| Moon Rabbit | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Other Names |
Jade Rabbit, Golden Hare |
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First Appearance |
Asian Mythology |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Sun Wukong fights the Moon Rabbit, a scene in the sixteenth century Chinese novel, Journey to the West, depicted in Yoshitoshi's One Hundred Aspects of the Moon
The Moon rabbit or Moon hare is a mythical figure in East Asian, based on interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare.
In East Asian mythology, the rabbit is seen as pounding with a mortar and pestle, but the contents of the mortar differ among Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese folklore. In Chinese folklore, the rabbit is often portrayed as a companion of the Moon goddess Chang'e, constantly pounding the elixir of life for her and some show the making of cakes or rice cakes; but in Japanese and Korean versions, the rabbit is pounding the ingredients for mochi or tteok or some other type of rice cakes; in the Vietnamese version, the Moon rabbit often appears with Hằng Nga and Chú Cuội, and like the Chinese version, the Vietnamese Moon rabbit also pounding the elixir of immortality in the mortar. In some Chinese versions, the rabbit pounds medicine for the mortals and some include making of mooncakes.
According to Chinese legend, the Jade Emperor disguised an elderly beggar asked for some to eat from four animals which were an otter, jackal, monkey and a rabbit. monkey, The monkey brought fruit, the otter caught fish, and the jackal took both a pot of milk curds and a lizard. The rabbit only could get grass. However after realizing humans can't eat grass, the rabbit sacrificing itself into the fire the man had started in order to give him meat to eat. Miraculously the rabbit wasn’t burned by the flames and the old man suddenly revealed his true identity of the Jade Emperor. Deeply moved by rabbit's sacrifice, he sent it to the moon to become the immortal Jade Rabbit.
In Journey to the West, when Tang Sanzang passes through India on his journey, a demoness wants to marry him so that she can absorb his yang essence and increase her powers. Sun Wukong sees through her disguise and fights with her. Just as Sun Wukong is about to defeat the demoness, accompanied by the fairy Chang'e, Taiyin Xingjun descends on a colored cloud. The Monkey King hastily puts away his iron rod, saying, "Old Taiyin, where are you going? I, Sun Wukong, have been avoiding you." Taiyin replies, "The demon you are facing is the Jade Rabbit, who guards the mystical frost elixir in my Guanghan Palace. She secretly unlocked the jade gate and escaped from the palace, and it has been a year since then. I foresee she is currently in grave danger, so I have come to save her. I hope the Great Sage will spare her for my sake." Sun Wukong reluctantly agrees, and Taiyin Xingjun takes the Jade Rabbit to the Moon and assigns her duties.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of the Moon Rabbit from before Janurary 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Chu Ci
- Jataka Tales - Tale 316
- Konjaku Monogatarishū
- Journey to the West
Notes[]
- Moon folklore from certain Amerindian cultures of North America also has rabbit themes and characters.
- In the Dragon Ball animation, Son Goku fights against the Rabbit Gang and solves the issue presented in the episode by taking the enemy leader, Monster Carrot, an anthropomorphic rabbit who turns anyone he touches into a carrot, and his human companions, to the Moon, where they are seen pounding rice cake mixture.