Asio Bardwing
Asio Bardwing was a male tawny owl who traveled with Mad Maudie Mugsberry Thropple. He was the nephew of Auntie Cordoolia and Uncle Wilfrum. Asio spoke with an archaic dialect using a Highland accent. He was stubborn and not very intelligent, and once he had an idea in his head it was almost impossible to shake him. Asio did not have the best hygiene, leaving remnants of his previous meals on his talons.
He seemed to experience short term memory loss, often forgetting that he had spoken with others. This eventually led Asio to believe that Maudie had mind-reading abilities. He played an instrument called an owlharp to entertain her, though not too well. Asio was good friends with Bungwen and Log-a-Log Luglug; he helped Maudie find the latter's encampment when she was searching for it. He also claimed to have once known how to navigate to Redwall Abbey, but had since forgotten the route.
Although not too bright, Asio was a dangerous fighter and very courageous, to the point of being perilous. He sacrificed his own life to save a young shrew from an adder, though he was convinced the snake was a harmless slowworm. The adder struck him several times, and he died from the poison, still arguing with Maudie and Luglug that the snake was not an adder until the last moment. The shrew he saved had his name changed by his mother to Asio in honor of his brave rescuer.
Trivia
[edit]- Asio is the genus of eared owls.