the world and who created humankind. Okay, he did have a little help, but let's start at the beginning...

Once upon time, in a not so far away land, Michabo held the world in his pocket. But unfortunately he was a bit forgetful about that, some when he chased some wolves into a river, he got wet, and flooded the world in the process. But luckily he had a boat, and some friends. Otter was there, but as far as they could swim they could not find any land. And Raven was there, but as far as they could fly they could not find any land either! It was quite the predicament when Michabo had an idea. He asked Muskrat to swim to the bottom of the water and see what she found there. And so she did, but all she could find was a handful of clay. But Michabo was not disappointed by this in the slightest! In fact, he was so happy about it that he married Muskrat on the spot, and we are their children.

Michabo wanted to make a better place for us to live. He did not ever want to flood the Earth again, so this time he made it much bigger. He took the tiny bit of clay from Muskrat and shaped it into a ball that grew bigger and bigger until it was the size it is today. Next, he took a bit of the water and put it onto the new earth and filled it with creatures to his children to fish. Then he created forests, and with three hairs, created the Great Deer to be hunted. Lastly, to ensure we would never go hungry, he gave us our Three Sisters of Corn, Beans and Squash. And to give us the best chance of survival he spread us all out, placing people in every corner of this new Earth.

Michabo was not like other Gods, who created humanity and then sat back to watch. Michabo took an active role in protecting his children and would often come to them in dreams letting them know where was best to fish or hunt. Or sometimes he would talk to them and bring them on a Spirit Journey. There is the story o a young warrior whose bride died the night before their wedding. In his dreams that night he met Michabo, who told him that he knew where his Bride was and could take the warrior there. And so he followed the rabbit, through thickest of forests and down the most rapid of rivers until he arrived at a place where the water is always still and found an island where it was always a beautiful spring day, neither too hot or too cold, where the flowers were always in bloom, the birds always sang, and the sky was always cloudless and pure. There on the shore he saw his Bride. But as soon as he reached to grab his hand, Michabo appeared and told him that it was not his time to be apart of the Spirit World. And so the warrior went back the way he had come, and in life became a Great Cheif who brought honor to his people, and he did this with a happy heart, because he knew he would see his Spirit Bride again.

Michabo took good care of his people for a very long time, that is until the strangers started to come. Michabo had several run-ins with the legendary logger Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. In one legendary account, Michabo cornered Paul Bunyan in Minnesota and told him to go away and to stop logging the beautiful forests. They fought long and hard, but in the end Michabo pulled a walleye fish from the lake and beat Paul Bunyan over the head with it. He fell so hard that the impression of his bum can still be seen to this day! Of course, the hole got all filled up with rain and now its called Lake Bemidji. So if you are ever in the Minnesota area, stop by the lake, and spend a moment to think about the rabbit who once fought a giant.

Sadly, while Michabo may be a god, he was not immortal. Michabo asked just one thing of his people. Do not reveal the location of silver to the strangers. But did they listen? Do people ever listen? And in the moment he was betrayed, Michabo fell down and turned to stone. But its said that he will wake again when the Earth needs him most. He still sleeps, and if you are ever in the Ontario area, be sure to visit the Sleeping Giant.

Throughout time Rabbits have been recognized as defying the boundary between life and death. In some cultures its believed that rabbits can bring immortality, whereas other cultures believe that rabbits can carry messages between the world of the living and the spirit world. It is a wonder when a similar myth is repeated by cultures around the world.

A Foot in Both Worlds Europe

The Celtic Druids believed that burrowing animals did not just burrow underground, but that those burrows went all the way to the underworld. And because of their speed, the rabbit was prized above all as a messenger to the Gods.

It was believed that this access to the other realm gave the rabbits the ability to know what the future held. The druids would watch rabbits as they ran, believing that the path they chose was indicative of the path the future would take. The classical historian Cassius Dios recorded that Bouddica hid a rabbit under her robes and released it in front of a large crowd. The rabbit ran in what was thought to be a favorable way and this was taken as a good omen for Bouddica to wage war on the invading Romans. But in some myths, the rabbits were more than simple messengers and soothsayers.

