Redwall Badgers

Here you can find out what real-life badgers are like.  Since I really like badgers, I'm also going to try to make a complete list of Redwall & Salamandastron badgers, a badger timeline, a family tree, and some other badger stuff.

Redwall - Constance Mossflower - Bella, Boar, mention of Barkstripe, Brocktree & Sunstripe (Sunflash), also mentions of Urthrun the Gripper, Spearlady Gorse, Bluestripe the Wild & Ceteruler Mattimeo - Constance, Orlando the Axe, Auma Mariel - Mother Mellus Salamandastron - Urthstripe, Urthwyte, Mara, Loambudd, brief appearances by Urthound & Urthrun, mention of Urthclaw Martin - Rowanoak Bellmaker - Mother Mellus, Muta Outcast - Sunflash the Mace (changes his name to Sunstripe at the end), Bella Lutra - Auma Long Patrol - Lady Cregga Rose Eyes, Russano the Wise Marlfox - None Legend of Luke - Bella Brocktree - Lord Brocktree

A Family Tree: Brocktree (M) | Boar (M) | Bella (F) + Barkstripe (M) | Sunflash (M) | ? | ? | Rawnblade (M)

Timeline Coming Soon

Another Family Tree: Loambudd (F) + Urthclaw (M) | Urthound (M) + Urthrun (F) /   \ Urthwyte (M)    Urthstripe (M)                           |                           adopted                            Mara (F)

And Another Family Tree: Orlando (M) | Auma (F)

Time-Traveling Urthrun? In Mossflower, Boar lists four previous badger rulers: Spearlady Gorse, Bluestripe the Wild, Ceteruler and Urthrun the Gripper.  Urthrun?  Urthrun was in Salamandastron - she was Urthstripe & Urthwyte's mother.  Well, the events in Salamandastron happend four books after the events in Mossflower.  Urthrun can't have been a badger ruler before Boar when she occurred many seasons later in the timeline.  Unless - it didn't seem like Urthrun and her husband Urthound were badger rulers - they were living in a cave when they had Urthstripe & Urthwyte (too many Urth's!)  So, maybe the Urthrun that was Urthstripe & Urthwyte's mother was a different Urthrun than the badger ruler Boar listed.  Either that or the Urthrun in Salamandastron went back in time and acted as a badger ruler before Boar.  Or the Urthrun Boar listed went forward in time to become Urthstripe & Urthwyte's mother!  Hmm - I'll stick with the explanation that they were two different Urthrun's.

The Badgers of Redwall:

Real Life Badgers

This information is from the "Badgers" article on Encarta.com Scientific Name: Meles meles       Badger, mammal characterized by short, strong legs; elongated     feet that are more or less plantigrade (heels touch the ground);     and straight, strong toes adapted to burrowing. Badgers are     heavily furred, distinctly marked, and very strong. They live in     dens and are mostly nocturnal. They have perineal glands, which     emit a fetid odor. The pelts have considerable value as furs, and     the hairs are used in the manufacture of shaving and other     types of brushes.        The common badger, also known as the European     badger, is up to 90 cm (up to 35 in) long. It differs from the     American badger in facial markings, dentition, and other details.     It lives in forests and digs a deep chamber, where it spends the     winter and where in spring it bears two to six furless and blind     young. It is omnivorous; fruits, roots, beechnuts, eggs, young     birds, small quadrupeds, frogs, snails, worms, and insects     constitute its natural food. It also feeds on honey and on the     larvae of wasps and wild bees; the shaggy hair of the badger is     protection against stings. Read the rest of the badgers article on Encarta.com here. For some more great badger info, check out the Harrison Badger Homepage.

pic from the Harrison Badger Homepage

the sound clip you are hearing is the sound of a badger (American badger, actually, but close enough) and it's from The Virtual Sett