Marlfox
Encyclopedia
Marlfox is a fantasy
novel by Brian Jacques
, published in 1998. It is the eleventh book in the Redwall
series. Marlfoxes are an unusual breed of anthropomorphic fox
es, which serve as the main antagonist
s in the book.
The Marlfoxes consist of High Queen Silth and her brood. They are different from other foxes in their fur, which gives them the ability to blend in to almost any surrounding, invisible to all but the keenest eye. This ability has given rise to the false rumor that the Marlfoxes possess magic, which they do not. However, Marlfoxes are highly agile and skilled with axes.
Castle Marl, home of the Marlfoxes, is situated in the middle of an enormous inland sea, on the island that was once home to Badger Lord Urthwyte the Mighty. The Marlfoxes command a vast army of water rats, and they travel around the country seeking rare and priceless artifacts.
The Marlfoxes, backed by an army of water rats, mount a successful invasion of Redwall and steal the tapestry of the long dead hero, Martin the Warrior. The Marlfox Ziral, however, is slain, and the remaining Marlfoxes swear revenge on the citizens of Redwall.
Mokkan, one of the Marlfoxes, escapes with the tapestry, leaving his siblings behind. Three young Redwallers, Songbreeze Swifteye, Dannflor Reguba, and a Guosim shrew named Dippler set out after Mokkan, trying to retrieve the tapestry. They meet Burble, a water vole, and have many adventures and meet many friends who help them on their journey, such as the gynormous hedgehog Sollertree,who lost his daughter Nettlebud to the Marlfoxes and water rats, and the Mighty Megraw, a large osprey who used to live by the Marlfox island but was driven away in an ambush by magpies.
Meanwhile, the remaining Marlfoxes lay siege to Redwall. After a series of battles, Songbreeze's father Janglur Swifteye, Dannflor's father Rusvul Reguba, Cregga Rose Eyes, and many others fight off the remaining army, killing the remaining Marlfoxes and restoring peace to Redwall. In a discrepancy the rats were divided into eight groups, but 1 group was sent each way.
Song, Dann, Dippler and Burble meet some new friends and set out into the great lake to the island. Mokkan finds that Silth has been killed by one of his sisters, Lantur. He promptly kills her by pushing her into the lake, proclaiming himself King. However, the companions arrive and overthrow the water rat army. Mokkan escapes in a boat, but an escaped slave, whom we find out is Nettlebud, throws a chain at him and knocks him into the lake, where he is eaten by pike.
The surviving water rats are left on the island to become peaceful creatures and farm the land, and the companions return home to Redwall, where Songbreeze Swifteye is named Abbess and Dannflor Reguba is named Abbey Champion by Cregga Rose Eyes, Redwall's blind badgermum. Dippler is named Log-a-log, and Burble is named Chief of the Watervoles.
At the end of the novel is a note, stating that the entire tale was made into a drama, edited by one Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop.
The "Marl" sub-species of foxes portrayed in Marlfox actually do exist. Silver colored foxes are a rare color mutation of the common red fox
. In the novel, the Marlfox characters are:
(These divisions are called "acts," instead of "books," as in the other installments of the series. This is explained by a note at the end stating that it had been edited by Florian, the hare leader of the Wandering Noonvale Companions.)
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novel by Brian Jacques
Brian Jacques
James Brian Jacques was an English author best known for his Redwall series of novels and Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. He also completed two collections of short stories entitled The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns and Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.-Biography:Brian Jacques was born...
, published in 1998. It is the eleventh book in the Redwall
Redwall
Redwall, by Brian Jacques, is a series of fantasy novels. It is the title of the first book of the series, published in 1986, the name of the Abbey featured in the book, and the name of an animated TV series based on three of the novels , which first aired in 1999...
series. Marlfoxes are an unusual breed of anthropomorphic fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, which serve as the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s in the book.
Plot introduction
When the treasure hungry Marlfoxes steal the lavish tapestry of Martin the Warrior from Redwall Abbey, a group of young Redwallers must go after the Marlfoxes in pursuit, while the remaining Redwallers fight off a vermin invasion back at the Abbey.Plot summary
The wandering Noonvale companions travel to Redwall, where they will mount a show.The Marlfoxes consist of High Queen Silth and her brood. They are different from other foxes in their fur, which gives them the ability to blend in to almost any surrounding, invisible to all but the keenest eye. This ability has given rise to the false rumor that the Marlfoxes possess magic, which they do not. However, Marlfoxes are highly agile and skilled with axes.
Castle Marl, home of the Marlfoxes, is situated in the middle of an enormous inland sea, on the island that was once home to Badger Lord Urthwyte the Mighty. The Marlfoxes command a vast army of water rats, and they travel around the country seeking rare and priceless artifacts.
Mokkan, one of the Marlfoxes, escapes with the tapestry, leaving his siblings behind. Three young Redwallers, Songbreeze Swifteye, Dannflor Reguba, and a Guosim shrew named Dippler set out after Mokkan, trying to retrieve the tapestry. They meet Burble, a water vole, and have many adventures and meet many friends who help them on their journey, such as the gynormous hedgehog Sollertree,who lost his daughter Nettlebud to the Marlfoxes and water rats, and the Mighty Megraw, a large osprey who used to live by the Marlfox island but was driven away in an ambush by magpies.
