“Mariel stood over the stunned toad. It was an indescribably ugly specimen, completely covered in large wart like growths. Next to the toad lay a lantern. The lantern was on a small carrying frame and wonderfully made from thin-cut rock crystal. Inside the lantern half a dozen fat fireflies buzzed, giving off a pale golden light.”
Marial of Redwall, Brian Jaques
Abbot Saxtus recites one of his favorite rhymes found within the many scrolls archived at the abbey gatehouse.
“This wind’s icy breath o’er the land of death
Tells a tale of the yet to come.
‘Cross the heaving waves which mark ship’s graves
Lies an island known to some,
Where seas pound loud and rocks stand proud.
And blood flows free as water,
To the far northwest, which knows no rest,
Came a father and his daughter,
The mind was numb, and the heart struck dumb,
When the night seas took the child,
Hurled to her fate, by the son of Hellgate,
The dark one called The Wild.
You whom, they seek, though you don’t speak,
The legend is yet to be born;
One day you will sing over stones that are red,
In the misty summer dawn.”
“Old stories told by travelers,
Great songs that barbs have sung,
Of Mossflower summers, faded, gone,
When Redwall’s stones were young.
Great Hall fires on winter nights,
The legends, who remembers,
Battles, banquets, comrades, guests,
Recalled midst glowing embers.
Draw close now, little woodlanders,
Take this to sleep with you,
My tale of dusty far-off times,
When warrior’s hearts were true,
Then store it in your memory,
And be the sage that says to the young in the years to come:
‘Ah yes, those were the days’”
Mariel of Redwall, Brian Jacques
This is the forth book in the Redwall series. The books in this series, with their woodlander characters have always been a pleasure to read.
Along with the inscription found on the abbey foundation stone, the residents of the Abbey, found this riddle. The riddle was written in a long forgotten script called Loamscript, a script used by residents of the now defunct Loamhedge Abbey.
The script was primarily used to communicate with those who were in leadership, namely among the Abbess Germaine and her cohorts. Abbess Germaine had long since passed on and there were only a few that could still decipher this script. Most notably was John Churchmouse who was still in residence at the Redwall Abbey.
Not having used the script for some time, and after a few false starts, John Church mouse was able to decipher the script into the following riddle.
A Riddle in Loamscript
“Through the seasons here I lie,
‘neath this Redwall that we made.
Solve the mystery, you must try,
Graven deep in will not fade.
Somewhere ‘twixt our earth and sky,
Birds and gentle breezes roam.
There a key you might espy,
To that place I once called home.
Take this graven page and seek
What my words in stone mean.
What can’t fly, yet has a beak,
Mixed up letters evergreen.
Two Bees, two Ohs
One Sea, one tap,
And weary with A.
Leave me now to my long rest,
Good fortune on y our way.”
(Mattimeo, Chapter 22, pg. 158)
The 1/72 Et le Pere Noel miniature is from Ykreol and is part of their Nativity set. The miniature was fun to paint, albeit it has become a tad frustrating. On two occasions paint peeled of the miniature and I was stuck having to touch the old gent up with a dab of paint.
The Christmas miniature with the mice and tree are not really the mice of Redwall. I only imagined the mice of the Abbey being so employed decorating their Christmas tree in this fashion. The miniature is actually from my wife collections of ceramic pieces, something she puts out during the Christmas season.
Google is featuring a set of Christmas Doodles. This set offers several holiday themed paper-craft toys. At the time of of this writing Google has published two Holidays 2015 Christmas goodies doodles.
It has been a while since I read anything from the Redwall collection. Mattimeo is the third volume in Brain Jacques’ Redwall series. The Redwall series give me fodder for future fantasy skirmishes and war games.
Novel Prelude:
“Slagar the Cruel, a demented fox, is determined to vanquish peaceable Redwall. Gathering his mercenary bands of rats, stoats, and weasels, he advances upon the abbey with a cunning scheme-rather than making courageous battles plans he will steal the children of Redwall from under their parents very noses. His prize captive will be Mattimeo, the headstrong son of Matthias, the fearless warrior mouse.
As the troop of woodlanders were marching back from the fortress of Kotir with Martin and Gonff, Gonff played his hornpipe and danced about and sang this song:
"I’m a mouse with a very long tail,(Mossflower, 69)
After having the necessary tools smuggled into the prison, Gonff played his flute and sang another of his improvised songs:
“Pickalock, pickalock, you’ll regret the day,(Mossflower, 50)
(It is fortunate that none of guards heard Gonff’s song.)
It should be noted that the pair had over slept and did not start their escape until way after dawn. They were still able to affect their escape, but along the way out of the castle the two mice ran right into Tsarmina Greeneyes, the wild cat and purported ”Lady of the Thousand Eyes, Slayer of Enemies, Ruler of Kotir, Conqueror of all Creatures.” If it had not been some quick action by Martin the two might not had realized their escape.
Gonff had been apprehended by the soldiers of Kotir for his thefts of their stores. This is another song sung by Gonff, the mouse thief, after being thrown into a cell with Martin the warrior.
“I knew a mouse in prison here,(Mossflower, 38)
Gonff was heard singing this song as he skipped through the flowering woodlands with a "heavy intoxication of springtime" or was he intoxicated form the elderberry wine?
"Cuckoo, cuckoo, good day, my friend, to you.Mossflower, 35
Gonff a citizen of Mossflower and mouse thief had just lifted cheese and elderberry wine from the larder of Koter. As he ate and drank he became merry and sang this song:
“The Prince of Mouse thieves honors you,
There are many scenarios that these mice could be brought into. The Redwall series includes several mice, and The Chronicles of Narnia features two mice. The Redwall series and The Chronicles of Narnia both include many situations that could be used to create a skirmish game. In addition, Mutants and Machine-Guns’ RPG makes use of evolved animals. Evolved animals, I believe, would walk on their hind legs and be able to wield a sword or some other weapon.
There are many notable and a few notorious characters within the pages of Redwall. Some of the most noteworthy are its mice citizens. Mice have been inhabitants of Redwall since the beginning. "In Redwall mice have always been considered good creatures; Redwall's founding fathers, Abbots, and its Abbesses have been mice."
While the majority of the mice have been peaceful and devoted to their vespers there have been a few notable exceptions. Martin, Matthias, and Luke were warrior mice and protected the abbey and its inhabitants from harm.
Here are eight notable mouse characters that are found within the Redwall series:
