Description

Killer rabbits were considered the height
of hilarity in thirteenth- to fifteenth-century Europe.

A drollerie, also called a grotesque, was a
small decorative image that was placed in the margins of illuminated
manuscripts. Rabbits and hares were featured in this way along with snails and cats
and others. Sometimes these images complemented the text, sometimes they were
meant as a silly amusement or as a political statement.

What made killer rabbits so hysterical to
the medieval mind was that rabbits and hares were often portrayed as symbols of
purity and helplessness. They were also often depicted as being hunted and
easily scared. To absurdity of seeing a rabbit or a hare dismembering or
beheading a human would have induced hysterics. Featuring a particular person as
a helpless victim to these cute, furry creatures, would have had some medieval readers
rolling on the floor.