List of recurring species in Redwall

In the Redwall series of books by Brian Jacques, many species of animals are featured as protagonists and antagonists. With a few exceptions, such as a beaver that appeared in the first book, Redwall, all the animals in the books are native to Jacques' home nation of Britain.__TOC__

Good creatures

Mice

Mice are very often the main characters of the books, especially earlier in the series. Though small, they can be strong warriors, including the most famous warriors in the novels, Martin the Warrior and Matthias. The original concept of Redwall Abbey was that of a religious order staffed entirely by mice, although that was subsequently changed by books later in the series.

Otters

Otters are water-loving creatures, typically living near rivers, or, in the case of sea otters, near the ocean. They are skilled and aggressive fighters, favoring slings and javelins, and they are good sailors. They are also noted for liking spicy foods, particularly their favorite dish, watershrimp and hotroot soup. Otters at or near Redwall are led by the Skipper of Otters, who is typically male, while otters living at Green Isle are ruled by the High Rhulain (always female).

quirrels

Squirrels are adept climbers and are noted for their speed and dexterity. They are typically expert archers, and are adept at using the heavy foliage in Mossflower Wood to their advantage in combat, shooting and swinging away unseen before their enemies can retaliate.

In "Martin the Warrior", a tribe of squirrels called the Gawtrybe is encountered. Unlike more common squirrels, the Gawtrybe are primitive, savage, call fights "games", and have no regard for the lives of either travellers or their own.

It has also been seen in "Mossflower" and "The Bellmaker" that there is a form of monarchy among the squirrels. However, it seems to have died out before many of the latter books.

hrews

Shrews are the smallest of the woodlanders, but are fierce warriors, typically fighting with small rapiers. The shrews live in a mobile armed force structure. Originally simply calling themselves Guerrilla Shrews, their armed force evolved to become the Guosim (Guerrilla Union Of Shrews In Mossflower). Other tribes/platoons of shrews are known, such as the Guosssom (Guerrilla Union Of South Stream Shrews Of Mossflower) in "Salamandastron", and Guoraf (Guerilla Union Of Roving And Fighting (Shrews)) in "Loamhedge". In most books, the shrews are led by one shrew who is given the title Log-a-log, which may or may not be followed by the shrew's first name. Shrews tend to be very argumentative. In "Redwall" they maintained a neutral outlook, but later they evolved to become close allies of the Abbey dwellers.

Hares

Hares are generally good-natured and talkative creatures, and are known for their ability to eat large quantities of food in a single sitting, as well as their upper class British accents. They are also some of the best trained warriors among the good creatures and all of them seem to be natural warriors. Many of them live at Salamandastron and form an elite fighting force called the Long Patrol, fighting in the service of the Badger Lord of Salamandastron.

Badgers

Badgers are the least numerous of the regularly appearing good creatures, with each book typically only having one or two badger characters, usually either the Badger Lord of Salamandastron, who is commonly male, although there have been numerous female Badger Lords, or the Badger Mother of Redwall Abbey. Most Badger Lords are extremely skilled at crafting armor and weapons. Badgers are quite large compared to the other creatures, and accordingly can defeat much larger numbers in battle, especially when they are overcome by the Bloodwrath, [Silver, Marc. (March 18, 2002) U.S. News & World Report. "Look who's talking in your kid's books.(children's books featuring talking rodents)." Page 74. (writing, "Badger males are fightin' folk, prone to "the terrible bloodwrath."")] a berserk condition in which they are completely focused on the battle and fight with unrivaled ferocity, being unable to feel pain until after the Bloodwrath leaves them.

Moles

Moles are digging creatures who prefer to stay close to the ground (as opposed to in the trees or on the ramparts of Redwall Abbey). They also dislike being on boats or being in water. In battles, they often provide combat engineering support by undermining enemy building foundations or making useful tunnels. They are also noted for their love of "deeper'n'ever turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot pie." They speak in a rural accent with rare exceptions. They have no likings or dislikings for any weapon. Moles are usually simple-minded and are known for their "mole logic," which is usually stating the obvious or looking at a problem in a simpleminded way. This logic is surprisingly effective. For the most part, moles are less academically educated but more skilled craftsmen than other animals. Moles are led by a leader dubbed "Foremole", for obvious reasons. A few moles have become cellarkeepers, although hedgehogs are more common.

Hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are the least defined of the good creatures in the Redwall series. Some are strong fighters, often using their spines to their advantage, whereas others are herbalists and artisans. Hedgehogs seem to be a mostly tribal race in the series; characters outside of the abbey are almost exclusively members of some type of tribe, with groups such as the Dillypins, Dunehogs,and Stumps. Redwall's cellarkeeper is generally a hedgehog, with the title of Cellarhog.

Voles

Although they can be good or evil, voles are mostly good creatures that normally appear as one in a novel; they are crafty and not nessecarily trustworthy creatures, but are loyal to their cause whether good or evil.

parrows

Sparrows are warlike creatures. These are featured in "Redwall" and "Mattimeo". They are led by a King or a Queen. Sparrows live in the upper rooftops of Redwall.

