Rabbit of Caerbannog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog is a fictional beast from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail. According to Tim the Enchanter, it "[has] a vicious streak a mile wide!" The creature has become known as the vorpal bunny, although this name does not appear in the film.

"That's no ordinary rabbit!"

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The Cave of Caerbannog ("Caer bannog" being Welsh for "turreted castle") is the home of the Legendary Black Beast of Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh, and is ostensibly guarded by a fearsome predator of an unknown description, because no one who attempts to enter the Cave or face the monster has ever survived.

In the film, King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table are led to the Cave of Caerbannog by Tim the Enchanter, and find that they must face down the beast.

The beast appears to be a cute, fluffy white rabbit, surrounded by the bones of the fallen. Despite Tim's warnings, King Arthur orders one of his knights, Bors, to slay the rabbit. Bors approaches it, sword drawn, and is immediately decapitated by the rabbit to the sound of a can opener. The knights attack in force, but are driven into retreat as the rabbit leaps and attacks killing another two knights.

Only the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch allows the knights to defeat the beast and proceed into the cave.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Other appearances

The Rabbit of Caerbannog inspired numerous imitations and tributes in a variety of media. Usually it is referred to as a vorpal bunny, devil bunny, or killer rabbit.

The computer games AdventureQuest, Wizard's Crown, Eureka!, Wizardry, Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness, Shadow Warrior, Ultima Online, Final Fantasy XI, Fallout 2, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, and Asheron's Call all feature or make reference to the rabbit, as does Blazing Dragons, notable for being the brainchild of former Python, Terry Jones.

In the PlayStation 2 game Final Fantasy XII, the Vorpal Bunny appears as a mark to be hunted, though it mainly runs away.

The card game Munchkin features a card that appears to be a weak monster. When engaged in combat, however, a die is rolled, and on a result of "6" it turns out to be "that rabbit from that movie". If a player is forced to flee, the rabbit slays that player.

A version of the rabbit is featured as an obstacle in the Grailquest series of interactive fiction books, notably in book 6 (Realm of Chaos). The player character must defeat the rabbit to progress through to the final sections of the story. A successful strike against the player character by the rabbit in combat immediately severs the character's head and ends the story.

The 1985 Iron Crown game supplement Creatures and Treasures features a Killer Rabbit that "bounds for the throat, never for another part of the body", and can be slain by an explosion.

In the comedy film Leonard Part 6, there is a scene in which furious bunnies attack the scientists on Leonard's command, in a manner reminiscent of the Rabbit of Caerbannog.

In Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, the Shaolin monk Kung Lao has a white rabbit that he presents as part of his finishing moves. Appearing from his razor-rimmed hat (a nod to the old magician's trick), it is presented either as a Friendship, or as a prelude to one of two of his Fatalities — the rabbit can be used as a bludgeon or thrown to the opponent to pet for a few seconds before it decapitates them. Also in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, for Kitana's Animality, she tranforms into a small rabbit and mauls her opponent in a manner similar to the movie.

The fantasy television series Xena: Warrior Princess features an episode titled "In Sickness and in Hell", in which the "sidekick" character, Gabrielle, has to fight for her life when she is viciously attacked by a fanged rabbit.

Killer Rabbit was also a term used by the press to describe the swamp rabbit that "attacked" the then US-President Jimmy Carter in 1979, four years after the release of the movie.

Magic: The Gathering has a card named "When Fluffy Bunnies Attack" in the Unhinged set that has been cited by the designer as being a Monty Python reference.

The show X-Play made a reference to the killer rabbit when Adam, after becoming addicted to role-playing games and having hallucinations, is attacked by Ratty Hand Puppet, and is decapitated.

Anya, the former vengeance demon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has a terrible fear of bunnies, and in the musical episode, "Once More, With Feeling", suggests that bunnies might be behind their uncontrollable urge to burst into song and dance.