We all know redwallers wear habits, but what are the habits made of? Certainly not wool, there are no sheep in Redwall. Cotton, maybe, with the enviornment of Mossflower, but we all get the sense that Redwallers grow crops just for food. But also take ingto consideration the number of cotton-needing materials in the Abbey. Infirmary/dormitory bedsheets, the tapestry, the many haversacks used by travelers...
The books have said that the bedsheets are linen, so that's a clue.
But other materials... fresh grass is too supple and itchy, animal fibres are unavailable, etc, etc. Any ideas?
Jute, flax and other plant fibres are readily available. Also, maybe they import all their cloth from a magical land that produces cotton. Also, silk is useful too, because it is made of insects.
Silk is mentioned several times as corsair garb.
I think I have a great quote to answer this ( Quote by the author)
"What I'm doing is telling a story. People who try to dissect my words are sadly disillusioned." ;)
Silk could be made from silkworms. But anyway, I agree with Barkshield. We can't try to find logical explanations for everything in the series.
'Tis a secret nobeast may know ;)...
*sighs* Yes, I guess you're right.
Quote from: Sagetip, the hare on February 04, 2015, 02:39:43 PM
Silk is mentioned several times as corsair garb.
Another plant type of cloth is Hemp. 8)
Quote from: Hickory on February 04, 2015, 01:11:30 PM
We all know redwallers wear habits, but what are the habits made of? Certainly not wool, there are no sheep in Redwall.
Actually, I was just rereading Mossflower, and came across a poem that mentions wool and sheep. (https://books.google.com/books?id=4KGPDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT136&lpg=PT136&dq=sheep+wool+mossflower&source=bl&ots=L5hu1PdFS7&sig=EKUwGpILH38ERq17yYLqqklzHKc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwwMCcr_bVAhVBImMKHVYIBHoQ6AEIJjAA#v=onepage&q=sheep%20wool%20&f=false) Interesting. Mr. Jacques played a little loosely with the little details like that, but I never let it distract me from the magic.
So the question is were the sheep enormous, towering monsters? ;D
What if they were just as smart as everyone else but were hunted and killed for their wool and are now extinct...
Then the woodlanders or vermin would be incredibly stupid, because sheep can be sheared and regrow their wool. You don't have to kill them to get it.
Vermin used their bodies for meat and Woodlanders gathered the wool off them.
If the sheep were as smart as woodlanders and as big relative to the them as they are in real life, they'd be unstoppable God creatures of destruction. I don't think anybeast could bring 'em down.
This is where wolves come into play.
Though I doubt the sheep would be as big as they are compared to them in real life.
Yeah, you're probably right. The wolf must not have been much bigger than a fox in Redwall lore, and a real fox would be able to take down a sheep as well. So it is indeed possible. Hmm.
>: )