A Jolly Old Tier List of Redwall Hares
Here, absolutely unsolicited: a personal analysis of every hare that can be defined as a co-protagonist in the Redwall books I’ve read so far.
As many long-time fans of the saga know, hares have several recurring traits: they are pompous, they love eating, they are ceremonious, they love eating, they adore compliments, they love eating, they are (nearly) all born warriors and, above all, they love eating. Most start as comic relief, though many fortunately evolve beyond that; others, however… well. To say they overdo it is an understatement. My evaluation criteria are:
How annoying these traits become within the story (strictly my opinion, obviously!).
How the character manages to break out of the stereotype.
If a book only has one hare, I’ll just judge that one. If there are many (like in Salamandastron or the Long Patrol), I’ll focus on the one accompanying the various protagonists on the main quest. However, if other hares are noteworthy, I’ll mention them. I will try to be objective (not really lol) and I will go in order of publication. Let’s go!
Basil Stag Hare (Redwall, Mattimeo): The prototype by being the first hare. Nothing to complain about: he’s a treasure. Only slightly annoying at times, but never too much. Considering his talents and military wisdom, saying he was essential to both stories is an understatement.
Trubbs, Wother, and Ffring (Mossflower): A peculiar case. We hear about the legendary Salamandastron for the first time and, when Martin, Gonff, and Dinny arrive, they are greeted by these three… who feel like a mystical apparition: a living Dreihasenbild speaking in turns. They don’t have distinct personalities, but overall, I love them. Their female counterparts (Harebell, Honeydew, and Willow) are also fantastic. Other hares appear (Buffheart, his wife Lupin, and children Starbuck and Breeze), but aside from showing great courage and loyalty to Boar the Fighter, they aren’t particularly relevant.
Tarquin Longleap Woodsorrel (Mariel of Redwall, The Bellmaker): Rawnblade Widestripe describes him like this: “a frivolous being, a lover of the table, in love with love, and prone to composing frightful madrigals; […] he fights with the heart of a lion, is an excellent scout, and is gifted with adamantine honesty". I’d say, our Badger Lord gave a perfect definition of the average Redwall hare. He’s not my absolute favorite, but he’s a great traveling companion and made me laugh. In Mariel, I must also mention Colonel Clary, Brigadier Thyme, and Hon Rosie: they defended Redwall with incredible courage (I demand that at least two of Rosie and Tark's eleven children be named Clary and Thyme!). In The Bellmaker, however, Tark went down a notch for me… but he did confirm one thing: when hares have an intuition it’s usually wrong lol.
Useless digression: I think giving hares vaguely Latin/Roman names (like Tarquin) is genius. The world of Redwall feels a bit like the UK, and… who brought hares there? The Romans. Okay, end of digression:
Pikkle Ffolger (Salamandastron): There are SO MANY hares in this book, I know. But I’m focusing on Pikkle: He’s not central to the plot, but I loved his loyalty to his friend Mara. And come on: “Pikkle” is such a cute name!
Ballaw De Quincewold (Martin the Warrior): One of the least annoying and most useful hares in the saga. A "busker" hare is a brilliant idea, and he is stellar both in his tricks and his eloquence!
Hon Rosie and Meldrum the Magnificent (Mariel of Redwall, The Bellmaker): For me, Rosie is definitely better than Tark. I’m so happy she stepped out of the mother role to show her talent as a warrior and her… flair for getting by in the strangest situations: fully approved! Meldrum was also amazing: I loved his calm in the worst situations and the way he turns everything to his advantage. A true strategist (in his own way): he deserves all the medals he awarded himself!
Outcast of Redwall: I’m skipping this for now. Hares aren't super relevant here: there are many at Salamandastron, but none truly stand out. Jodd is interesting, but doesn't impact the plot much. Plus, I don’t have the book anymore to reread and re-evaluate (borrowed it from a library far from home). I’ll update this when I can.
Cleckstarr Lepus Montisle (The Pearls of Lutra): At first, I wasn't feeling him, but together with Gerul, he’s really funny and proves essential during the journey. Good hare! <3
Tamello De Fformelo Tussock (The Long Patrol): The first hare protagonist: I ADORED TAMMO. He’s such a polite good boy and his "hare traits" never feel heavy.
Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop (Marlfox): I. Can’t. Stand. Florian. So far, he's the worst hare in Redwall. Insufferable, childish, stuck-up, and constantly seeking attention (even when it’s totally inappropriate). Yes, okay, he’s an actor… but dial it down (I can already feel he’ll be my only F-tier lol).
Beauclair Fethringsol Cosfortingham (The Legend of Luke): FANTASTIC. A sort of Robinson Crusoe in hare form: he manages perfectly and finds his place in Luke’s crew, becoming essential for both morale and food.
Martha and Hortwill Braebuck (Loamhedge): Martha is the least "hare-like" hare of all, due to her condition and being raised at Redwall. She’s smart, brave, and… SHE should have become Abbess, not Fenna! Horty, on the other hand, is like Florian but... I tolerate him more because he’s just a kid: he doesn't know how to live outside Redwall and acts extremely immaturely. At least at the end of the book, we’re told he matures a bit…
Major Cuthbert Blanedale Frunk (High Rhulain): A tragic and comic character at the same time. A very weird mix that somehow works. His quirks are all forgivable, and his end is worthy of his title of dragonslayer!
Final Tier List (No internal order)
S tier: Basil Stag Hare – Trubbs, Wother & Ffring – Clary, Thyme & Rosie – Ballaw De Quincewold – Meldrum the Magnificent – Tamello De Fformelo Tussock – Beauclair Fethringsol Cosfortingham – Martha Braebuck – Major Cuthbert Blanedale Frunk – Pikkle Ffolger – Tarquin Longleap Woodsorrel – Cleckstarr Lepus Montisle
A tier: Hortwill Braebuck
F tier: Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop
There we go. Was I objective? Absolutely not lol, but I did my best. I'm currently finishing Rakkety Tam, then moving on to Lord Brocktree: I’ll update this post as I continue the saga. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! (I doubt I’ll make a list for other species: my current brainrot is strictly hares and rabbits and I don't see that changing lol).