Once Upon a Time, on an island with grass the color of emeralds, there lived a great warrior by the name of Oisin. One day, when he was out hunting he saw a large rabbit with sleek black fur as pure as midnight. And though he always struck with the truest aim, this time the wind of fate blew and his arrow pierced the rabbit's hindleg. Injured, but not dead, it darted under some bushes to safety and Oisin gave chase. But as he moved the bushes out of the way, he saw that the rabbit's hole was a doorway and to his surprise, he could fit inside. When his eyes adjusted to the light he saw that he was in a lavish room, fit for a queen. He looked to the left and to the right but he could not see the rabbit anywhere. Then, at the far end of the hall he saw a throne, and upon it was a woman with raven black hair and an arrow in her leg. She informed him that she was Queen of the Fairies and that in order to leave they must take the form of a rabbit. And from that day forth Oisin swore he would never eat another rabbit again.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this legend is that it was told years before it even happened! The story above is a modern retelling of part of Tír na nÓg, one of Ireland's oldest legends. But in the 600s in Wales, a very similar even actually did happen when Saint Melangell was named the patron saint of hares after a hare jumped into her lap while being pursued by Brochwel, the Prince of Pwys.

It's clear that rabbits were seen as so much more than simply animals. In 54 BC when Julius Caesar invaded Britain, he found that there were restrictions against eating rabbit meat and that there were laws in place saying that whoever hurts a rabbit should have the same pain inflicted upon them. Caesar also noted that while the Celts did not eat rabbit, they did keep them for "amusement and pleasure" which may indicate some of the earliest accounts of pet rabbits.

The Rabbit of Immortality Asia

月兔 Yu Tu, Jade Rabbit

Once Upon a Time, in a land far East of here there was once a begger man wondering the forest hungry and alone. He cried out for others to help him, but only the animals would answer his plea. The first animal to come to his aid was the Fox. Fox went to the river to gather some fish for the beggar. He worked so hard catching fishing that by the time he was done, Fox was hungry as well. He thought since he had put all the work in, it would only be fair to eat half of the fish. And so he did, making sure to save the largest fish for the beggar. The second animal to come to his aid was the Monkey. He climbed high up to the tree tops to gather the best fruits. But the fruit was so delicious and tempting that Monkey could not resist taking a bite for himself thinking that surely the beggar wouldn't miss a single bite from a full bushel of fruit! The third animal who answered the beggar's plea for help was the Rabbit. Now Rabbit had hopped and hopped, searching the entire forest, but all he could find to eat was grass. Rabbit enjoyed eating grass but knew that it would not be enough for the beggar, so it was with a heavy heart returned empty-handed. Rabbit told the beggar that since he could not find anything for him to eat, the beggar could eat him instead. And with that statement, Rabbit jumped into the beggar's fire. But Rabbit did not burn. When Rabbit opened his eyes he saw the beggar man laughing at him, only the beggar was not a beggar at all. In the begger's place the Jade Emperor now stood. In a flash, rabbit had himself out of the fire, dusted off the ash and bowed low. But the Jade Emperor only laughed at him and told him there was no need for such formality. That Rabbit had proved itself the most noble of all the creatures and would go to live on the moon with the goddess Chang'e where he would make rice cakes, mochi, and the elixir of life.

Occasionally Jade Rabbit does come back to Earth to help people who need him. According to myth the people of Bejing once suffered from a terrible plague and the Jade Rabbit went house to house healing the sick. This selfless rabbit is honored during the Mooncake Festival in August, which is an annual festival that has been celebrated throughout Asia for over 3,000 years!

