Martin the Warrior

For other uses, see Martin (disambiguation).

Martin the Warrior
Species:	Mouse
Place of Origin:	North Shores
Gender:	Male
Weapon:	Sword of Martin, swords, Sling, Staff, Bow and Arrows, Pike
Death:	Unknown
Books
Appears:	Physical: Mossflower, Martin the Warrior, The Legend of Luke Spirit: All other books except Lord Brocktree
Media
Voice(s):	Ben Campbell (Redwall, Mattimeo) Amos Crawley (Martin the Warrior) Paul Braithwaite (Salamandastron) Gordon Hall (Taggerung, High Rhulain) Austin Schmidt (Escape the Gloomer, The Scout Act III) Marc Jacques (all others)
TV Series:	Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3
Games:	Escape the Gloomer, Caverns of Kotir, The Lost Legends of Redwall: The Scout Act III

"He was the bravest, most courageous mouse that ever lived!"

―Matthias

Martin the Warrior was the mouse co-founder of Redwall Abbey along with Abbess Germaine. Martin was known for being the Abbey's backbone, and he remained an inspirational figure long after his death. He was a great fighter, both wise and ferocious, though he had a brutal and tragic past.

His spirit has appeared to numerous creatures, generally when the Abbey experiences a time of great need.

Biography

Martin the Warrior was born in a cave along the North Shores to Luke the Warrior and Sayna. He was named after his paternal grandfather. Martin never knew his mother as their tribe was attacked by Vilu Daskar shortly after Martin was born, resulting in her death. Seasons after Sayna's murder, Luke gave Martin his sword and sailed off in search of revenge. Martin was then raised by his maternal grandmother, Windred. As a young mouse, Martin was headstrong and even a little rebellious, sometimes resenting that his older friend Timballisto led the tribe rather than himself. Consequently, Martin would often push at Timballisto's authority. On one such occasion, Martin traveled needlessly far from the caves and began chopping at driftwood with his father's sword, reasoning that he could not be scolded too harshly for bringing back firewood. Windred came out after him and started to chide him, but a patrol sent by Badrang the Tyrant arrived on the scene. Martin tried to fend them off, but he was struck unconscious and his sword was stolen. The pair were chained to a long line of other captured beasts and marched off to be slaves at Fort Marshank. Windred died along the way, effectively leaving Martin without any living family members, though Luke's death probably occurred after Martin's capture.

Eventually, he escaped with the help of Laterose of Noonvale, her brother Brome, Felldoh, and Grumm Trencher. Laterose, Grumm, and Martin journeyed to Noonvale, Rose's home, and returned with recruits to battle Badrang and put an end to his cruelty. When Badrang believed hope was lost, he dove for a tunnel Grumm had dug, hoping to flee, and attacked the mole. Rose tried to distract Badrang and save Grumm's life by jumping on the Tyrant and hitting him with her loaded sling, but he threw her against a wall, resulting in an instantaneously fatal concussion. When Martin saw that Rose had been killed, he was overcome by a fierce rage and became unstoppable in his pursuit of Badrang's death. Taking back his father's sword, he stabbed the stoat in the heart. Grieving, Martin journeyed south into Mossflower Woods, unable to return to Noonvale.

He wandered into the domain of Castle Kotir and the aging wildcat Lord Verdauga Greeneyes, where he was arrested by Greeneyes' soldiers for possessing a sword, a weapon the monarch had forbidden woodlanders in his territory from owning. Martin resisted every step of the way as he was dragged into Kotir and brought before a bedridden Verdauga. Verdauga was impressed by the boldness of the Martin, as well as his argument that it was unjust to enforce the laws of a land on a stranger who was unaware of them. He decreed that Martin not be killed, as the law stated, but that he should be thrown in the dungeons and released once due sentence had been served. Verdauga's daughter, Tsarmina Greeneyes, was outraged by the decision and broke Martin's rusty sword, ordering that he wear it about his neck as a mark of shame. Before Martin was taken away, he vowed that he would slay Tsarmina. She, in turn, had her father poisoned and usurped the throne, refusing to release Martin when his sentence had ended. Martin languished in the dungeons for the rest of the winter, but that spring Gonff the Mousethief joined him in prison, and the two became fast friends. They escaped soon afterwards with assistance from the Corim, who educated Martin on the Greeneyes family's legacy of cruelty and slavery.

At the urging of Bella of Brockhall, Martin quested to Salamandastron with Dinny and Gonff to seek Boar the Fighter's help in fighting Tsarmina. On the journey, they met Log-a-Log Big Club on the Great South Stream, and his ship Waterwing brought the travelers as far as Bat Mountpit. They reached Salamandastron, where Boar the Fighter forged Martin a new blade for his father's old hilt. During a battle between Boar the Fighter and his mortal enemy Ripfang, they stole the corsair's ship. Log-a-Log Big Club navigated it up the River Moss back to Mossflower Woods. Martin was reunited with Timballisto, who was among the oar slaves freed from the ship's hold.

