Rare Redwall Rabbits

[MeadowR]

A little discussion about the Rabbits of Redwall. I touched upon it a little in another thread some months back and thought it could have its own thread.

How many rabbits appeared in the books altogether, and which ones? Is it as few as two?

I'm re-reading Martin the Warrior and there are rabbits in that, albeit briefly. I found their rather snooty personality intriguing to hear more about in future books. There was room for some development there. Unfortunately this was not the case. Seems like he might have favoured them in earlier books and then they really occur again. Certainly they never seem to set foot in Redwall itself! The hares are mistaken enough times as rabbits!

What do you think the reasons might have been for lack of rabbit characters? (They're not any more alien than some other species mentioned!)

[321tumbler]

Maybe Brian Jacques made hares first and then decided that making rabbits a common race would be confusing.

[MeadowR]

Maybe. With their snooty attitudes different to the jolly-posh militant mind of the hares, I think it would have been enough to differentiate them, though. Also, weasels and stoats are pretty much as similar as you could say hares and rabbits are, and their personalities are basically the same.

[BadgerLordFiredrake]

There was that one time where there was a family of rabbits that pretended to be a big monster by speaking through a treetrunk... Can't remember where, though.

[Lady Amber]

There was that one time where there was a family of rabbits that pretended to be a big monster by speaking through a treetrunk... Can't remember where, though.

That was in Martin the Warrior.

[W0NWILL]

There was a rabbit in Loamhedge, I forget his name, but he talked about that there used to be many rabbits living there, but they were hunted to extinction by a tribe of rat cannibals the protagonists were running from. Maybe rabbits are just not as common as the other beasts, because they're a food source to vermin.

But, and this is more likely, rabbits just didn't live in Mossflower. Mossflower is a dense forest, with almost no fields, where rabbits tend to live. There's next to no fields in the series except the fields near(west?) to Redwall, and, as I recall, there's only Orlando the Axe we see from there. No rabbit, but no other beast either.

From what we've seen of rabbits, they seem to be a cowardly lot, not giving much to adventure. They probably don't stray too far from their homes. I can't think of a single instance of rabbits in which we didn't see, or at least hear of, their home.

It isn't too far-fetched to say that there are rabbits living near Mossflower, we just don't meet them.

[321tumbler]

Many of them might have hid whenever someone (good or bad) came near.

[Lady Amber]

I think there were rabbits in the book Salamandastron.

[JangoCoolguy]

Here are all the rabbits that appear in the Tales of Redwall:

The Mirdop  family (Fescue, Mildwort, Burnet and Buttercup) in Martin the Warrior
The old rabbit in Mattimeo
Clarence & Clarissa in Salamandastron
Cosbro in Loamhedge

And even then they weren't around very long--they're in one chapter each--and played small roles...yet they're always interesting, helpful, and give useful information.

The thing that makes it really awkward is that series' long running gag about hares being mistaken for rabbits. If it were just dibbuns and simple folk making the mistake, that would be fine. But vermin are constantly calling them that too. It would greatly imply that rabbits are more common/more well known than hares, but hares pop up a LOT more than rabbits do throughout the series. It would've been fine if it had been dropped at some point, but every book brings up rabbits without any showing up...

Another weird thing about it: so rabbits aren't Mossflower Country & nearby areas? That's just fine. Heck, the ones that did show up WERE far away from Mossflower. Thing is, with all the world traveling characters do, you'd think some would show up during the various journeys.

I'll never understand WHY Jacques didn't use rabbits more often. Maybe he thought readers would have trouble telling them & hares apart in a novel...though that doesn't make sense when you think about weasels, stoats, ferrets and similar creatures (I still have trouble picturing them to tell them apart!). Maybe it's because they really ARE cowardly & weak and wouldn't be a good fit for what the stories needed (they would've been slaughtered!). For all we know, he might've been trying to distance himself from Watership Down as much a possible.

I really wish some more had shown up. I for one think they could've fit in as supporting characters along with the hedgehogs, voles, moles and dormice. They wouldn't have been good fighters by any means, but they still could've done other stuff, even if acting as civilians.

I mean, why NOT let some rabbits do more anyway alongside creature they're usually associated within other animal stories

[Vilu Daskar]

Clarence and Clarissa are hares

[MeadowR]

Thanks for the feedback, all!

At least there were three instances of rabbits being mentioned, I guess... You bring up more interesting points, Jango. For sure, if they didn't live in Mossflower, you'd still think they might appear more in other places with all those travelling creatures going to and from Redwall to Salamandastron and further. The rabbits must be extremely cowardly!

[Vilu Daskar]

There was Deadeye and there sibling they were rabbits Deadeye isn't it's real name though

[MeadowR]

Which book were they in?

[The Shade]

Two rabbits playing in a field were mentioned in Redwall.

[Vilu Daskar]

Which book were they in?

I can't remember