Lepus

Latin lepus, hare, refers to the leporids, the genus Leporidae consisting of rabbits, hares, and pikas. The scientific Latin term Leporidae is used for the genus or family, and the Greek term Lagomorpha is used for the order. The word leveret, a young hare, is from Latin lepus.

This constellation was Lagos among the Greeks. Greek lagos or Latin lagus, means hare, from where we get the word lagomorph, the order Lagomorpha, that includes rabbits, hares, pikas, and their fossil relatives, having fully furred feet and two pairs of upper incisors. Hares make shallow scrapes in the ground called 'forms'; the suffix '-morph' in lagomorph is cognate with the English word 'form'. "Greek lago-, lag-, from lagos, 'hare', which stands for Greek lag(o)-o(us)-os, and literally means 'the animal with the flapping ears'. The first element of this compound is related to Greek lagaros, 'slack, hollow', and cognate with Latin languere, 'to faint, weary'. The second element is related to Greek ous, genitive otos, 'ear'" [Klein]. Greek lagos is from the Indo-European root *slég- 'To be slack, be languid'. Derivatives: slack¹ (loose, indolent, careless), slake (to satisfy a craving, quench thirst, to moderate), lax, lease, lessor, relax, release, relish, (these words from Latin laxus, loose, slack, laxare, 'loosen,' from laxus, 'loose'), laches (negligence or undue delay in asserting a legal right or privilege), languid, languish, languor, lush¹ (abundant, plentiful, 'soft and watery'), (these words from Latin languere, to be languid, 'with drooping ears'), lagomorph (from Greek lagos, hare), algolagnia (from Greek algos + lagnos, lustful, pain, masochism, sexual gratification derived from inflicting or experiencing pain), catalectic (the lack of one syllable in the final foot of a line of verse, from Greek legein, to leave off, stop (the e of leg- is eta, not epsilon). [Pokorny (s)leg- 959. Watkins]

The four bright stars of Lepus were in Arabic astronomy Al Nihal, the Thirst-slaking Camels, in reference to the near-by celestial river (Eridanus) [Allen, Star Names]

The legends of hares and rabbits, and the titles given to this constellation, implies this is the 'Man in the Moon', or the landscape figure on the face of the full Moon. The full Moon might, with a bit of imagination, contain the outline of a long-eared hare. The constellation Lepus has been associated with 'the Hebrew sinner gathering sticks on the Sabbath' (referring to Numbers xv. 32-36). The sticks that the Hebrew sinner was gathering on the Sabbath is presumed to be for firewood. In European legends the man in the moon is usually seen as an old man carrying a bundle of sticks upon his back [1]. The constellation Lepus was also seen as 'Cain driven from the face of the earth to the face of the Moon'. "A medieval legend used to say that at the end, Cain arrived at the Moon where he eternally settled with a bundle of twigs. An example of this belief can be found in Dante Alighieri's Inferno (XX, 126) where the expression 'Cain and the twigs' is used as a synonym of 'moon'" [2]. 'Isaac with the wood for the sacrifice' was another idea of what Lepus suggested to the those who saw biblical figures in the constellations, wood for sacrifice would be firewood.

Latin lignum, is translated as 'firewood', 'that which is gathered', and it is related to the word logos. Latin logos resembles the Greek word for hare, lagos (these are not recognized cognates). In the Greek language the word legein, 'to be languid', is related to lagos, hare, in this case the e of *leg- is spelled with an eta. The word logos is also from Greek legein, but in this case the e of *leg- is spelled with an epsilon. The word logos comes from the Indo-European root *leg- 'To collect; with derivatives meaning to speak'. Derivatives: leech¹ (bloodsucking worms of the class Hirudinea, from Old English læce, physician), lectern, lection, lecture, legend, legendary ('things of the past that are to be read about'), legible, legion, lesson, coil¹, collect¹, recollect (suggests bringing together stored pieces), elect, florilegium, intelligent, neglect, prelect, select, selection, (these words from Latin legere, reading with the sense of choosing), lexicon, logion, -logue, -logy, alexia (loss of the power to read), dyslexia, eclectic (selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles, from Greek legein - the e of leg- is epsilon, - to gather, speak), logos (a gathering, speech), logorrhea (excessive use of words, from Greek logos, 'word,' and Greek rhein, 'to flow'), ligneous (woody), ligni- (from Latin lignum, wood, firewood < 'that which is gathered'), legal, legist, legitimate, lex, loyal (the semantic link is 'faithfully carrying out legal obligations'), legislator, privilege (from Latin lex, 'collection of rules'), legacy, legate, colleague, collegial, delegate, relegate (from Latin denominative legare, to depute, commission, charge < 'to engage by contract'), legionary, elegant, (from Latin noun legenda, 'things to be read', from Latin legere, to read). Suffixed o-grade form *log-o-: logic, logistic, logo-, Logos, -logy, (these words from Greek logos, speech, word, reason), logarithm, paralogism (a fallacious or illogical argument or conclusion), prologue, syllogism (a form of deductive reasoning, from Greek logos, speech, word, reason). [Pokorny leg- 658. Watkins]

In Africa and the Americas the hare was believed to be a trickster using its superior intellect as its defense [3].

