- For other uses, see Martin (disambiguation).
- "He was the bravest, most courageous mouse that ever lived!"
- ―Matthias
Martin the Warrior was the co-founder of Redwall Abbey along with Abbess Germaine. Martin was known as being the Abbey's backbone, and he has remained so even 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 young creatures while the Abbey was in a time of great need.
Personality
In his youth, Martin was quite headstrong, and there were few who could counter his will. His father, Luke the Warrior, 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.
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 (his love in life), Martin became more serious and less prone to reckless action. He was still a fighter born, as he demonstrated when he was arrested by Kotir's Thousand Eye Army and resisted every step of the way.
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 were. 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, forger of the blade. Martin's nature was not limited to goodbeasts, as proven when he tried to comfort a searat who had been mortally injured by gulls.
Biography
Martin was born in a cave along the North Shores to Luke the Warrior and Sayna, and named after his paternal grandfather. Sadly, Martin never knew his mother, for their camp was attacked by Vilu Daskar shortly after Martin was born. Some seasons after Sayna was murdered, Luke gave Martin his sword and sailed off on the Sayna 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 lead the tribe rather than Martin. Consequently, Martin would often push at Timbal'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 arrived on the scene. Martin tried to fend them off, but he was struck unconscious and his sword was stolen. He and Windred 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 an orphan, though Luke's death probably occurred after Martin's capture.
Eventually, he escaped with the help of the mousemaid Laterose of Noonvale, her brother Brome, a squirrel Felldoh and their mole friend, Grumm Trencher. Laterose,
Martin from the TV series
Grumm, and Martin journeyed to Noonvale, Rose's home, and returned with help to fight Badrang. When Badrang saw hope was lost, he dove for a tunnel Grumm had dug, 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 the far wall, resulting in an instantaneously fatal concussion. When Martin saw this, he was overcome by a fierce rage and became unstoppable in his pursuit of Badrang's death. He stabbed the stoat in the heart with his father's sword and took it back from him. Grieving, Martin journeyed south into Mossflower Woods, not able to bring himself to return to Noonvale.
He wandered by chance into the domain of Kotir and Verdauga Greeneyes, where he was arrested by Greeneyes' soldiers for being in possession of a sword, something Verdauga had forbidden woodlanders in his lands to own. 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, and his argument that it was unjust to enforce the laws of a land on a stranger who did not know 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 sword, ordering that he wear it about his neck as a mark of shame. Martin was taken away, but he vowed that he would slay Tsarmina. She, in turn, poisoned her father, and did not release Martin when his sentence had ended. Martin languished in prison for the rest of the winter, but that spring, Gonff the Mousethief joined him in jail, and the two became fast friends. They escaped soon afterwards with assistance from the Corim.
At the urging of Bella, Martin then journeyed to Salamandastron with Dinny and Gonff, to seek help in fighting Tsarmina. On the journey, they met Log-a-Log Big Club on the Great South Stream, and his ship Waterwing got 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 enemy Ripfang, they stole the corsair's ship, Bloodwake and Log-a-Log Big Club navigated it up the River Moss back to Mossflower Woods. During the journey, Martin was reunited with Timballisto, who was among the oarslaves freed from the Bloodwake's hold.
On his return to Mossflower, Martin and the Corim confronted Tsarmina, demanding that she end her reign of 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, and Tsarmina struck Martin down twice. Both times, he rose and fought again despite the severe wounds the wildcat inflicted on him. He was eventually able to drive her back into the lake where she drowned, but he collapsed unconscious minutes 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 twenty days before Martin regained full consciousness and he was still weak after that. Under the care of Bella and the Loamhedge mice, however, he eventually made a full recovery.
With peace in Mossflower, Martin willingly joined in seeing Abbess Germaine's dreams of an Abbey to reality. Martin proved himself a natural leader in peace as much as war, and was known to be the backbone of the Abbey. When a hedgehog from the Northlands named Trimp arrived one summer and mentioned Luke, Martin journeyed 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 from the Northlands a tapestry of his grandfather, which was eventually expanded into a tapestry of himself. The tapestry is hung in Great Hall.
Martin was known to have gone on at least one more quest, possibly alone, after the construction of Redwall Abbey.
After his death, he was buried underneath the stairs that connect Great Hall and Cavern Hole within the Abbey. Though Martin never married and left no blood descendants, his spirit has often guided Redwall's questors, warriors and maidens.
The Spirit of Martin
Although Martin is dead, his spirit often acts as a guide to creatures of the Abbey, usually its future Warriors, Abbots, and Abbesses. Generally, he appears in dreams and will present the young creature with a riddle or puzzle of some sort that they must solve.
At other times, he guides other creatures in the aid of the warrior, as when he led Simeon to give Dandin his sword. Martin will also speak in moments of crisis and give his charge some vital instruction to save their life. Since his death, Martin has influenced over a dozen Abbey creatures, including Matthias, Alf, Deyna, and Mariel. He also saved Lord Rawnblade Widestripe in the throes of Bloodwrath, though he was far from the Abbey.
In addition to providing aid to allies, he has also used his power to interfere with enemies, such as when he haunts Cluny's dreams in the Late Rose Summer Wars or (presumably) clouds Mangiz' visions during General Ironbeak's invasion.
TV Series
The differences between Martin from the books and from the show are:
- During the final confrontation with Badrang, Martin pulls on Badrang's cape which causes the stoat to fall right on top of the Sword.
- He openly expresses his love for Rose.
- He leaves his Sword behind after the Battle of Marshank, vowing to never fight with it again.