User blog comment:Songflower/Essay: Could the Redwall Books have really happened?/@comment-1421927-20090802192242

Talking animals, animals having weapons (Other than natural defences and the like), and building, cooking, cleaning, sewing, mending, playing musical instruments and almost all of the aspects of Redwall are fantasy. They're just good books, in my opinion. Also, it would take aposable thumbs to do a lot of that work. If theoretically thinking, all but the Fantasy elements had happened, you'd be left with animals trying to survive. And, animals really can't have a system of peace, like the Redwallers; the 'good' guys, excluding badgers, because badgers are predators, they are all prey to some animal. Badgers are omnivorous and eat plants and fruit, along with small mammals, which is pretty much all of the Redwallers.

Also, how, if you are saying that other than the fantasy elements Redwall happened, what about the names of the animals? Lutra, from the Pearls of Lutra, is latin for Otter. Mother Mellus' name is from the latin word for badger, Melles. Some names, such as Methuselah were also derived from other things. Methuselah is the name of someone from the Bible, and on his page on this wikia it says: "It is possible that Brian Jacques' inspiration for Methuselah was a Biblical character also named Methuselah, who was quite wise and lived far beyond an average lifetime." I'm not trying to bring in religion but just stating that it says that on the page. Matthias is a Hebrew name. Brian Jacques derives names and sometimes mannerisms of characters from other things, especially history and Latin. Now, would that not be a hugely incredible conincidence if you are thinking theoretically?