The rasselbock (), or rarely raspelbock, (in America called a

Jackalope The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word ''jackalope'' is a portmanteau of ''jackrabbit'' and ''antelope''. Many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, ...

) is a mythological animal often depicted in such locations as

hunting lodges Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

. It has the head and body of a

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

and the antlers of a roe deer. The female counterpart of the rasselbock is the Rasselgeiß, which have smaller antlers. Some rasselbocks have been known to be shown with canine teeth, unlike other

hares Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The genu ...

and rabbits. The young animals are called Waldrasslinge.

Range

Most alleged sightings are reported in the

Thuringian Forest The Thuringian Forest (''Thüringer Wald'' in German language, German ) is a mountain range in the southern parts of the Germany, German state of Thuringia, running northwest to southeast. Skirting from its southerly source in foothills to a gorg ...

, but also in the

Harz Mountains The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a Mittelgebirge, highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The nam ...

. Others are seen near

Schwarzatal Schwarzatal is a town and a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to th ...

, the

Schmücke The Schmücke, also called the Kahle Schmücke, is a hill ridge up to and only about 7 km² in area.Area measurement usinGeopfade(kmz, 10 kB) It lies within the districts of Kyffhäuserkreis and Landkreis Sömmerda, Sömmerda in the Ger ...

, and Auerhahn, a forest town near

Stützerbach Stützerbach is a village and a former municipality in the Ilm-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it is part of the town Ilmenau. History Within the German Empire (1871-1918), part of Stützerbach belonged to the Prus ...

and

Ilmenau Ilmenau () is a town in Thuringia, central Germany. It is the largest town within the Ilm district with a population of 38,600, while the district capital is Arnstadt. Ilmenau is located approximately south of Erfurt and north of Nuremberg w ...

. Some people claim to find footprints in the snow. Many people say that the rasselbock is very shy and mostly stays hidden, but is dangerous due to its antlers. The rasselbock has been shown on the money of

Blankenhain Blankenhain is a town in the Weimarer Land district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is south of Weimar. History Until the Napoleonic Wars, Blankenhain had been a part of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar. After the Fourth Coalition's defeat at Jena and Auer ...

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

. The town of

Sitzendorf Sitzendorf is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and ...

dedicated an exhibition in the steam engine museum to the Fabeltier in 1994.

Related creatures

The rasselbock is similar to the

Wolpertinger In German folklore, a Wolpertinger (, also called Wolperdinger or Woiperdinger) is an animal said to inhabit the Alps, alpine forests of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany. Origins Images of creatures that may be Wolpertingers ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. The

Hessian A Hessian is an inhabitant of the German state of Hesse. Hessian may also refer to: Named from the toponym *Hessian (soldier), eighteenth-century German regiments in service with the British Empire **Hessian (boot), a style of boot **Hessian f ...

and the western

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National P ...

dahu The dahu () is a legendary creature that resembles a mountain goat and is well known in France and francophone regions of Switzerland and Italy, including the Aosta Valley. The dahu, a Quadrupedalism, quadrupedal mammal, may have been inspired ...

are often associated with the rasselbock, as well. The creature is most similar to the North American

jackalope The jackalope is a mythical animal of North American folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns. The word ''jackalope'' is a portmanteau of ''jackrabbit'' and ''antelope''. Many jackalope taxidermy mounts, including the original, ...

and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n rauracl.

In informal language

People often use the rasselbock in conversation to try to humiliate an older or more experienced person by rhetorically asking if they would like to go catch the creatures.

References

{{German folklore Mythological rabbits and hares Mythological hybrids Legendary mammals German legendary creatures Roe deer Mythological deer

Range

Related creatures

In informal language

See also

References