What does the hare mean in Africa. Encyclopedia of symbols

Hare: mind

This hare mask belongs to the Dogon people, a people living in Mali. The hare, a popular character in African legends and fairy tales, is very loved in Africa; he personifies a weak being who, thanks to his mind, is capable of conquering many of the mighty of this world. A typical example of this is the African tale of how one day a hare put an end to the tyranny of a lion: by cunning the hare achieved that the lion, seeing its reflection in the well, took it for a rival, jumped into the well and drowned.

In many fairy tales, the hare is a fool who taunts big animals and in any situation gets out of the water. There are only two flaws in the hare: impatience and frivolity.

Source: "Symbols of Africa" ​​Heike Ovuzu