"Run like a hare and fight like a Bear..."

[Osu]

Yanno, I don't believe I've thrown my two cents in on this one... I'm still looking for the book this line appears in, it isn't Mattimeo and I can't find my copy of High Rhulain.... sad, sad day.

Normally I would say that since bears are named, period, they are canon -- however, they are mentioned only once in passing (to my knowledge) in the series, much the same way horses and cows are, before, I think, BJ had the world of Redwall worked out. For this reason I don't think of horses as a canon species. I'd put bears in that same category. Something worth exploring in fanfiction, but not a likely candidate for a Redwall character in an official book, as exciting as that sounds!

But I'm going to pretend I think they're canon anyway. I would say bears would be characters in much the same way whales and sharks are. That the sentient characters might think of them in a mythological sense is an interesting theory, but dragons are mentioned multiple times in the series (and somebeast(s) at Salamandastron even carved what they fondly imagined a dragon head to look like), so I don't think bears and dragons would be reckoned in a similar manner.

Something as huge and magical as a dragon would work well to represent an active volcano and would therefore be a plausible thing to bring up when talking about Salamandastron. Bears are.... well, bears. Animals, flesh and blood, clearly not in the same category as mice and weasels but not high enough up the chain of legends to be considered a myth.

[/My two cents. ]

[Maudie]

Actually, this was in High Rhulain, and by that book I'm fairly certain Jacques had a fairly good idea about what the world of Redwall was gonna be like, so you can't say that it was before it was developed.

[Osu]

*still can't find my copy of High Rhulain* ....I believe you! Whelp, looks like it's the whale theory for me. I think there's also evidence there for the "creatures from a faraway land" idea, too, if Frunk was the one to sing it. If anybeast had the ability to find another coast with bears, it'd be him.

[Tam and Martin]

The Hares sang that song together after they won the battle of Green Isle.

[Ungatt Trunn]

The Hares sang that song together after they won the battle of Green Isle.

Which clearly states that it was a common song amongst hairs, which means that they must have known what bears are.
In a way, it might be impossible to say that bears are just a mythical creature in the world of Redwall. Because if they are real in this world, why aren't they real in that world? BJ himself said that he would (and did) only use creatures native to his area. And, it just so happens, that bears are native to his area. So, what if he was implying that bears are real in the world of Redwall, just they live far, far, far away from the place that we read about in the series?
That's my true opinion on the subject.

[Sailears]

...but you'll never be better than MtW!




Edit: maybe too obscure.

[Ungatt Trunn]

Edit: maybe too obscure.

Huh?

[Sailears]

^Yeah apologies, too obscure, nevermind.

(Reminded me of commander shepard song - "fight like a krogan, run like a leopard, but you'll never be better than...")

[Rusvul]

Honestly. This is completely irrelevant. Bears exist IRL, and as a writer, does every single word you write have to be completely in character? If you want to pick nits, I mean, how do the storytellers in the prologue tell a tale that's this detailed? How do they ever know the thoughts of that red-shirt vermin? Or his name? There's so many things that don't fit in perfectly, and would be really weird if it was an accurate historical history book, but it's fiction. Written by an author for enjoyment. There isn't a logical in-characer explanation. There doesn't have to be.

Sorry for being a wet blanket. Is it really obvious that I'm depressed as of writing this  ?

[Buzz_Bumble]

That reminds me of the idiotic questions we used to get in school English (LIterature) exams: "What was the author thinking when they wrote {insert scene from book / movie / play}?"

I always felt like writing answers like:

• How should I know I can't mind read.

and

• He was probably trying to decide what to have for dinner.
  
• He was probably worrying about whether the could finish another chapter by the end of the week.
  
• He was probably trying to figure out how he could pay his bills when the money from the book was still months away.
  
• ...

or

• I only read the silly book because you forced me to. It's pure boring drivel.

The only only school subject more useless is physical education / sports class.

[The Shade]

Hahaha

[Maudie]

That reminds me of the idiotic questions we used to get in school English (LIterature) exams: "What was the author thinking when they wrote {insert scene from book / movie / play}?"

I always felt like writing answers like:

• How should I know I can't mind read.

and

• He was probably trying to decide what to have for dinner.
  
• He was probably worrying about whether the could finish another chapter by the end of the week.
  
• He was probably trying to figure out how he could pay his bills when the money from the book was still months away.
  
• ...

or

• I only read the silly book because you forced me to. It's pure boring drivel.

The only only school subject more useless is physical education / sports class.

Okay...

[HeadInAnotherGalaxy]

That reminds me of the idiotic questions we used to get in school English (LIterature) exams: "What was the author thinking when they wrote {insert scene from book / movie / play}?"

I always felt like writing answers like:

• How should I know I can't mind read.

and

• He was probably trying to decide what to have for dinner.
  
• He was probably worrying about whether the could finish another chapter by the end of the week.
  
• He was probably trying to figure out how he could pay his bills when the money from the book was still months away.
  
• ...

or

• I only read the silly book because you forced me to. It's pure boring drivel.

The only only school subject more useless is physical education / sports class.

Ach, zat remindz me o' vone o' me Writin' promptz: Vot vid ye dae if ye could fly?

Me rezponze: Ah vid fly around ze vorld gazerin' piecez for a machine zat vid make a pill. After findin' av o' ze piecez an' buildin' it it vid make ze pill, vhich ah vid eat. After eatin' it it vid make me ztop flyin'. Ze End.

An' ah pazzed viz zat!!!

[The Shade]

Why would you want to stop flying??

[rachel25]

^Why would anyone not want to fly any more