While the idea of a rabbit on the moon may sound outlandish to some, it has yet to be completely disproven. During the 1961 Apollo 11 lunar mission, American astronaut Micheal Collins was made aware of the myth and said he would "keep an eye out," but unfortunately as pilot, he was unable to leave the ship perform a full planet search. However, we do know that there have been robotic rabbits on the moon in the form of the China rovers, Yutu and Yutu-2. At the current moment of writing this (2023) Yutu-2 is still in space and holds the current record of longest-lived rover and the first to travel to the far side of the moon. Making this a myth that has united both our history and the future.

The Other Rabbit On the Moon Central America

The moon is a big place, and there is room enough for more than one culture's bunny rabbit to hop around up there. This story is best read after "The Rabbit of Immortality". The two stories are eerily similar, despite originating from different cultures on different sides of the Pacific Ocean.

Once Upon a Time, in a dense jungle south of here, the god Quetzalcoatl walked on this Earth. He had been walking for a long while and was hungry and tired. So hungry and tired that he thought he would die. In defeat, he collapsed to the ground and waited for the end. But as he lay there suffering a kind and curious rabbit timidly hopped over to him.

"Oh Serpent of Many Feathers, what is wrong? Why do you lay there in distress?" She asked.

Quetzalcoatl gave a long sigh and replied, "My sweet humble rabbit, your large ears give you the power to listen to those who would be ignored by others. Listen well, for I am so hungry I fear I can barely speak and am too tired to go on,"

"But the world needs you so!" The Rabbit protested, "If you need something to eat, it would be my honor to fill your belly,"

Quetzalcoatl was taken aback by her selfless offer and for a moment did not know what to say. In the end he replied, "Rabbit you are a true friend, and I shall paint your likeness on the moon so that no one will ever forget the kind deed you've done for me."

So many stories, it's enough to drive you to drink! So maybe it shouldnt be any surprise that rabbits have a strong association with alcohol. From Mexico to Greece, no one gets drinks like a rabbit!

Drunk as Four Hundred Rabbits Central America

Tepoztecatl, Ome Tochtli, Centzon Tōtōchtin, Four Hundred Rabbits

A little over an hour outside of a city that is known today as Morelos, Mexico stands the Aztec pyramid of El Topozteco. This pyramid was build to honor Tepoztectal, ruler of the 400 rabbits that make up Centzon Tōtōchtin, the god of drunkness. Centzon Tōtōchtin literally translates into "400 rabbits" and these rabbits were the children of the goddess () and the god (). It was thought that when a person drank plaque (an aguave liquor that's stronger than its cousins tequila and mezcal), these rabbits would possess them and that a person's level of intoxication could be expressed by how many rabbits deep they were. And when a person was incoherently drunk, it was said that they had been "taken by 400 rabbits". Each of these 400 rabbits had a name and a duty, but sadly, many of these names have been lost to time. So in the spirit of Centzon Tōtōchtin, take a shot for each name we remember.

Tepoztecal is the ruler Centzon Tōtōchtin, and is also known as Ome Tochtli, a name that literally translates into "two rabbits". Thus, this leader is not one rabbit, but two and represents balance and duality. Ome Tochtli is the rabbit that stands on the line between sober control and drunken recklessness. Tepoztecal possesses you when you have one or two drinks and then call it a night.

In Aztec society, four cups was considered the maximum appropriate amount. At five cups, the line was crossed into sheer intoxication. Macuil Totchtli, who name literally translates into "Five Rabbits", represents this line and is the rabbit who greats you in the morning with that fuzzy hare-brained feeling of a hangover.

The name for "Fifteen Rabbits" is unknown, but this rabbit is the "happy drunk" who lights up a room and makes everyone laugh. The numbers for the rest of the rabbits are unfortunately unknown.

Tlilhu, whose name means "black ink" is the rabbit who whispers in your ear "let's get a tattoo!"

Techalotl is the rabbit who quickens the feet, frees the spirit, and makes you want to dance.

Tezcatzoncatl whose name means "Straw Mirror" was responsible for distorting one's vision and tripping them as they walked. Sometimes Tezcatzoncatl would stay with a person for life, as heavy palque consumption could cause blindness.