Meanwhile, the remaining Marlfoxes lay siege to Redwall. After a series of battles, Songbreeze's father Janglur Swifteye, Dannflor's father Rusvul Reguba, Cregga Rose Eyes, and many others fight off the remaining army, killing the remaining Marlfoxes and restoring peace to Redwall. In a discrepancy the rats were divided into eight groups, but 1 group was sent each way.
Song, Dann, Dippler and Burble meet some new friends and set out into the great lake to the island. Mokkan finds that Silth has been killed by one of his sisters, Lantur. He promptly kills her by pushing her into the lake, proclaiming himself King. However, the companions arrive and overthrow the water rat army. Mokkan escapes in a boat, but an escaped slave, whom we find out is Nettlebud, throws a chain at him and knocks him into the lake, where he is eaten by pike.
The surviving water rats are left on the island to become peaceful creatures and farm the land, and the companions return home to Redwall, where Songbreeze Swifteye is named Abbess and Dannflor Reguba is named Abbey Champion by Cregga Rose Eyes, Redwall's blind badgermum. Dippler is named Log-a-log, and Burble is named Chief of the Watervoles.
At the end of the novel is a note, stating that the entire tale was made into a drama, edited by one Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop.
Redwallers and companions
- Songbreeze Swifteye
- Dannflor Reguba
- Dippler [Shrew]
- Burble
- Janglur Swifteye
- Rusvul Reguba
- Cregga Rose Eyes [Old Badger Lady of Salamanstron]
- Florian Dugglewoof Wilffachop
- Mighty Megraw
- Gawjo Swifteye
- Nutwing
Marlfoxes
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
. In the novel, the Marlfox characters are:
- Silth - High Queen of Castle Marl, Silth was the mother of the Marlfox brood. Once a mighty warrior, she became senile in old age, having killed her mate and taking over the throne. In her delusions, Silth commanded her brood to search out beautiful things to surround herself with. Her insanity was further fueled by her daughter Lantur, who tormented her with the image of the White Ghost, a legendary figure based on the albino badger Urthwyte. Lantur later poisoned her mother, and Silth was lowered into the lake after her demise.
- Ascrod - He and Vannan were the two Marlfoxes who infiltrated Redwall to steal the tapestry of Martin the Warrior. His demise was made swift by Cregga, who shot a longbow arrow through an upper window straight through his head.
- Vannan - She, along with Ascrod, were the Marlfoxes that harassed the Swifteyes at the beginning of the story. She was killed by an otter javelin when Skipper of Otters returned to Redwall with many mighty otter crews.
- Gelltor - The rashest of the Marlfoxes, he originally wanted to go to war against Redwall for particularly no good reason (for taking an injury to the shoulder and the death of a water rat). He became the leader of the Marlfoxes after Mokkan abandoned them. He worked with Predak often before he was slain by Song's father Janglur, with a loaded sling blow to the skull. His axe was turned into a woodcutting axe.
- Predak - With the exception of Lantur & Mokkan, she was the last Marlfox to be slain. She perished at the final battle against Redwall, when the otter twin Borrakul strangled her and threw her off the battlements for killing his brother, Elachim.
- Lantur - Lantur, as Marlfoxes go, was very sly. She spent her days frightening the High Queen Silth, also her mother, with the aim of scaring her to death. She was helped by her personal advisor, Wilce, who was, along with Ullig the Slave Captain, head of all the water rats on Queen Silth's island. Lantur eventually succeeded in poisoning her mother, but got a nasty surprise when Mokkan showed up at the island, being pushed to her death in the lake. She was the smallest and youngest of the Marlfoxes, but the favorite of Silth's mate, her father.
- Mokkan - Mokkan was the undisputed leader of the Marlfox brood, and was the fastest and strongest; perhaps the only equal to Mokkan among his six siblings, was Lantur, at home with High Queen Silth. After the death of his mother, and slyly pushing Lantur into the lake, Mokkan became the High King of the Marlfoxes. However his reign was short lived, when trying to escape from Redwallers and freed slaves, a freed hedgehog (Nettlebud, the long-lost daughter of Sollertree) used her shackles like a sling and knocked him from his boat and into the lake where he was eaten by pikes.
- Ziral - The first Marlfox murdered, her death started the war between the Redwallers and Marlfoxes. She was beheaded by Song's father with her own axe.
- The King - The unnamed father of Ascrod, Vannan, Gelltor, Predak, Lantur, Mokkan, and Ziral was murdered by Silth, his mate, because he wanted to call himself king. Lantur was his favorite daughter. While Lantur was terrifying Silth with the White Ghost, the rats said that the White Ghost was him, returned to avenge his murder.
Book divisions (English)
- Act 1: Enter the Players
- Act 2: Four Chieftains Going Forth
- Act 3: The Queen's Island
(These divisions are called "acts," instead of "books," as in the other installments of the series. This is explained by a note at the end stating that it had been edited by Florian, the hare leader of the Wandering Noonvale Companions.)
Translations
- (FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) Rougemuraille : Les Ombrenards - (ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) La Regina di Castel Vulpombra - (RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
) Белые лисы