Rabbit of Caerbannog
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.
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The Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog. |
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 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 from knight to knight, tearing out their throats. (Oddly, some of the knights killed by the rabbit appear, alive and well, later in the film.)
Only the
Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch allows the knights to defeat the beast and proceed into the cave.
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,
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.
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
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.
The fantasy television series
Xena: Warrior Princess features an episode titled
In Sickness And In Hell, in which the "sidekick" character of 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.
*
Fan-created Dungeons & Dragons statistics*
VB Warren — a webcomic about a killer rabbit