Colhuatzincatl, whose name means “Winged One”, refers to the adventurous spirit that alcohol can bring.

Acalhua, whose name means "Possessor of Canoe" is the rabbit who enjoys a relaxing drink while fishing.

Teatlahuiani isn't a very nice rabbit at all. He reminds us that drunk rabbits do not belong in water, and is the rabbit of drowning.

Atlacoaya, whose name means "She of Dark Water" is the rabbit that no one wishes to see as she brings sadness and depression with her.

And for those who just go too far, at the end waits Tequechmecauiana, the rabbit of hanging and execution. The Aztecs had strict rules about drinking and they weren't shy about enforcing them.

Love Buns Mediterranean

Rabbits enjoy getting drunk the world over it seems. In ancient Greece, our fluffy friends were associated with Dionysus, God of Wine, Abundance, and Fertility. Rabbits seemed to be a symbol of celebration as we see their likeness engraved on bottles of wine, cups, and serving platters.

Rabbits were also closely associated with Artemis, There are accounts of young rabbits being left at her alter as an offering for protection.

The Hare being associated the goddess of the Hunt: Artemis, to the point where young rabbits were left at her alter for protection. The hare was also associated with Dionysus, the god of Wine, Abundance, and Fertility, a very interesting parallel to the Aztec myth of Centzon Tototchin. And we see thinkers such as Herodotus give the Lepus some credit by noting that while they may be weak, this was balanced by their remarkable fertility. And that while they stood close to death, their fertility seemed to mean that they embodied life itself, as a pray animal that stands peacefully at the gates of death and runs into its maw without a second thought.

Pliny the Elder cites rabbit meat as a cure for sterility. He claimed that eating it would enhance a person’s fertility for a period of exactly 9 days. This belief evolved until the rabbit did not need to be eaten in order to bestow its blessings, a person only needed to touch a rabbit in order to gain the benefits. And from this, we see the practice of giving a barren woman a rabbit in hopes that it would help her conceive. Over time the rabbit became a common gift to be exchanged between lovers and was often given as a wedding gift.

During Roman times the rabbit became associated with Venus, but here the symbolic value of the rabbit becomes complicated. It was seen to represent the having of children, but also to represent the fleeting innocence of virginity. As time passed into the middle ages these values stayed and the androgynous rabbit started to be seen as more and more feminine in nature. In Piero Di Cosimo's 1490 painting, Venus, Mars, and Cupid, we see the rabbit representing this fine line. A couple sunbathes scantily clad while cupids dance in the background. The woman is holding a baby with one hand while a curious rabbit investigates mother and child. This painting is somehow so innocent yet still somehow provocative. We see this represented again in Titan's 1530 painting, Madonna of the Rabbits, we see a woman holding a child with one hand while petting a rabbit with the other. In this painting, the rabbit is clearly a domestic pet and symbolizes the passivity that was ideal for domestic women at that time.

When the Rabbit Gets Married Africa

The Yoruba peoples of Nigeria tell the tale of a trickster named Hare who was about to be married and needed to build a house but did not want to do the work of clearing the land. And so he set off in search of Hippopotamus. When Hare found Hippo he told him that he bet he could win against Hippo in a tug of war. Hippo laughed because he knew that of course he could beat the hare. Challenge accepted! Hare gave him a bit of rope and told him to wait until he was ready. Then Hare left to go find Elephant. Hare gave Elephant the same challenge and gave him the other end of the rope. Then Hare gave both ends a little tug and hopped out of the way. As the larger animals played tug of war, their stamping and stomping cleared the ground. And once both animals were exhausted, Hare was able to build his home on that newly cleared ground.

Rabbits are known around the world to be clever and quick-witted. How did the rabbit become so wise?

