AHC: Invert the reputation of Snakes and Rabbits

The goal of this thread is to wank history (or at least western history) so that rabbits are viewed as disgusting animals, and calling someone a rabbit or hare is to basically call them evil and treacherous; likewise, make it so that snakes are viewed as cute creatures often kept as pets featured as heroes in popular media.
 
The goal of this thread is to wank history (or at least western history) so that rabbits are viewed as disgusting animals, and calling someone a rabbit or hare is to basically call them evil and treacherous; likewise, make it so that snakes are viewed as cute creatures often kept as pets featured as heroes in popular media.

Rabbits are very timorous animals, which I suppose could result in them being seen as treacherous as well (abandoning you at the first sign of danger etc.). The problem with making snakes cute is that many snakes are poisonous, and it's difficult to make an animal that can kill you with a single bite seem particularly adorable.
 
I mean for one- Genesis can’t feature the Satan snake, or Christianity can’t be nearly as popular. The Greeks saw snakes as honest and prophetic, so perhaps a henotheistic Athena cult spreads with snakes as a sacred animal.
 
I for one think a good way to make rabbits symbols of evil would be to have them seen as spreaders of disease and famine just like rats are, maybe have an increase of them at a crucial moment ends with all the crops eaten up; afterwards, rabbits are vilified as symbols of gluttony and wasting resources.
 
Make Greek snake cult being very succesful and Christianity never form. You might get snakes bit more respected altough not sure can you get them beloved when even some pre-Abrahamic cultures like Ancient Egyptians saw snake as evil creature and enemy of god of Sun.

Rabbits might be seen as pests. But even then it might be get for these such reputation as for snakes.

But there is one idea: Let's take evolutionary POD. When asteroid hits to Earth 65MYA one quiet smart dinosaur species survives and during next 64 million years it evolves as sapient-saurus. Mammals not evolve much but there is some rabbit-like mammal species which is really terrible pest and spreads diseases. These alternate rabbits would be too quiet aggressive and even if not carnivorous these might bite sapient-saurus. And snakes eat these pests and sapient-saurus begin worship them (not exactly like Ancient Egyptians worshipped cats but at least they would love snakes). Hey, OP didn't say when could be earliest POD.
 
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Maybe make rabbits have the same reputation as black cats, in that they are associated with witches and/or bad luck?

As for snakes, maybe they are considered noble due to their swiftness and tenacity? Don't forget, there are a lot of very dangerous animals that are considered suitable heraldic devices.
 
Mind you, the point of this thread isn't to suggest its an absolute that snakes would be entirely beloved and rabbits would be hated.
 
You might get snakes bit more respected altough not sure can you get them beloved when even some pre-Abrahamic cultures like Ancient Egyptians saw snake as evil creature and enemy of god of Sun.

Eh... that's not entirely true. Apophis was a snake, but that doesn't mean the Ancient Egyptians considered all snakes evil. In fact, Ra actually gets protected by another snake named Mehen.
 
Maybe have a number of prominent knights attacked and murdered by a vicious killer rabbit?

on an interesting side note, there was a tradition of drawing aggressive humanoid rabbits fighting and hunting in medieval manuscripts. Not sure if that can be worked with?
 
The goal of this thread is to wank history (or at least western history) so that rabbits are viewed as disgusting animals, and calling someone a rabbit or hare is to basically call them evil and treacherous; likewise, make it so that snakes are viewed as cute creatures often kept as pets featured as heroes in popular media.
This is basically Australia in OTL.

Rabbits are disgusting invasive animals. Snakes are valued creatures because they keep down the population of tourists and people stupid enough not to wear very thick boots.
 
I mean for one- Genesis can’t feature the Satan snake, or Christianity can’t be nearly as popular. The Greeks saw snakes as honest and prophetic, so perhaps a henotheistic Athena cult spreads with snakes as a sacred animal.

'And God said unto the rabbit: because thou hast done this, under the earth thou shalt go, and dung thou shalt eat all the days of thy life.'
 
'And God said unto the rabbit: because thou hast done this, under the earth thou shalt go, and dung thou shalt eat all the days of thy life.'

The rabbit has a charming face,
Its private life is a disgrace.
I really dare not name to you
The awful thing that rabbits do.
Things that your paper never prints -
You only mention them in hints.
They have such lost, degraded souls
No wonder they inhabit holes:
When such depravity is found
It only can live underground.
 
Apparently some cultures saw snakes as symbols of immortality because of the way they seem to regenerate by shedding their old skin. Medieval culture was pretty big on finding symbolism in the natural world, so the same idea could be rediscovered, maybe with a Christian gloss about how we must be spiritually regenerated by the shedding of our sins and vices.

on an interesting side note, there was a tradition of drawing aggressive humanoid rabbits fighting and hunting in medieval manuscripts. Not sure if that can be worked with?

Also a tradition of drawing snails doing battle with knights, for some reason.

The rabbit has a charming face,
Its private life is a disgrace.
I really dare not name to you
The awful thing that rabbits do.
Things that your paper never prints -
You only mention them in hints.
They have such lost, degraded souls
No wonder they inhabit holes:
When such depravity is found
It only can live underground.

I do like that one; where does it come from?
 
A couple things, maybe.
One have the Rabbit replace the snake in the Bible. Satan took the form of a rabbit because it was cute and tricked Eve because of the cuteness factor.
Also have Rabbits carry diseases and make it obvious on top of this have RAbbits get out of control so that they do (even more) damage to crops, Think swarms of locusts but cuter
 

Nephi

Banned
Rabbits are mammals, snakes are reptiles and sometimes poisonous.

Humans think warm furry things are cute, because we are mammals too.

We instinctively fear snakes somewhat similarly to spiders.

This is asb.
 
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