On his return to Mossflower, Martin and the Corim confronted Tsarmina, demanding that she end her tyranny. When she refused, Martin directed the Corim to lay siege to Kotir, pummeling it with ballista boulders and damming the River Moss to flood the disintegrating stronghold. Martin, in full battle armor, sought out Tsarmina as she escaped the wreckage. They battled savagely and without quarter. Tsarmina struck Martin down twice. On each occasion, he rose and fought again despite the severe wounds the wildcat had inflicted. He drove her back into the lake where she drowned, but he collapsed unconscious moments later, so close to death that he was talking to the deceased Boar the Fighter at the gates of Dark Forest. He was found by Gonff, Dinny, and Timballisto, who brought him back to Brockhall for healing. However, it took 20 days before Martin regained full consciousness and he was still weak after that. Under the care of Bella and the Loamhedge mice, he experienced a full recovery.

With peace in Mossflower, Martin willingly joined in making Abbess Germaine's dreams of a welcoming Abbey become reality. Martin proved himself a natural leader in peace as much as war, and was known to be the guiding light of Redwall Abbey. When a hedgehog from the Northlands arrived one summer and mentioned Luke the Warrior, Martin journeyed back to the North Shores to learn about his father's life and death, again with Gonff and Dinny by his side. After this adventure, he gave up warfare and had his sword affixed to Redwall's weather vane. He brought back a tapestry of his grandfather from the Northlands, which was later expanded into a tapestry of himself. The tapestry was hung in Great Hall.

Martin the Warrior's tomb from the Redwall TV Series

Martin was known to have gone on at least one more quest, possibly alone, after the construction of Redwall Abbey. He never wed and sired no blood descendants.

After his death, he was buried with his sword in a tomb underneath the stairs that connected Great Hall and Cavern Hole within the Abbey.

The Spirit of Martin the Warrior

Martin's spirit often guides Abbey residents, usually its questors, champions, warriors, Abbots, Abbesses, and those with good intentions. Generally, he appears in visions and dreams, presenting a younger creature with a riddle or puzzle of some sort that they must solve.

Martin's spirit also advises others in the aid of the warrior, as when he led Simeon to give Dandin his sword. He'll also speak in moments of crisis and provide his charge with vital instructions intended to save their life. Since his death, Martin has influenced over a dozen Abbey creatures, including Matthias, Alf, Deyna, and Mariel. His spirit also saved the life of Salamandastron Lord Rawnblade Widestripe while in the throes of Bloodwrath far from the Abbey, and he has spoken through Long Patrol hare Tammo.

In addition to providing aid to allies, Martin's spirit has also interfered with enemies, such as haunting Cluny's dreams during the Late Rose Summer Wars and seemingly clouding Mangiz's visions during General Ironbeak's invasion.

Personality

In his youth, Martin was quite headstrong, and there were few who could counter his will. His father was one of the few who could command Martin, and although Martin agreed to follow Timballisto, he also said that he would lead their tribe someday, a remark that filled his father with pride.

While he was a slave in Fort Marshank, he allowed his anger to get the best of him at one point when he saw Hisk savagely beating an old squirrel. Martin attacked the slaver and was nearly killed for it. However, after the liberation of Marshank and the death of Rose, the love of his life, Martin became more serious and less prone to reckless action.

Martin had a strong sense of right and wrong, and he suffered no injustice when he saw it. He was a steadfast and loyal friend and had a tenacious spirit, never giving up, no matter how overwhelming the odds against him. He was also modest and disliked showing off for the mere sake of it, preferring to use his talents only for battle and reminding other creatures that his sword was only a weapon, and was forged for no other purpose than battle, a lesson imparted to him by Boar the Fighter, the forger of the blade. Martin's nature was not limited to protecting good beasts, as proven when he tried to comfort a sea rat who had been mortally injured by gulls.

Nelvana Redwall TV Series

Differences between Martin the Warrior and season three of the Nelvana Redwall TV Series include:

• During the final confrontation with Badrang the Tyrant, Martin pulls on Badrang's cape, which causes the stoat to fall right on top of the Sword.
• Martin openly expresses his love for Rose.
• Martin leaves his Sword behind after the Battle of Marshank, vowing to never fight with it again. However, this calls into question how it eventually made its way to Redwall Abbey during season one of the series.

The Lost Legends of Redwall

In The Lost Legends of Redwall video game series, Martin appears in Escape the Gloomer, Caverns of Kotir, and The Scout Act III. While imprisoned in Kotir, Martin hears guards discussing the Scroll of Inheritance. After meeting with Corim leadership, they decide to send an otter into Kotir to retrieve it.

Seasons after his death, the Spirit of Martin appears to Sophia Ryemaid as she attempts to navigate the murky Portman's Slough swamp.

Other References

• Four Stacks Brewing in Apollo Beach, Florida, has named a 5.8% ABV American Hefeweizen, a "German style hefeweizen fermented to highlight hints of both banana and clove" after Martin the Warrior.

Adaptations

TV

As of 2021, the life of Martin the Warrior is being adapted into an event TV series by Netflix.

Trivia

• The deaths of Martin's mother and grandmother were a result of actions taken by corsair stoats.
• Brian Jacques stated the following on Martin's inspiration in Ask Brian Volume 1: "No one person is the model for either Martin or Matthias. Rather they are a mixture of good and noble characters from my reading and honest and brave friends from my life."