Why the Rabbit Runs So Fast Africa

Once Upon a Time, a long time ago when the animals ruled the earth and could still talk, there was a rabbit named Zomo and Zomo wished to become wise. So one day he went to the Sky God and asked to be granted the gift of wisdom. But Sky God informed him that wisdom must be earned and cannot be given. Then he gave Zomo three tasks so that he might earn his wisdom. First, was to retrieve the scales of the Big Fish that lived at the bottom of the ocean. Second, was to take the milk from a Wild Cow and third, was to steal to the tooth of a Leopard.

Upon hearing these tasks, Zomo promptly went off to the seashore and started playing his drum. Like all rabbits he was a good drummer, thump thump thump, he played loud and fast and his rhythmic tune carried all the way to the bottom of the ocean. When Big Fish heard it, he could not resist swimming up to land to dance. And when he started to dance, Zomo played faster, and the faster Zomo played, the faster Big Fish danced. They went faster and faster together until the scales started to fall right off of Big Fish! When the Big Fish noticed he was so embarrassed at being naked that he stopped dancing and jumped back into the ocean, leaving the scales for Zomo to collect.

Next Zomo hopped over to the tallest tree he could find and climbed to the top. Once there he spotted Wild Cow and called to her, “You aren’t as big and strong as you think you are, in fact I think you're mighty silly looking,” in an attempt to make her mad. It worked, and as Zomo continued to goad her, she tried to knock him out of the tree. Wild with rage, the cow rammed into the tree, but instead of knocking it down, her horn became stuck and she could not move. When Zomo saw this, he climbed out of the tree and milked the trapped cow.

From there Zomo hopped on until he came to a steep hill. He sprinkled some milk and a few fish scales on the path and then hopped down to the bottom to wait behind a rock. It was not long before Leopard, drawn by the scent of milk, came to the hill. He slipped on the scales, fell down the hill and crashed into the rock at the bottom, causing his tooth to pop out. Zomo caught it and hopped away before the Leopard could regain his senses.

Zomo took the tooth, the milk and scales back to the Sky God. When Sky God saw he had accomplished the mission he was surprised and said “Zomo, there are 3 things in life worth having, courage, caution and good sense. You have tons of courage but no caution or good sense, so the next time you see Big Fish, Wild Cow or Leopard you better run very fast!” And so the rabbit had earned his wisdom, and was given strong back legs to outrun consequence.

The Rabbit Outsmarted Africa

A long time ago there was a rabbit named Kalulu...

Kalulu loved to eat corn, much more than he liked the hard work of toiling in a field. And so he did not grow his own corn, but rather stole corn from his neighbors. All the Animals suspected it was him but could not confront Kalulu without proof. And so it was decided that someone should sit guard in the fields in order to catch Kalulu in the act.

Lion who was the king of the animals took the first shift. It was a long and cold night and it was almost dawn when Kalulu hopped along. “Go away” the lion growled sleepily, “You arent wanted here”

Unrebuffed Kalulu replied, “Everyone gives me a bad name but I’m not as bad as they say. I want to help you catch the thief.” The lion was so surprised he didn’t know what to say. And so he yawned instead. “Here” Kalulu offered, “I will finish your shift standing guard and you can take a short nap. Okay?” The Lion appreciated this generous offer and decided to close his eyes for just a few seconds. When he awoke, Kalulu was gone and so was a good part of the corn.

The next day Giraffe was the one who stood guard. And as dawn approached and Kalulu the Hare hopped into sight. The Giraffe said: “Go away! I heard what you did to Lion and you won’t do that to me!” To which Kalulu replied: “I’m not sure what you heard, I am only here to help… You’ve been here all night and I thought you might be getting a bit hungry, so I wanted to make sure you knew about the delicious tree thats at the far side of the field. It has the greenest leaves!” “Where is it you say?” The Giraffe inquired. “Oh, not far, here I’ll show you” The rabbit said and so lead the Giraffe a bit away from the field into a group of trees. And Kalulu was no liar, the leaves were every bit as green and juicy as he had promised. The Giraffe had only meant to eat a quick snack, but once he started he could not stop. When the tree was at last bare of leaves, he looked around and saw that Kalulu was gone, and so was another good part of the corn.

