Gulo the Savage

Gulo the Savage was a brutal and violent male cannibal wolverine from the Land of Ice and Snow. He was the son of Dramz and the brother of Askor. After murdering his father, Gulo attempted to secure control of the frozen territory, but he was forced to track down his brother after the theft of the Walking Stone, the royal symbol of power. His pursuit took him and his cannibalistic horde of 100 white vermin carnivores to Mossflower Woods, where after a series of skirmishes, he was eventually beheaded by Rakkety Tam MacBurl's sharpened shield's edge when he was thrown upon it in a duel with the warrior squirrel.

Gulo's main weapons were his natural claws and teeth, which, when combined with his physical strength, proved to be more than sufficient. He also used a sword stolen from Wild Doogy Plumm during his brief fight with Tam, though it is unlikely that he actually received any training in how to use one. However, he quite competently beat down Tam with the claymore by using strength and speed.

Behavior

Of all of Redwall's villains, Gulo the Savage has been described as the least intelligent. While he was by no means an idiot, he never once orchestrated any sophisticated or complex stratagems during his campaign in Mossflower, as most plans were decided by his captains, primarily Shard.

However, Gulo was also one of the few vermin leaders that actually fought from the front and was not afraid of his enemies, or seemingly anything. He only occasionally lagged behind because he was not a long-distance runner. He is also considered to be the physically largest and most intimidating of the Redwall villains, fighting with strength, ferocity, and physical stature that exceeded even that of a badger. It is also notable that Gulo was mentally disturbed, enduring a trying and ultimately aimless pursuit of his dead brother. This only became obvious when he started talking to the bushes and herbs about his brother one moment, and falling asleep the next. Gulo also had little to no regard for the lives of his horde; while the white vermin originally sided with Gulo, this was most likely out of fear of the wolverine.

Legacy

• The grove of rooks and black birds was so decimated by Gulo's attack that they could never roost in numbers again.
• Gulo the Savage and his horde killed and consumed every member of Driftail's gang.

Trivia

• The name "Gulo" comes from the scientific name for wolverines, Gulo gulo. The name is derived from the Latin word gulo, meaning glutton.