Lands of Ice and Snow

[Mariel]

It's possible to have ice and snow in a desert ... one of the rich Saudi Arabian countries has got a huge building with an inside ski slope, etc. in it. Even here in Auckland, New Zealand where it doesn't snow in the winter (it does snow further south in New Zealand though), there is an indoor ski slope called SnowPlanet, although I've never been there (like most tourist attractions, it's expensive). 

Yes it is possible just not likely,personally, I'm glad there isn't much snow where I come from(I hate the cold)

[Buzz_Bumble]

... (I hate the cold)

I hate the heat. Summer here is attrociously bad, I'd hate to live in a desert or equatorial country (Fiji, Hawaii, etc.). 

[Captain Tammo]

I think I've figured it out! Recently I was on a student exchange program in France (which was loads of fun! I highly recommend doing one if you have the chance!). However on the way there we had a layover in ICELAND. Seeing as I had never been there before, I did some research and read up on it throughout the airport. Quickly I saw what Icelandic people refer to it as over and over... "The land of ice and snow"!

Then it all clicked! Mossflower is based off of Great Britain, so the "lands of ice and snow" may actually be referring to Iceland, seeing as that is what it is commonly referred to! Though wolverines and wolves don't inhabit the island, it still makes sense because Brian only included BRITISH native animals in the books.

[Jetthebinturong]

Personally I know close to nothing about the lands of ice and snow,I live in a desert.

Antarctica is a desert.....

I think the Land of Ice and Snow is based off all of Scandinavia not just Iceland

[Jukka the Sling]

@Captain Tammo: Never thought of that, but it makes sense!

[Gonff the Mousethief]

  MIND.BLOWN!!!

[The Shade]

I think I've figured it out! Recently I was on a student exchange program in France (which was loads of fun! I highly recommend doing one if you have the chance!). However on the way there we had a layover in ICELAND. Seeing as I had never been there before, I did some research and read up on it throughout the airport. Quickly I saw what Icelandic people refer to it as over and over... "The land of ice and snow"!

Then it all clicked! Mossflower is based off of Great Britain, so the "lands of ice and snow" may actually be referring to Iceland, seeing as that is what it is commonly referred to! Though wolverines and wolves don't inhabit the island, it still makes sense because Brian only included BRITISH native animals in the books.

Apart from that solitary beaver that we never saw again. 

[Jetthebinturong]

Beavers WERE native to Britain at the time of the books writing, Brian said in an interview the the solitary beaver represented their dwindling population

[321tumbler]

I never knew that.

[chaos_Leader]

I was actually thinking about this for a while, but never really had the chance to put it forward.

Somewhere or another, wolves exist in the Redwall series' world. Urgan Nagru in "The Bellmaker" has the pelt and skull of a dead wolf, which he got in the Land of Snow and Ice (or so he claims). Size may not be much of a factor for wolves not being written about in the series, since the wolf Urgan Nagru got the pelt/skull from didn't seem too much larger than him, and he was a fox.

Some people here mentioned the Land of Snow and Ice being like Iceland, or other Nordic/Scandinavian areas. It was also mentioned that most of the inhabitants of the setting are native species to the British isles. This actually provides a literary opportunity for the series analogous with history: Wolves as an old Norse/Viking archetype.

Like the old Norsmen compared to the average medieval era Western-European man, Redwall wolves would easily stand quite a bit taller, and be much stronger and tougher than what had been encountered before. Not to mention the wolf pack hunting mentality is easily analogous to the methods of Viking raiders, as well as old Norse societal leadership.

It might be interesting to explore how the Redwall setting would react to a Viking-like threat, how it would respond to unknown opponents that are not at all like the vermin they've fought before. What would they do when wolf raiders pillage easy targets, when they begin to settle in their land and establish a long-term foothold?

[Wylder Treejumper]

Hey, chaos! Welcome to the forum! That is a very interesting comparison... I imagine Redwall would do as it does with other vermin bands, i.e. Stand strong and repel attacks...

[Leatho Shellhound]

The wolf pelt that Urgan Nagru got was said to have been from a wolf that was frozen dead. Maybe it was a very young wolf, that's why it was so small? Just a thought...

[Cornflower MM]

Maybe. Personally, I never really thought about the Lands of Ice and Snow...Even though Rakkety Tam's my favorite book. I'll have to read it again and give y'all my opinion.

[Maudie]

So, I see that this thread has touched upon the possibility of the Land of Ice and Snow being based on Iceland or Scandinavia, but what if it was based on North America or (more likely) Canada?

[Ashleg]

I always thought Ireland.