Watership Down Characters

Characters

Watership Down

Hazel - He leads the rabbits from Sandleford and eventually becomes Chief Rabbit of Watership Down. He is the primary protagonist of the series. Although he is not the strongest or smartest of the bucks, Hazel is a charismatic leader who recognizes and employs the skills of his fellow bucks to great success. He is shot while freeing the hutch rabbits at Nuthanger Farm and almost dies, but is saved by his younger brother Fiver. Although lamed by this injury, he leads the foray to Efrafa and comes up with the final, successful strategy to defeat General Woundwort. Hazel's beautiful mate is Primrose who is free from Efrafa.

Primrose Born at Redstone and a captive in Efrafa until her rescue by the Watership Down rabbits. Primrose is very supportive of Hazel, who becomes her mate and is also a dedicated mother to her three children Snowdrop, Mallow, and Gilia (who were fathered by Hazel). She and Campion also have a strong bond due to her being saved by him multiple times back in Efrafa. In Efrafa she showed a rebellious and stubborn attitude toward Vervain, who bullied and tormented her at every given opportunity. Despite her deep hatred for Vervain, she, Fiver, Holly, and Captain Broom saved his life when he was caught in some wire, although she originally protested the idea of helping the rabbit "that made her life miserable." Later she hates herself for letting him go when she finds out he formed an alliance out of fear with Woundwort. Primrose replaces the character of Hyzenthlay from the novel and film.

Fiver – Hazel's younger brother. A small runty rabbit who had visions of the destruction of the Sandleford warren lead him to leave, along with his older brother Hazel and several other rabbits. He appears to be more prescient than his novel counterpart, and his visions come in rhymes. He often feels responsible for foreseeing terrible things or blaming himself for their outcome. He and Hazel are very close together.

Bigwig – A rabbit who was formerly an officer in the Sandleford Owsla, so-called because of the large amount of hair surrounding his face giving him the appearance of a lionhead rabbit. The largest and most powerful of the Sandleford survivors, he is often blunt and impatient for dangerous action and fighting. After nearly getting killed in a snare in episode 3, he realizes that Fiver is right more often than not. He quickly befriends Kehaar and often asks for his help on Hazel's behalf. Hazel often selects him for the most dangerous missions, such as the infiltration of Efrafa. Later, he becomes captain of the Watership Down's Owsla and falls for Spartina, a doe from Darkhaven.

Blackberry – Although originally a buck in the novel, Blackberry is a doe who has skills in herbs and is referred to as the digging expert. Her character is otherwise unchanged, she is the most intelligent of the rabbits, and often comes up with ingenious ideas. She is the only doe to go to Watership Down with Hazel and the others. Later in the series she falls in love with Campion. She is devastated when she thinks Campion is dead, but is rejoined with him when she is taken prisoner in Darkhaven. At the end of the series she and Campion return to Watership Down together.

Dandelion - Dandelion is of the slowest of rabbits, contrasting his characterisation as speedster in the novel and although still an accomplished storyteller,He is more of a joker and wise guy and provides much of the series' comedy relief. He is a good friend of Hawkbit, despite their mutual attraction to former Efrafan doe Heather (who later leaves with Moss to start a new warren). He and Hawkbit serve in Bigwig's Owsla together.

Pipkin - A very young and adventurous rabbit eager to prove himself in the eyes of the bigger companions—particularly Hazel and Bigwig, contrasting his nervous and timid personality from the novel. While the youngest of the Watership Down rabbits, he has the gift of making friends with everyone including other animals in the Down area, to the point that when he is in trouble they will immediately join together with the Watership Down rabbits to come to his rescue. Even General Woundwort found he was not immune to Pipkin and refused to kill him, saying that it would be like killing a part of himself. During the last season Pipkin grows up to be a responsible rabbit, even leading the 'Junior Owsla'.

Hawkbit – He is a pessimistic, grouchy and sarcastic rabbit who always has a biting comment for every situation, but is a dependable member of the warren whenever help is needed. An outstanding example of the effect Hazel has upon those rabbits who would otherwise have been totally disregarded in the warren hierarchy, He later becomes a good friend of the more cerebral Dandelion and during the last season, he settles down with Clover.

Holly – Former captain of the Sandleford Owsla, Holly has only a minor role and is mostly used as a background character, He's formed a key part of the Watership Down defenses in the last season.

Clover – A fomer hutch rabbit rescued from Nuthanger Farm. She and Hawkbit settle down at the ending of the series.

Blackavar – A rabbit with very dark fur. He is obsessed with escaping from Efrafa. Together with Primrose, he frequently attempts to escape only to get captured again by the Efrafan Owsla. With Hazel's help he finally succeeds and once free, He joins Hazel's warren atop Watership Down. After the escape, he is used as a minor background character, and does not appear after series 2. His appearnce is vastly changed from that of the novel, where his ears were badly ripped, and the film, in which he is killed.

