They also seem to miss a fairly obvious reason for the fearsome but humorous rabbits and snails:
Farmers, as most monks were, do not get on horseback and fight dragons but instead get on their knees and wage war with small rodents and snails that eat the fruits of their garden.
It's self deprecation. In annals recounting heroic deeds and legends, we have monks illustrating their own epic battles (and defeats) at the hands of the dastardly hares. Those fruit stealing @#$%s.
It double as a counterpoint to the notion of saintly innocent white bunnies, too.
"Christ bunnies me arse, little buggers will find themselves on their own cross if I catch them in me cloves again."
Farmers, as most monks were, do not get on horseback and fight dragons but instead get on their knees and wage war with small rodents and snails that eat the fruits of their garden.
It's self deprecation. In annals recounting heroic deeds and legends, we have monks illustrating their own epic battles (and defeats) at the hands of the dastardly hares. Those fruit stealing @#$%s.
It double as a counterpoint to the notion of saintly innocent white bunnies, too.
"Christ bunnies me arse, little buggers will find themselves on their own cross if I catch them in me cloves again."