Two thirds of the book are a mixed bag of new Lapine mythology (ranging from Eldritch Abomination to Cloudcuckoolander tales, including a new one with a Woundwort Expy). The stories therein actually take place during the original novel, albeit after the resolution of the plot. The novel proved so popular that in 1996, Adams wrote a collection of sequel stories called Tales from Watership Down. Don't think that the stories are separate from the action, because they build up an intricate belief system that rewards us with major character moments, up to and including the very end of the story. El-ahrairah is a Trickster hero (meet us halfway between Beowulf and Bugs Bunny and you've got the idea), and the legends we hear deal with everything from the rabbit's creation myth to El-ahrairah's descent into Inlé to meet the Black Rabbit. Their journey is long – for a rabbit (about five miles), and it is punctuated by times of rest, during which they encourage each other with tales of their Folk Hero, the first rabbit: El-ahrairah, the Prince With a Thousand Enemies.
Hazel in particular quickly realises that survival as a tribe of hlessil (nomads) will require atypical problem-solving and teamwork, and thus becomes the de facto leader of the group, with a particular talent for bringing out the best in his followers and earning their loyalty in return.
Only Blackberry, Fiver, and Hazel can really "think outside the hutch," as it were. They don't understand visual art, or human speech, or any of the strange things humans do. They think hrududil (cars and other large machinery) are some type of animal. They can't count past four because they only have four paws (Fiver, the runt of a five-kit litter, gets his name from the colloquial of the Lapine word hrair, literally meaning "uncountably many" or "a thousand"). Caution is a way of life because death is a moment-to-moment possibility. They live and think like fragile prey animals. Notable among Hazel's new followers are Bigwig, one of the community's elite enforcers Dandelion, a very fast runner and Blackberry, a genius capable of grasping high-level concepts like crossing water without having to swim by sitting on something that floats.īecause, see. After Fiver has a vision of their hometown being destroyed, Hazel gathers together a group of sympathizers and they set off for a new home after a brief but futile attempt to convince the town's leaders of the danger.
He also looks after his little brother, Fiver, a fragile soul prone to odd hallucinations. Hazel, our protagonist, is a youngster scratching out a living as best he can on the outskirts of society.
Lord Frith, "The Blessing of El-ahrairah"Īn epic Low Fantasy adventure novel written by Richard Adams, first published in 1972.
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