Strawberry - A orangely rabbit who leaves Cowslip's warren after meeting Hazel and Bigwig and joins them in Watership Down. Initially lazy from his time with Cowslip, he later proves to be an accomplished digger and serves in Bigwig's Owsla.

Captain Broom - The former captain of the Redstone Owsla. When Primrose, now free from Efrafa, returns to see her old friends Broom informs her that an unspecified illness has wiped out the entire warren but him. He joins the Watership Down rabbits at Hazel's invitation. He usually bores them with his tall tales, but does have wisdom (his knowledge about sheep helps avert a disaster) and can be relied upon in a crisis. He and Captain Holly also get along with each other.

Kehaar – A black-headed gull who is forced by an injured wing, to take refuge on Watership Down. He is characterized by his frequent impatience, guttural accent and unusual phrasing. Eventually, after Hazel and the others befriend him, He flies over the countryside in an attempt to discover other warrens where the rabbits might find does to mate with. He discovers the Efrafa warren and after helping the rabbits he meets a gull called Gluk and flies to the city to settle down with her because she likes life in the city better.

Hannah is a brown mouse. She is a good friend of Kehaar and has a kind of love/hate relationship with Bigwig who feels she is too small to be of any use in a fight, but her bravery more than makes up for her size. After Kehaar's departure, Hannah tries to learn magic to help her friends on the Down. Silverweed instead takes her magic into himself to save the Down. Although a mouse featured in the novel, it appeared only briefly, and spoke with a thick Italian accent.

Snowdrop is a daughter white kit. One of Hazel and Primrose's kits.

Mallow is a son dark tan kit. One of Hazel and Primrose's kits.

Gilia is a daughter tan kit. One of Hazel and Primrose's kits.

Cowslip's Warren (The Warren of the Shining Wires)

Cowslip - the so-called leader of the warren, there is some doubt as to whether he is insane or totally evil. Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig first encounter him when they accompany Captain Holly to recover an injured Sandleford rabbit left there, only to learn the warren's terrible secret when Bigwig nearly becomes a victim and that the missing rabbit was a victim. He becomes angered by Hazel's warren when they help a group of his rabbits escape from his warren, and even helps Woundwort to get his revenge on them, however, as he himself states, "I'm a plotter, not a fighter" and he uses both sides for his own gain. Later he trades his seer, Silverweed, to Woundwort in exchange for the destruction of his escaped rabbit's warren.

Silverweed – he is a seer with mental abilities similar to Fiver, in particular possessing the ability to see into another rabbit's mind by touch. He is traded to Woundwort to help him seek his destiny, but later ends up on Watership Down and becomes a good friend of the rabbits there, even sacrificing most of his youth to help save the warren from Woundwort.

Redstone Rabbits

Hickory - was one of the rabbits who were liberated from Cowslip's warren by the Watership Down rabbits. He and several other rabbits including his mate Marigold, decided to live inside Primrose's old home of Redstone. They lived peaceful lives until Woundwort and Vervain (under the alias of Wheatstalk and Chaff respectively), arrived there to try and turn Redstone into a warren controlled by force and not reason. At first Hickory was taken in by Woundwort's guise and it wasn't until it was too late that he found out the truth. Thanks to a bargain he made with Cowslip, who wanted revenge on his deserters, Woundwort tricked Hickory and the others rabbits at Redstone to stay put while their warren gets demolished by man, but Hazel and the others saved them in time. Hickory was re-united with Marigold and they all now live with Hazel and the others on Watership Down.

Marigold - is Hickory's mate and the mother to his kittens. She was actually the first rabbit to see through Woundwort's guise when he first came to Redstone with Vervain. Knowing that he was dangerous, Marigold risked everything to seek help from Hazel and the other Watership Down rabbits who all arrived just in time to save Hickory and his rabbits.

Flax - a friend of Hickory's;

Efrafan Rabbits

General Woundwort – He serves as the primary antagonist of the series. A brutal and tyrannical leader who sees himself as the one doing everything for the best of his warren, Woundwort strives to destroy Hazel and his 'outsiders' because of the hope for free life they represent for his own subjects. He has black, ragged fur and is blind in his left eye. He deeply respects Campion, even after his betrayal by him, and he often punishes and threatens Vervain, but still values him as an adviser and loyal subject despite this. He shows a soft side briefly after Pipkin tells him that his parents were killed by a weasel (a fate that Woundwort himself went through), and for a brief moment before Efrafa's destruction sees himself for what he is and what he has brought Efrafa to. After the destruction of Efrafa, Woundwort becomes obsessed with seeking his destiny of destruction, which leads him to the warren he was born in: Darkhaven. In the end, he is taken by the Black Rabbit of Inlé along with most of the Darkhaven rabbits.

