THE LEGEND OF THE WHITE HARE

In some parts of Britain it used to be said by the cunning folk that when a pure maiden who had loved a man with all her heart and soul is forsaken or is betrayed by him, then her spirit returns in the form of a white hare to haunt that man bringing him misery and death.

The ghostly hare follows the deceiver wherever he goes. The white hare is said to be visible to the deceiver and usually invisible to almost everyone else. In some cases the white hare saves him from danger from others so that it can continue to heap misery upon him for its own ends. Invariably the ghostly hare finally causes his death at a time and place to satisfy its own desire for vengeance.

There are many variations of the tale presented below and in this one the story tells how a rich landowner engaged a young man to manage a very large prominent farm he owned. The young man came from a middle class family who were eager to improve their standing in the local community and they desperately wanted him to succeed so they could be seen to move up the social scale.