Martin the Warrior is the sixth book of the fantasy novel written by Brian Jacques, in 1993. In this series, it tells the story of a young mouse named Martin. He is a slave of the cruel Badrang the Tyrant who managed to escape and become a great fighter despite his tragic and brutal past. He can be seen wielding a sword called the Sword of Martin the Warrior.
The Sword of Martin the Warrior has several tales to tell. In fact, it has been wielded by several characters from the Redwall series. But what exactly is the Sword of Martin? Where did it come from? Who are the known characters that wielded the sword? Well, check out this article to know about the Sword of Martin the Warrior from the Redwall Series.
What is the Sword of Martin the Warrior?
The Sword of Martin the Warrior, also known as Ratdeath was a legendary blade initially wielded by Martin the Elder. Originally, there was nothing special about the sword. It has a regular steel blade, a red pommel, and strapped with leather. The sword also has a silver crosspiece and a sheath, although it was mentioned very often.After being broken, Martin carried its hilt on his neck for a long time.
Subsequently, it was later reforged by a badger named lord Boar the Fighter, after Martin’s arrival on Salamandastron. It was then crafted from a hard metal that came from a fallen star and was re-strapped with black leather.
The Origin of the Sword
The Sword of Martin was primarily owned by Martin the Elder before it was passed down to Luke the Warrior, his son. Later before he sailed away after Vilu Daskar, Luke gave the sword to his son, Martin the Warrior. However, the sword was broken when Martin, the Warrior, encountered a female wild cat known as Tsarmina Greeneyes at Kotir. From then on, after the sword was broken, Martin the Warrior carried the hilt of the sword from his neck. He later traveled to Salamandastron, and the sword was reforged by Boar the Fighter using a star metal. Martin used the sword to defeat Tsarmina and keep the Mossflower safe.
At his death, in compliance with his father’s will, Martin hid the sword. When Luke the Warrior gave the sword to Martin, he stated that the weapon should not be passed. He also added that he should hide the sword where only the brave and the true beast could found. With this, Martin requested to hang his sword from the Weathervane, the most inaccessible place to most Redwall Abbey residents. Aside from that, Martin also left a coded poem behind his tapestry in Great Hall that will tell the sword’s whereabouts. However, it is unknown whether the sword was really hung on the Weathervane at that time. In the next seasons, Blind Simeon was guided to an underground where the sword was.
Subsequently, the Sword of Martin was left to Dandin, the sword carrier. Using the sword, he was accompanied by Mariel Gullwhacker to battle against Gabool the Wild. Following that quest, Rufe Brush took the weapon and put it in the Weathervane. In there, the sword was struck by lightning and fell into Samkim and Arula. After that, it was stolen by Thura and Dingeye and was later possessed by Deathbrush. Samkim dueled with Deathbrush and reclaimed the sword, but lost it to the Deepcoil. Mara retrieved the sword and brought it back to Samkim, who returned it to the Redwall. After the long adventure of the sword, Wild King MacPhearsome restored the sword on its place in Weathervane.
It seems that the sword was quite famous that after it was restored, it was again stolen by King Bloodfeather of the Sparta Tribe. Eventually, it was passed to his successor, King Bull Sparra, who lost the sword to Asmodeus. Following that, it was again retrieved by Mathias the Warrior. Since then, after Mathias defeated Cluny the Scourge, Abbot Mortimer named the sword ‘Rathdeath. The sword was then displayed in the tapestry of Martin the Warrior.
Several seasons later, the sword was stolen by Grumpy Watervole. However, it was taken by Magger, the weasel Sea Raider. Later on, after Captain Vizka killed him, he took the Sword of Martin for himself. Afterward, it was retrieved by Lady Salixa and returned it to the Redwall Abbey.