The next day it was Turtle who stood guard. And as dawn approached and Kalulu the Hare hopped into sight, the turtle said nothing. Kalulu was a bit offended at not being greeted by the turtle and so said, “Hey Turtle, I want to help with the corn” But again, turtle said nothing. Kalulu was not used to being ignored and so he tried to shake turtle so she would pay attention to him. But when he touched her, his paw was stuck. “Let go of me!” he cried and lashed out with the other paw. Now that one was stuck as well. Infuriated beyond the point of reason, Kalulu head butted the turtle, but that only resulted in his ears being stuck to her as well. Kalulu had not realized that the turtle had coated her shell in sticky gum. And so once again the turtle bested the hare.

The rabbit has not always looked as it does now. Science tells us that rabbits had an ancient ancestor called the Gomphos elkema, a creature that had a long tail and did not look much at all like the rabbits we know today. Scientists speculate on how and why the gomphos lost its tail and grew its ears, but humans have always known a different truth that has been perpetuated through myth, the only problem is, not all the myths seem to agree...

Why the Rabbit Lost Its Tail North America

Once Upon a Time, in a land not far from here, long ago when animals still ruled the earth and could talk like men, way back then, the rabbit had a long tail.

It was long and covered with soft fur just like a fox's tail, if not a little better. This made the rabbit very proud, but it also made Fox very jealous. And so one day as Rabbit was hopping along he saw fox sitting by the riverbank with his tail deep in the water. “What ya doing?” asked the rabbit. “Oh I’m fishing for suckas” replied the fox. “Do ya catch a lot of fish like that?” asked the rabbit. “Oh yes” the fox said. “I’ve almost caught enough to trade for a new comb for my tail. I saw a lovely one down at the market.”

Now what the fox did, the rabbit wished to do too. And so once the fox had left the rabbit put his tail in the water and waited for the fish to bite. He thought that perhaps if he fished all night he could beat the fox and buy the combs first. And when morning came and fox walked by, Rabbit was still sitting there with his tail in the water. “Catch any fish yet?” the fox taunted. The rabbit shivered, “No! And what’s more, I think I’m stuck!” and so he was, as the river had frozen overnight, trapping his tail underneath. The fox laughed and offered to help. He gave the rabbit a shove, which did free the rabbit, but broke off its frozen tail. And so now the rabbit goes around with a short tail.

Why the Rabbit has Beautiful Fur North America

Once Upon a Time, in a land not far from here, the animals were preparing for their annual gathering. Every year the animals voted on which animal had the nicest fur and this year rabbit wanted to win, but sadly the Otter had been the winner for many years previously. But this year the rabbit had a plan...

Under the pretense of being helpful, Rabbit went to Otter’s house and offered to show him the way to the gathering as the gathering was in a new place and Otter was not too familiar with that part of the woods. As they traveled together Rabbit told Otter all about that neck of the woods. He named every flower, every tree and even told him about how sometimes it would rain fire.

"Rain fire!?" Otter exclaimed.

"Yeah but its no big deal, I'm a pro and I know a trick that will keep you safe," the rabbit reassured him.

That night as they made camp, Rabbit told Otter that in order to stay safe from the Fire Rain he had to take off his fur and hang it by a tree for safekeeping and that they should take turns keeping watch while the other slept. Since rabbit was familiar with the sign of fire rain, it was only natural that he took first watch. Otter was thankful to have such a knowledgable guide and quickly fell asleep feeling safe.

While the otter slept, Rabbit threw hot cinders from the fire at him and started shrieking about the fire rain. The otter, thinking that it really was raining fire, jumped into the river where he has stayed to this day. Rabbit took Otter’s fur and put it on. It was so nice he knew he was sure to win to the contest! But when he got to the gathering, clever Bear suspected foul play and tried to catch the rabbit. But Bear could only catch his tail, which broke off, leaving the rabbit with a short tail, and beautiful fur.

