Why a Jackalope? Why a Cenotaph?
The answers to these two questions are inextricably intertwined. The Jackalope is a mythical creature, by which I mean merely that it has not been catalogued, caught, shot, captured, dissected, catalogued, or otherwise recognized by mainstream science (the specimens found in roadside museums have been demonstrated to be untrustworthy evidence, alas). This does not mean that the jackalope does not exist, of course, but it does mean that the whereabouts of its body, living or dead, are unknown.
I have a fondness, perhaps inordinate, for these creatures, perhaps because of the fact that it is very unlikely that they exist as a new species (and yet other highly unlikely creatures have been found to exist: witness the Coelacanth and the platypus), perhaps because there I have been told that I was conceived during a jackalope hunt (these searches, probably the remnants of fertility rites, are still traditional among the German branch of my family), perhaps because Jackalope is my spirit guide in the Ethereal Realms.
In any case, I wish to honor these creatures, and would like to construct a monument in their honor, and I can think of no more fitting monument than a cenotaph (a tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere). I think that Andy Goldsworthy would be the perfect artist for this project, by the way. For now, this webpage must serve as a temporary placeholder for the official cenotaph in real space.
� 2007 Hermester Barrington
Back to The Cenotaph of the Jackalope!
This page hosted by 
Get your own Free Home Page