The Moon Rabbit Around the World

Have you ever looked up at the moon and seen what looks like a rabbit pounding on a log or pestle? Did you know there are many legends around the world about this rabbit? Well there are!

From Asia (where it is most commonly found) to the Americas there have been many legends told about the rabbit in the moon over the centuries. It has been a popular Chinese legend for many centuries, has appeared in traditional Native American stories, and was even discussed during the Apollo 11 moon landing mission!

So what are some of the legends about the Moon Rabbit and traditions surrounding it? Hop on down and find out!

The moon rabbit is, simply put, the markings on the moon that look like a rabbit pounding in a pestle. This is what is known in science as a 'pareidolia', or an image or sound that appears to be something significant. The famous face on Mars or clouds that take different shapes are other examples of this.

In China, the moon rabbit is usually called 'yuè tù' (月兔), which means "moon rabbit"! However, the moon rabbit is also called 'yù tù' (玉兔), or "Jade Rabbit", and sometimes Grandpa Rabbit, Gentleman Rabbit, Lord Rabbit, and the Gold Rabbit. Stories about the moon rabbit date as far back as the Warring States period (about 475-221 BCE).

According to legend, the moon rabbit is a companion to the moon goddess Chang'e and pounds the elixir of life for her in its pestle. It lives in the moon with the toad and can be seen every year in full view on Mid-Autumn Day, or August 15th.

In one legend told in and around Beijing, a deadly plague came to the city some 500 years ago and started killing many. The only thing that could save the city from this epidemic was the Moon Rabbit. Chang'e sent the Moon Rabbit to earth to visit each family and cure them of this plague. It did just that and asked for nothing in return except some clothes and often changed from man to woman. After curing the city of this plague, it returned to the moon.

To this day toy figurines of the rabbit wearing armor and riding a tiger, lion, elephant, or deer are popular toys among children and adults alike! They are particularly popular during Mid-Autumn Festival, or during Lunar New Year on the Zodiac Year of the Rabbit (2011).

A number of First Nations (Native American) people in the US, Canada, and Mexico have stories about the moon rabbit as well.

The Aztecs believe that the god Quetzalcoatl lived on the earth as a man at one time. He started on a journey and after traveling on foot for some time, became tired and hungry. Since there was nothing to drink and no food around, he thought he would die. However, the rabbit was grazing and found the man. She offered herself as food to save his life. Quetzalcoatl, humbled by the rabbit's offer to sacrifice herself for his well-being, then took the rabbit to the moon and brought her back to Earth, telling her "You are just a rabbit, but you will be remembered by everyone. Your image is in the light of the moon for all people of all times."

The Cree also have a story about the moon rabbit. The rabbit wanted to ride the moon, but only the crane would take him. The big rabbit held on to the crane's skinny legs and as a result, its legs were stretched during the course of the trip. This is why the crane's legs are now elongated. When they touched down on the moon, the rabbit touched the crane's head with a bloody paw, rewarding him with the red marks on his head that the crane has to this very day. Up to this very day the rabbit still rides to the moon.

The moon rabbit is also popular in Japan. However, in Japan, he pounds mochi (餅), or rice cakes in his pestle rather than the elixir of Life. In Japanese the rabbit in the moon is known as "Tsuki no Usagi". There is a famous story about him in Japan that goes:

"Many years ago, the Old Man of the Moon decided to visit the Earth. He disguised himself as a beggar and asked Fox (Kitsune), Monkey (Saru), and Rabbit (Usagi) for some food.

Monkey climbed a tree and brought him some fruit. Fox went to a stream, caught a fish, and brought it back to him. But Rabbit had nothing to offer him but some grass. So he asked the beggar to build a fire. After the beggar started the fire, Rabbit jumped into it and offered himself as a meal for the beggar to eat.

Quickly the beggar changed back into the Old Man of the Moon and pulled Rabbit from the fire. He said "You are most kind, Rabbit, but don't do anything to harm yourself. Since you were the kindest of all to me, I'll take you back to the moon to live with me."

The Old Man carried Rabbit in his arms back to the moon and he is still there to this very day exactly where the Old Man left him. Just look at the moon in the night sky and the rabbit is there!"

This story is said to originate from the Buddhist Śaśajâtaka, where Śakra is the Old Man of the Moon and the monkey, otter, and jackal are the rabbit's companions.

Also in Japan is the mid-autumn, or Jugo-ya, festival. As in China and Korea, people gather to watch the full moon and children sing a song about the moon rabbit called "Usagi", or "Rabbit".

The moon rabbit, known as the daltokki (달토끼) in Korean, is a popular legend among Korean children as well. As is the case in Japan, the Korean moon rabbit pounds rice cakes in its pestle as well.

Another Asian country where the moon rabbit can be found is Vietnam. They have a very similar legend to the Japanese and Buddhist legend about a white rabbit named Tho Trang. This legend has become a popular tale during the Mid-Autumn festival.

Believe it or not, the moon rabbit - as well as the moon goddess Chang'e - were topics of discussion between the Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and the mission controllers in Houston just before the space capsule landed on the moon! Here is an excerpt from the Apollo 11 transcripts of their conversation:

Houston: Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, there's one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o has been living there for 4000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin: Okay. We'll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.

The moon rabbit has been the subject of a number of movies, books, and more.

One movie featuring the moon rabbit is the 1972/1979 Kenneth Anger film "Rabbit's Moon" starring Claude Revenant, André Soubeyran, and Nadine Valence. In this movie, a clown named Pierrot longs for the moon (as well as the rabbit in the moon) and every night tries desperately to jump in the air and catch it. He does this until another clown named Harlequin comes along, teases him, and introduces him to a female clown named Columbina.

The 1966 children's book "The Rice-Cake Rabbit" by Betty Jean Lifton is about the moon rabbit, or Shiro as he's named in the book, and his quest to become a samurai rather than a rice cake-pounder.

In the 1972 Richard Adams novel "Watership Down", The Black Rabbit of Inlè is a moon rabbit, or of sorts anyway. His name means "moon" in rabbit language, but the rabbits in this novel worship the sun and believe it to be the giver of all life rather than the moon.

The American electronic group Rabbit in the Moon also derives its name from the legend of the moon rabbit.

Just as it has done for many millinea now, the moon rabbit is still pounding rice cakes and the elixir of life in its pestle and is still up there in the moon for everyone on Earth to see during the nights of the full moon.

Thank you for your visit and if you haven't seen the moon bunny before now, just be sure to go outside and look at the next full moon. It's sure to be there looking back at you!