Walther Preik (born 1932), Three-legged Hare

• Bronze
• 2009
• height: 15 cm

According to Catholic superstition, three-legged animals symbolise Satan's disruption of divine creation. Witches transmogrify into 'three-legged hares' to wreak havoc.

Germanic myths have Holda, goddess of the moon, accompanied across the heavens by a procession of hares. Nocturnal manifestations are believed to be hunting parties tracking down unnatural beings. Witches are seen in the skies, gathering as hares to perform dances. Imaginative souls perceive similarities between the jagged edges of lightning bolts and the agile darting of hares in full flight. Witches travel the skies as three-legged hares, fellows to the 'Wild Host' during the 'Nights of Bedlam' from 25 December to 6 January (Epiphany).

The hare in the sculpture by Walther Preik from Waren has escaped its pursuers. In his interpretation of regional motifs, Preik drew inspiration from the themes addressed by the Mecklenburg folklorist Richard Wossidlo (1859-1939).