Bats

Often called Flying mice and Mice with wings. Featured in [Mossflower] and [Outcast of Redwall] . They usually repeat the last word of their sentence.

Bad creatures ("Vermin")

Hordebeasts

Most of the commonly encountered types of "vermin" tend to be uneducated, and to be bullies by nature. When not drafted into some warlord's army, they tend to live in small packs in the country, sometimes relatively honestly and sometimes at the expense of any non-vermin in the area.

Rats

Rats are the main foot soldiers in the Redwall series. They also have the most variation within the species of any species in Redwall.

Generic rats generally make up the main body of vermin hordes on land. Hate and fear are their main reasons for fighting as they rarely have courage or true loyalty. They are also seldom skillful and a large number of them often fall to a single skilled warrior (hero or villain).

Searats are fearless and ruthless, the pirates of the seas surrounding Mossflower. They are most notable in "Mariel of Redwall". There is a huge variation in regards to the general competency of searats, from the highly intelligent Cluny the Scourge, to the insane Gabool the Wild. Most lower ranking searats are simply brutal thugs. Alone of all animals, they are ready and willing to make use of fire in their battles.

Two of the only vermin to redeem themselves without dying were both searats: Blaggut in "The Bellmaker", and Grubbage in "Triss".

Many variations of rats, such as the grey northern rats in "The Bellmaker," great rats in "The Long Patrol", and water rats in "Marlfox" have appeared, but while the species and appearance may differ, the behavior remains virtually the same.

Foxes

Foxes are sly, cunning creatures, and seldom have loyalty to anyone besides themselves. Early on in the Redwall series foxes were considered separate from vermin, and even closer to being neutral than evil. It wasn't until "Salamandastron" that foxes started appearing in the ranks of hordes. Even then they tended to rank highly. Vixens most work as herbalists and seers rather than fighters. Both genders tend to be naturally intelligent and treacherous.The most prominent fox in the series was Slagar the Cruel (first known as Chickenhound).

toats

Stoats are somewhat dim-witted (unless they are chieftains or warlords), and tend to be lazy. They also tend to have big appetites compared to other vermin. Stoats tend to be even more brutal than other hordebeasts.

Ferrets

Ferrets are shifty, bad tempered creatures. They tend to show competency with greater frequency than weasels and stoats. Two different ferrets reformed shortly before their deaths, Romsca the corsair in "Pearls of Lutra" and Veil Sixclaw, in "Outcast of Redwall".

Weasels

Weasels tend to be somewhat more numerous than stoats and ferrets, and their personalities run the gamut from stubborn and foolish, to deadly fighters such as Ferahgo the Assassin, the main villain of "Salamandastron" and malicious tricksters, such as Ferahgo's son Klitch.

A primitive tribe of weasels that called themselves the Flitchaye appeared in the "Legend of Luke" and "Mariel of Redwall". Although they were unaffiliated with the horde, they were as malicious as any other group of weasels, using a sleeping gas to knock out travellers before robbing them.

Wildcats

Wildcats are, aside from wolverines, the most powerful of the villainous species in the Redwall series. Wildcats featured heavily in the book "Mossflower", and wildcats also appear in "Lord Brocktree" and "High Rhulain". Wildcats are not villainous as a whole - Verdauga Greeneyes was described as being a "harsh, but just" ruler, and his son Gingivere was fully good, even risking his life to save two young hedgehogs. However, his daughter Tsarmina, the main villain of "Mossflower", was cruel, insane, and a powerful fighter to boot.

Pine Martens

Pine Martens only appear in three books (Ashleg in "Mossflower", Ublaz Mad-Eyes in "The Pearls of Lutra", and Atunra in "High Rhulain"). Thus far, they have always held positions of power over others. In almost all cases pine martens are one step below from a wildcat leader, except for Ublaz Mad-Eyes. In all the books pine martens were animals who were always finally cleaned and wore fancy clothes. Ashleg was one of the few vermin to partially reform, however, he didn't repent, he simply snuck away to lead a simpler life.

Reptiles & Amphibians

Lizards are featured in various books, usualy as evildoers. Rather than affiliating themselves with a vermin horde, they generally operate as thieves and bandits. A tribe of lizards from "Martin the Warrior" were unable to speak, but practiced cannibalism.

Monitor lizards only appear in "The Pearls of Lutra". The Monitors were native to the tropical island of Sampetra, and were the shock troops of Ublaz Mad-Eyes. They were fully sentient, and their leader Lask Frildur was at least somewhat educated. Larger than vermin, the Monitors were feared even by their own allies.

Toads play a similar role to lizards in the series. Functioning as a primitive tribal society, they are hostile to mammals and not above cannibalism. They appeared notably in Mossflower, where they fed captured prisoners to an eel that they kept in a pit because it ate too many of their people. Martin and co. eventually set it free with the help of the Guosim, "Mariel of Redwall", and "Outcast of Redwall".

Snakes are giants in Redwall who attack the woodlanders. Adders are by far the most commonly recurring. Only adders, such as Asmodeus Poisonteeth, have the power to hypnotize. There are, however, mimics, such as Deathcoil, the grass snake who disguised himself as an adder.

References