This Friday the 13th seemed like a good day to explore the concept of the dastardly BUNNY! These seemingly innocent creatures have a long history of having a dark underside, masked by that cute little twitchy pink nose and fluffy tail. In Ancient Egypt, they appear with weapons, ready to butcher chaotic entities (including people who have died, but who do not belong in the afterlife).
Here, for example, in the previously discussed funerary papyrus of Bak-en-Mut a bunny (or more precisely a hare), sits wielding a knife as a guardian demon. Another in Book of the Dead 144 of Any sits holding a sheaf of wheat.
Guardian demons on the funerary papyrus of Bak-en-Mut.
Three guardians from the Book of the Dead 144 of Any (BM EA 10470 © Trustees of the British Museum)
Bunnies doing very bad things are featured in the Medieval illustrated manuscripts too!
More Bunnies torturing people from the Smithfield Decretals, c. 1300.
A rabbit with axe, in Gorleston Psalter, England, 14th century.
In recent times in Britain…
While over on the other side of the pond in the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the vengeance demon Anyanka (Anya) has a righteous fear of bunnies (leporiphobia).