"And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses: The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath_Breaking

It seems that the Hebrews were permitted to have a fire in their homes on the Sabbath, but had a rule prohibiting them from collecting firewood, or starting a fire from scratch on that day. The Hebrew sinner gathering firewood on the Sabbath was found breaking this rule. Presumably because it was such a trivial infringement they relegated him to the ward (watch-house) until they figured out what to do with him. While he languished in the dock (accused place in court, dock is identical with the Flemish dok, a rabbit-hutch, or cage [4]), he would have listened to Moses, Aaron, and the congregation, having long legal discussions on his fate. This biblical story might have been meant to represent the precedent for what is now our legal system, that all started over gathering firewood (lignum)... (Libra is justice)

The words logos (Latin logus) and logic are from Greek legein, which means both 'speak' and 'gather', and cognate with Latin legere, 'to gather, collect', also cognate with Latin lignum, wood, firewood, 'that which is gathered' ("fire lurks within wood; there is ignis, to ignite, in lignis" [5]). The meaning of logic might be compared to the simple task of gathering firewood. In gathering firewood the most appropriate sticks are chosen to fit the fireplace and to fit in into the bundle being carried. One might picture the sinning wood-gatherer chewing away thoughtfully like a lagomorph as he asks himself "should I pick this piece or not?", or "will this fit"?

The term logos seems to mean the creative principle usually translated as 'the Word' in English bibles. Christian theologians to this day still debate whether the Divine Being and logos are analogous, synonymous, or distinct [6]. In Christianity, the prologue of the Gospel of John calls Jesus Christ 'the Logos' [7]. The original teaching of John’s gospel is:

"In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God . . . And the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us." [8].

Lepids are the favorite prey for many predators, perhaps the flesh or logos that the hunter seeks?

“Firewood (lignum) is so called because when kindled it is converted into light (lumen). Whence likewise the lamp (lichnium) is so called, because it gives light (see vii.65 below).” [The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville, 7th century AD, p.342.]

These words are not recognized cognates. The words lumen, and lichnium, and the word lunar, meaning the Moon, is believed to be cognate with the word Lynx, which is another constellation. But there might be a relationship: The hare seems to be the graphic figure on the Moon, and the word lunar is cognate with the word lynx. Lynxes depend on lagomorphs for their existence and their populations increase or decrease according to lagomorph populations.

One title given to this constellation was 'the patriarch Jacob'. The Jews have a Talmudic tradition that Jacob is in the moon [9]. Male hares in Europe are traditionally known as 'jacks', Jack is from Jacob, jackrabbit is a hare and so called for its long ears (according to AHD). In Scandinavia, there are two children on the moon, Hjuki and Bil, carrying a pole and a bucket. A theory suggests that they are the origin of the nursery rhyme about Jack and Jill. "Hjuki is derived from the verb jakka, to heap or pile together, to assemble and increase; and Bil, from bila, to break up or dissolve. Hjuki and Bil, therefore, signify the waxing and waning of the moon" [10].

Lagomorphs display the characteristics of grinding their teeth, a reminder of Bugs Bunny's in his relaxed (relax from *slég-) nonchalant carrot-chewing stance. Their teeth grinding producing different types of whirring sounds; for when they are in pain, as an alarm call for warning, and as a sign of contentment. "The habit of this animal is to grind its teeth and move its jaw as if it actually chewed the cud" [11]. The grinding characteristics of the lagomorphs might be the basis of the association of hares or rabbits grinding in a mortar and pestle: In China, the Moon Hare holds a pestle and mortar and is grinding the elixir of immortality. In Japan, people who gaze up at the moon on a clear night see a rabbit or hare pounding mochi [12], i.e. glutinous rice pounded into paste.

The astrological influences of the constellation given by Manilius:

To those born under this constellation nature all but gives wings and flight through the air - such will be the vigor of limbs which reflect the swiftness of the winds. One man will come off winner in the footrace before even receiving the signal to start; another by his quick movement can evade the hard boxing-glove and now lightly avoid, now land a blow; another can with a deft kick keep in the air a flying ball, exchanging hands for feet and employing in play the body's support, and execute with nimble arms a volley of rapid strokes; yet another can shower his limbs with a host of balls and create hands to spring up all over his body with the result that, without dropping any of the number, he plays against himself and causes the balls to fly about his person as though in answer to his command. Such a man devotes wakeful nights to his concerns, for his energy banishes sleepiness [translator's note: according to Aelian, the hare sleeps with its eyes open] whilst he spends happy workfree hours in games of divers kinds. [Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century AD, book 5, p.313, 315.]

© Anne Wright 2008.