What Rabbit did to the Possum North America

After rabbit lost his tail he was very sensitive about it, and so could not help feeling very jealous when Possum bragged that he now had the nicest tail. The Rabbit was not the sort of creature to let others enjoy what he could not have and so he came up with a plan...

Rabbit went to the Cricket, who was the Barber for the animals, and told the Cricket what he had in mind. The Next day, Cricket showed up at Possum's house and said he was there to help him get ready for the gathering. Cricket started brushing the hair on Possum’s tail and it was so relaxing that Possum could not help but to close his eyes and relax. By the time Possum awoke, Cricket was tying the last knot in a ribbon. He told Possum to keep the ribbon on until the gathering so that the hair on his tail would stay nice and neat.

When Possum got to the gathering and the music started to play, he could not help but dance all around and sing: “Who has the nicest tail?” As the crowd shouted at him, Possum did a twirl and sang out louder “Who has the Nicest tail?” The crowd shouted again. So Possum jumped up in front of everyone and sang at the top of his lungs “Who has the nicest tail?” As the crowd shouted again, Possum did a little shimmy and took off the ribbon to reveal his tail.

And the crowd roared with laughter. The animals hooted and they hollered. Possum turned and looked, and saw that Cricket hadn’t brushed his tail, he had shaved it! The shock and embarrassment was so great that Possum fainted, and that is why to this day, Possums have a bald tail and play dead when surprised.

The Zodiac Rabbit

A long time ago the Jade Emperor called for a race...

Before this race Cat and Rat had been friends. In some versions, Rat never told Cat about the race, so Cat was left out of it entirely. In other versions, both the Cat and Rat were able to compete and decided that it would be much easier to climb on top of Ox than it would be to try and swim across the river themselves. When they were halfway across, Rat pushed Cat off of Ox and into the river and the Cat was disqualified. It's said that this is why cats hate water and rats. But that was not enough for the ambitious Rat, when Ox had almost made it to the finish line, Rat jumped off in front of him and stole the first place for himself. Leaving the kind, hardworking Ox to settle for second.

The third animal was the mighty Tiger, who had to swim hard against the currents, relying on nothing but his own great strength.

Following close behind was Rabbit, jumping from stone to stone when he lost his balance and fell into the water. Luckily for him, there was a log floating by, so Rabbit grabbed it and floated to shore, coming in fourth.

The Dragon came in fifth, which was a surprise to many because he could have easily just flown across. When asked why he didn’t, Dragons said that it had stopped to save a village and then had seen a poor waterlogged rabbit and given it a puff of air to help it on its way. But here again, the legend diverges.

In some versions, the Dragon was awarded for its nobility by allowing his son to finish in sixth place. But the Dragon’s son was not around so the quick-thinking Snake claimed that Dragon was his adopted father and thus took sixth place for himself. Alternatively, Horse was galloping close to the finish line with Snake hidden by its foot. As they approached the finish line, Snake showed itself to the Horse, causing it to panic. The Snake still came in sixth but caused the Horse to be seventh.

While still in other versions, the Horse worked together with the Goat, each letting the other go politely before them, coming in seventh and eighth place, as the clever and nimble monkey swung across the river to earn ninth place for himself. But perhaps the most popular variation says that it was Goat, Monkey, and Rooster who were the ones who had worked together. Rooster had found a raft while Goat and Monkey helped to navigate. With their cooperation, Rooster came in tenth.

Eleventh place was for the Dog, who had stopped to play in the mud and then had needed to take a long bath in the river before quickly swimming across. The last animal to cross the finish line was the pig, who had stopped for lunch and a nap in the middle of the race. Despite his laziness, he came in twelfth place, and with him, the race was concluded and the zodiac animals were found. Each animal was rewarded by being given its own year to influence in a repeating twelve-year cycle for the rest of ti.

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