I recently downloaded a copy of the movie version of Watership Down — after unsuccessfully trying to find a DVD copy of it — and extracted the opening of the film where the creation story, according to the rabbits, is told. It’s a neat little cartoon.
I’ve made a torrent of the video file that can be found here:
The Creation Story According to the Wild Rabbit
“All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you, digger, listener, runner, prince with a swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your people shall never be destroyed”
In the book there are many little stories told by the rabbits about their past — specifically about the exploits of El-ahrairah, the prototypical rabbit folk hero. By the end of the book it’s implied that the stories about El-ahrairah are really stories about great rabbits of the past.
There are also allusions to a past rabbit “saviour” in one story where El-ahrairah tries to save his people from being wiped out by an enemy by making a deal with the Black Rabbit of Inlé — the personification of death in rabbit folklore. This saviour-type rabbit makes a touching appearance at the end of the book.
