My favorite of the readings was The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die. I am a fan of stories about clever animals.
The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die started out like a lot of other fairy tales and stories I have heard. The next day is a fast day and the rabbit instructs the other animals to give food to any beggars that ask them for food. The animals go out to find food to offer up. The otter searches for food and comes across some fish. He can't find who the fish belong to so he takes them for himself. The jackal searches and comes across a lizard and milk curd in a house. He also can't find who the food belongs to so he takes it for himself. The monkey goes out and forages some mangoes.
The rabbit contemplates what food he could forage and give to anyone in need. After some reflecting he decides no one would want any of the grass that he could collect, so he makes the decision to offer his flesh to anyone in need.
The King of the Gods, Sakka heard this and decides to put the rabbit to the test. Sakka goes up to the otter, the jackal, and the monkey and asks for food. They all offer to feed him, but he says he will take them up on their offer the next day. Finally he goes up to the rabbit and the rabbit tells him the food he has to offer him is his flesh.
Sakka put the hare to the test and summoned a fire of hot coals. Immediately the rabbit jumps into the fire to show his conviction. This reminded me of the biblical story of Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. When the rabbit is in the fire he does not burn. He tells Sakka that the fire is cold and he isn't cooking. Sakka says that he was testing the rabbit and the rabbit responds, "No god or man could find in me an unwillingness to die."
Sakka rewards the rabbit by putting his sign on the moon. The rabbit and his friends continued to live on after that and kept the moral law.
The moon rabbit. Source
Bibliography
Marie L. Shedlock, The Hare that Was not Afraid to Die from Eastern Stories and Legends (1920) https://sites.google.com/view/mythfolkloreanthology/origins?authuser=0
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