The Origin Of The Hare

: TALES ACCOUNTING FOR THE ORIGIN OF PHENOMENA.
: Aino Folktales

Suddenly there was a large house on the top of a mountain, wherein were

six people beautifully arrayed, but constantly quarrelling. Whence they

came was unknown. Thereupon Okikurumi came and said: "Oh! you bad hares!

you wicked hares! who does not know your origin? The children in the sky

were pelting each other with snowballs, and the snowballs fell into the

world of men. As it would be a pity to waste anything that falls from
>
the sky, the snowballs were turned into hares, and those hares are you.

You, who dwell in this world, which belongs to me, should not quarrel.

What is it that you are making such a noise about?"



With these words, Okikurumi seized a fire-brand, and beat each of the

six with it in turn. Thereupon all the hares ran away. This is the

origin of the hare[-god]; and for this reason the body of the hare is

white because made of snow, while its ears--which are the place where it

was charred by the fire-brand,--are black.--(Translated literally. Told

by Penri, 10th July, 1886.)



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