The Easter Bunny is a normal or anthropomorphic rabbit that delivers gifts, candies and eggs to children on Easter. The tradition goes a long way back as does Santa Claus, The Tooth Fairy.
Real Name[]
His real name is Peter Cottontail just like Santa's real name is Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle. He could possibly be the pet rabbit of Peter and Andrew, the apostles of Jesus Christ. After all, rabbits, ducks, and chicks made sounds that woke up Jesus' disciples the morning after he was crucified, which is how they got to Passover.
Other Names[]
- Easter Rabbit
- Easter Hare
Symbol[]
Rabbits and hares[]
Rabbits and hares are both prolific breeders. Female hares can conceive a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first. This phenomenon is known as superfetation. Lagomorphs mature sexually at an early age and can give birth to several litters a year (hence the saying, "to breed like rabbits" or "to breed like bunnies"). It is therefore not surprising that rabbits and hares should become fertility symbols, or that their springtime mating antics should enter into Easter folklore.
Eggs[]
The hare was a popular motif in medieval church art. In ancient times, it was widely believed (as by Pliny, Plutarch, Philostratus, and Aelian) that the hare was a hermaphrodite. The idea that a hare could reproduce without loss of virginity led to an association with the Virgin Mary, with hares sometimes occurring in illuminated manuscripts and Northern European paintings of the Virgin and Christ Child. It may also have been associated with the Holy Trinity, as in the three hares motif. Eggs, like rabbits and hares, are fertility symbols of antiquity. Since birds lay eggs and rabbits and hares give birth to large litters in the early spring, these became symbols of the rising fertility of the earth at the Vernal Equinox.
Powers and Skills[]
- Magic
- Speed
- Omnipotence
- Stealth