Who was the rabbit spirit at the end when Hazel dies?

[StoryMing]

In the book, it is clearly implied that the rabbit is El-ahrairah; Hazel recognizes him when he notices a faint glow to the stanger’s ears. But in the movie, they never recount the story of ‘El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé’, which tells how El-ahrairah is given a new pair of ears lined with a bit of starlight— so the literal reference would make no sense.

Instead, therefore, the movie somewhat conflates the characters of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit. The main point in either case is the same: it is Hazel’s time to cross over into the unseen realm.

[CockatielPony]

I believe it's the Black Rabbit of Inle. Since it showed a glimps of a black rabbit when he was talking to hazel. At the beginning of the movie elahraira is shown as a brown rabbit and the the black rabbit of inle was shown of corse black. He also shows up before hazel's death calling his name. I take it that when he asks him to join his owsler he is asking him to depart from the earth.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/0f/0a/f80f0a8c617fe86d5495b93e04e2df7a.jpg

[Chipster-roo]

I just realized that I never replied to this thread

Especially when it says "all the world will be your enemy, prince with a thousand enemies." I don't know why that's so powerful right then but it is.

This happens twice in the film: once in the prologue, and once at the end.  While I really liked the prologue, I found the repetition of the line at the end to be rather annoying

The Black Rabbit is a lone rabbit and doesn't have an Owsla, but El-ahairah does

The story of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé told by Dandelion in the book mentions the Black Rabbit's owsla.

I like to think that the movie was implying that Elahrairah and Inle were infact the same rabbit all along. This rabbit symbolizes that life can't exist without death and death can't exist without life. And the characters Elahrairah and Inle are just the rabbits way of comprehending that.

An interesting theory

Anyway, I agree that it was El-ahrairah in the book, but in the film it appears to have been changed to the Black Rabbit.

One thing I find interesting though: the Film Picture Book, which features stills from the film with captions by Richard Adams.  I don't have a copy myself, but I remember reading somewhere that the picture book explicitly states that it was El-ahrairah who came for Hazel.  But then, the picture book appears to have also undone a few other changes mentioned in the film (no mention of Violet, and the plant stolen by Toadflax at the beginning is a cowslip and not a coltsfoot).

[StoryMing]

In the book, El-ahairah and the Black Rabbit are very clearly two different rabbits; the story of “El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé” shows this. In the movie, however, they are somewhat made into one character.

The repetition at the end actually works okay for me.

(The repetition in Star Wars of Han’s conversation, first with Greedo, then again with Jabba — that I do find extremely annoying...! But I digress...)

[Chipster-roo]

I haven't seen any of the Star Wars films...perhaps I should.

In the prologue of the WD film, it is said that El-ahrairah "had never before seen the Black Rabbit of Death".

I find this rather confusing, since this is the only time this name is ever used.  Later on the film, he is referred to as the Black Rabbit of Inlé.  I suppose this might be because this scene was handled by John Hubley, while Martin Rosen did most of the rest of the film.

Either way, this might mean that El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit are seperate entities, but overall, this is rather confusing...

[StoryMing]

It is meant as an explanation for those who are not already familiar with the story. Remember, this takes place in the prologue- right up front. And there are a lot of new concepts getting thrown out there all at once: Frith, El-ahrairah, how the elil came to be (though come to think of it I don’t think they use that term there either). “The Black Rabbit of Inlé” would mean little or nothing at that point to anyone who hadn’t read that chapter of the book.

It’s a quick way to help a new audience grasp the idea of how death is understood in the Lapine world: as a Rabbit.

In fact that may be the main reason why they mention him there at all- so that when he comes in later on, there is a context to understand who and what he is; that line about how El-ahrairah had never seen death before is not in the book where Dandelion tells the story.

[FiverHrairoo]

I think the spirit is The Black Rabbit of Inlé! 

[skybluerabbit]

yes i belive that it is Black rabbit of Inle...  they look the same as described in the book and IMDB says so but im not sure how  factual that is. (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078480/characters/nm0000722) i would have preferred it to be El-ahrairah as hes the  folk hero of the rabbits.