Campion – Campion sees that Woundwort's leadership is destroying Efrafa, but is torn between his feelings for the free ways of Watership Down and his loyalty to his chief rabbit. He met Blackberry and it was love at first sight, but he sacrificed himself to save his chief from a cave in. He survived and was taken to Darkhaven, as was Blackberry soon after, and they sealed their love in Darkhaven and escaped to Watership Down. He fought in the last battle against Woundwort. Afterwards, he and Blackberry settled down together.

Vervain - is a cowardly and sneaky rabbit, more adept at spying on others and threatening the weaker ones then in actual combat and is (next to Woundwort) the most hated and despised rabbit of the Watership Down story. Despite his shortcomings, Woundwort values him (though he would not show this) for his loyalty to him. Although Campion saved his life on more than one occasion, Vervain hates him with a passion and would like nothing better than to make Woundwort realize Campion is a traitor. Kehaar is particularly not fond of Vervain and calls him an 'ugly bunny'. After Efrafa's destruction, Vervain tries to live on his own but quickly loses hope, until he is saved by Woundwort. Although somewhat shocked by his master's increasing madness, Vervain continues to serve him, though more out of fear than respect, and he secretly longs to lead a different life, even if such thoughts are futile.

Moss - was one of Woundwort's corporals, who much like Campion hoped for things to improve within Efrafa. After Efrafa was liberated by the Watership Down rabbits, Moss was elected by them to be their new chief, so together with his mate Heather, they left Watership Down to start their own warren with the former Efrafan rabbits.

Heather - Moss' mate and a doe of whom Hawkbit and Dandelion once fought over before they realized she had already chosen her mate.

Aspen - An Efrafan Owsla rabbit who developed a close relationship with Vervain. However, the relationship was short lived, as Aspen was later attacked and killed by a weasel.

Gorse - An Efrafan Owsla rabbit who was on a Wide Patrol along with Campion, Vervain and Thistle. He and Thistle were killed by a fox that was chasing Bigwig.

Thistle - An Efrafan Owsla rabbit who was on a Wide Patrol along with Campion, Vervain and Gorse. He and Gorse were killed by a fox that was chasing Bigwig.

Larch - An Efrafan Owsla rabbit who was on a Wide patrol led by Vervain. He got sick on patrol and was left behind on Vervain's orders. if an elil did not get him he presumably died of the sickness.

Darkhaven Rabbits

Spartina - is one of Darkhaven's warrior does. She was chosen by Woundwort to trick the Watership Down rabbits into thinking that she is their friend, so she may spy on them and to find the location of their warren. However while she was there, Silverweed managed to see through her guise with his powers and she confessed everything to Hazel and the others, as she is beginning to have feelings for Bigwig. She returned to Darkhaven, in order to save Blackberry from being killed by Granite (under her orders), but she is soon held prisoner along with her. However she managed to escape along with Campion and Blackberry and aided the Watership Down rabbits in their fight against Woundwort. It's assumed she settles down with Bigwig at Watership Down after the final battle.

Granite - was the chief of Darkhaven, before losing his title to Campion during combat (of which later Campion gave the title to Woundwort as soon as he arrived at Darkhaven). Granite is no doubt one of the warren's strongest rabbits. He was instructed by Spartina to kill Blackberry by the next full moon, however since Blackberry once saved his life, Granite was unable to perform the deed, meaning that he does have a sense of honor.

Shale - A rabbit from the Darkhaven Owsla.

Felspar - A rabbit from the Darkhaven Owsla. Always seen with Granite, Spartina and Shale.

Nuthanger Farm

Chester - the farm's dog. He first appears in the first episode "The Promised Land" where he chases after the rabbits but fails in the process. He then has a small appearance in the episode "The Raid" where he barks at Hazel as he escapes from the barn. His last appearance was in the episode "Tale of a Mouse" in which he is guarding the farm's vegetable. At the end of the episode, he chases after the farm's cat, Tabitha. Chester's breed is somewhat of a Rottweiler.

Tabitha - the farm's cat. She also first appears in the first episode "The Promised Land" where she attacks Kehaar when he is trying to steal her bowl of fish. She then had a larger role in two episodes, "The Raid" and "Tale of a Mouse". In "The Raid", she tries to attack and eat Hazel, Fiver and Pipkin when they are trying to free hutch rabbits but fails. In "Tale of a Mouse", she goes after the rabbits again, and also after Hannah. At the end, she is chased by Chester around the farm. Tabitha appears again in "The Betrayal" when she attacks Spartina in a barn in Nuthanger Farm, and is driven off Bigwig and the others. Tabitha's breed is somewhat of a Tabby Cat or a Calico. Unlike Chester, she can speak (except her appearance in "The Promised Land").