#redwall doomwyte

[of-ravens-and-writing-desks]

@dibbunsagainstbedtime

This is for #JacquesBirthday18 and Minor Character Appreciation Week!

I’m a big fan of Doomwyte- in fact, I’m known as ‘Doomwyte Anon’ or ‘DA’ on @the-redwaller  ‘s blog- so it should come as no surprise that some of my favorite characters are from this book.

[gonna put under ‘read more’ because oh boy there’s 7 characters listed on the notes I wrote the other day]

The first 2 that come to mind are a troublemaking duo- Furff, and her friend known only as ‘the very tiny mousebabe’. These 2. They explore the Abbey for a locked door and the key. This late-night adventure causes them to nearly be stolen away by Wytes. This isn’t their only encounter with Wytes, however. Later, they go to ring the Abbey Bells while Umfry- the bellringer at the time- was busy exploring underground tunnels with Bisky, Dwink, Bosie and a mole who I cannot recall. I believe Formole Gullub Gurpaw, but I could be wrong. Anyway, while the Dibbuns try to ring the bells, a Wyte who had been in the belltower since their previous near-kidnapping prepares to strike. Thanks to Sister Violet, who helps them ring the bells, the duo are safe. The bells toll, killing the Wyte. Furff and the very tiny mousebabe aren’t the only minor characters I love who had an encounter with the Wytes.

Another duo with less luck should be noted: Slegg and Gridj. These 2 rats are on a journey to the seashore. We aren’t told why, or where they’re from. Slegg claims to have been ‘brought up decent’, but that’s the only clue to his past. Slegg and Gridj get led astray by the Wytes- Slegg was led to sink in a swamp while Gridj was taken captive to be questioned. After being interrogated by Sicariss, he is killed as well. Slegg and Gridj never made it to the sea Slegg claimed to know about. In fact, Slegg had never seen the sea, so their quest was doomed from the start.

The third duo to bring to light: Griv and Inchig. These two magpies work with the Wytes. It’s thanks to Griv overhearing Bisky talk about the Doomwyte Idol’s eyes that the Wytes began to attack Redwall Abbey. Griv and Inchig were mates, and while I can’t recall their fate, one thing that sticks out is their journey to Baliss’s lair as messengers. Griv tells Inchig that Baliss is ancient and blind, and that he might be a descendant of Asmodeus.

The last character I want to mention is Blodd Apis. She was more than a bit crazy, and was a beekeeper who lived in Mossflower Woods. She planned on killing the adventurers from Redwall via her bees. Using a liquid pheromone from her bee’s enemy- fire ants- she was going to have her bees sting them to death. However, her plan failed, and she was killed by the very bees she raised. We never learned much about Blodd Apis, but I wish we did.

None of these characters are major- the very tiny mousebabe lacks a proper name, Slegg and Gridj are killed in the first few chapters, Griv and Inchig aren’t constantly present, and I occasionally forget Blodd Apis even exists.

Despite all this, they are important in their own ways.

[Bonus character: I don’t remember what book this character is from. I don’t remember their name. I don’t remember their species. I don’t remember their gender. All I remember is that they were a beekeeper for Redwall Abbey, and I’m pretty sure no other abbeybeast has been given that position. Blodd Apis was not from Redwall Abbey, so her as a beekeeper doesn’t count.]

[of-ravens-and-writing-desks]

Rereadwall- Doomwyte [part 1]

Already chapter 1 has some points I wanna talk about. Namely the two rats who become prey to the Wytes. Slegg and Gridj [not to be confused with Griv, a magpie].

These rats... are lost in Mossflower Woods, looking for the seashore. Slegg claims to know all about the sea, but as the book says, he never set eyes on salt water.

"I was brought up decent." This is what Slegg says to Gridj after Gridj calls Slegg some names. Gridj asked Slegg what he'd call somebeast who got them lost, and Slegg claims to have never been good at name calling, and that he was brought up decent.

This line has really stuck with me for many years. I wish we got more backstory on Slegg, but he is lured into a swamp by the Wytes, little lights, and drowns. Gridj is freaked out as the Wytes grab him, then ram his head into a tree twice. So Slegg dies real early, too early for us to know more. Shame.

Brother Torilis is also introduced in this chapter as Redwall Abbey's infirmary keeper, a tall, strict squirrel. He's also one of my favorite characters, and his relationship with a character that will be revealed later is one of my favorites. Literally a "someone will die-" "-Of Fun!" relationship. Love them.

[of-ravens-and-writing-desks]

Rereadwall

as decreed by @fuzzhugs , this month I'll be re-reading a Redwall book. In this case, it'll be my favorite, Doomwyte. Every couple of chapters I'll come online and discuss it. I have strong feelings about some of the characters in this book, at least one of those feelings is different to what I've heard others say.

Even if I'm the only one to do this, I'm gonna do it. I wanna read more anyway.