Characters Rabbits Sandleford warren Hazel/Hazel-rah: The novel's protagonist. Though Hazel is not particularly large or powerful, he is loyal, brave, affectionate and a quick thinker. He sees the good in each individual, and what they bring to the table; in so doing, he makes sure no one gets left behind, thus earning the respect and loyalty of his warren. He becomes their Chief Rabbit in the process, with his name accordingly expanded to Hazel-rah ("Chief Hazel" or "Prince Hazel" in Lapine). He often relies on Fiver's advice, and he trusts his brother's instincts most of the time. Fiver: Hazel's younger brother, a runt rabbit whose Lapine name means "Little One of Many" (Rabbits have a single word, "hrair" - sometimes translated as "thousand" - for all numbers greater than four. Fiver's name in Lapine, Hrairoo, indicates that he is the smallest of a litter of five or more rabbits.) As a seer, he has visions and strong instincts. He is shy, kind, and intelligent, and though he does not directly act as a leader, the others listen to and follow his advice. Vilthuril becomes his mate. Bigwig: An ex-Owsla officer, and the largest, strongest, and bravest rabbit of the group. His name in Lapine is Thlayli, which literally means "Fur-head" and refers to the shock of fur on the back of his head. Though he is initially harsh and cynical, he is naturally compassioniate and eventually learns to be less quick-tempered. He is also shown to be cunning in his own way when he rescues the does from Efrafa, and later devises a plan to defeat the larger and stronger General Woundwort. This final confrontation leaves him severely wounded, but he survives and becomes the leader of Hazel's Owsla. Blackberry: A clever buck rabbit with black-tipped ears. He is often capable of understanding concepts the other rabbits find incomprehensible. He realizes, for instance, that wood floats, and the rabbits use this tactic twice to travel on water. He also works out how to dismantle the snare that almost kills Bigwig, saving him. He is one of Hazel's most trusted advisors, and he and Kehaar devise the plan to rescue does from Efrafa. Dandelion: Described as a "dashing" buck rabbit, notable for his storytelling ability and speed. He is the first to recognize Watership Down as their best new home, and is instrumental in both raids on Nuthanger farm. Buckthorn: A strong half-grown buck who was expected to be part of the Sandleford Owsla once he reached maturity. He joins Bigwig and Silver as a fighter for the group. Hawkbit: Described in the book as a "rather slow, stupid rabbit", but is accepted by Hazel regardless. Speedwell and Acorn: Pair of rank-and-file rabbits who are friends of Hawkbit. Like him, they are initially distrustful of Hazel, but soon become valuable sentries and burrow diggers. Silver: The sturdy and level-headed nephew of Sandleford's Chief Rabbit. At Sandleford, he is teased for his pale grey fur (his namesake) and accused of getting his position in the Owsla through nepotism, prompting him to join the fugitives. He, Bigwig and Buckthorn frequently defend the other rabbits along their journey. Pipkin: A small and initially timid buck rabbit. Hazel refuses to leave him behind when he is wounded, and Pipkin grows fiercely loyal to Hazel. He serves as a comforter to Holly, and becomes very brave, offering to go into Efrafa himself when Bigwig is late in returning. He also is the first to jump into the River Test, when Hazel orders the rabbits to do so. His name is Hlao-roo ("Little Dimple in the Grass") in Lapine. Holly: Former captain of the Sandleford Warren Owsla, escapes with Bluebell when his warren is destroyed by men. He is near death when he finds the warren at Watership Down, but is nursed back to health and welcomed by the fugitives. Bluebell: Buck rabbit who escapes with Holly during the destruction of Sandleford. He tells jokes (often in rhyme) to cope, and to help himself and Holly recover from the mental strain of seeing the Sandleford warren destroyed and Pimpernel killed by Cowslip's rabbits. He, like Dandelion, is also a storyteller. Pimpernel: A Sandleford rabbit, who helps Bluebell to escape the poisoning of the Sandleford warren but becomes very ill and weak in the process. He travels towards Watership with Holly and Bluebell, but is murdered by Cowslip's rabbits. Threarah - Usually called "THE Threarah" because his name means "Lord/Prince Rowan Tree" in Lapine, and there is only one rowan near the warren. He is Silver's uncle, and the cool and detached leader of the Sandleford Warren. He believes in the gift of foresight, but dismisses Fiver's fears, believing rabbits can best weather any dangers by sitting tight. He is presumed killed when the men poison his warren.
Characters Rabbits Sandleford warren Hazel/Hazel-rah The novel's protagonist Though Hazel is not particularly large or powerful he is loyal brave affectionate and a quick thinker He sees the good in each individual and what they bring to the table; in so doing he makes sure no one gets left behind thus earning the respect and loyalty of his warren He becomes their Chief Rabbit in the process with his name accordingly expanded to Hazel-rah ("Chief Hazel" or "Prince Hazel" in Lapine) He often relies on Fiver's advice and he trusts his brother's instincts most of the time Fiver Hazel's younger brother a runt rabbit whose Lapine name means "Little One of Many" (Rabbits have a single word "hrair" - sometimes translated as "thousand" - for all numbers greater than four Fiver's name in Lapine Hrairoo indicates that he is the smallest of a litter of five or more rabbits) As a seer he has visions and strong instincts He is shy kind and intelligent and though he does not directly act as a leader the others listen to and follow his advice Vilthuril becomes his mate Bigwig An ex-Owsla officer and the largest strongest and bravest rabbit of the group His name in Lapine is Thlayli which literally means "Fur-head" and refers to the shock of fur on the back of his head Though he is initially harsh and cynical he is naturally compassioniate and eventually learns to be less quick-tempered He is also shown to be cunning in his own way when he rescues the does from Efrafa and later devises a plan to defeat the larger and stronger General Woundwort This final confrontation leaves him severely wounded but he survives and becomes the leader of Hazel's Owsla Blackberry A clever buck rabbit with black-tipped ears He is often capable of understanding concepts the other rabbits find incomprehensible He realizes for instance that wood floats and the rabbits use this tactic twice to travel on water He also works out how to dismantle the snare that almost kills Bigwig saving him He is one of Hazel's most trusted advisors and he and Kehaar devise the plan to rescue does from Efrafa Dandelion Described as a "dashing" buck rabbit notable for his storytelling ability and speed He is the first to recognize Watership Down as their best new home and is instrumental in both raids on Nuthanger farm Buckthorn A strong half-grown buck who was expected to be part of the Sandleford Owsla once he reached maturity He joins Bigwig and Silver as a fighter for the group Hawkbit Described in the book as a "rather slow stupid rabbit" but is accepted by Hazel regardless Speedwell and Acorn Pair of rank-and-file rabbits who are friends of Hawkbit Like him they are initially distrustful of Hazel but soon become valuable sentries and burrow diggers Silver The sturdy and level-headed nephew of Sandleford's Chief Rabbit At Sandleford he is teased for his pale grey fur (his namesake) and accused of getting his position in the Owsla through nepotism prompting him to join the fugitives He Bigwig and Buckthorn frequently defend the other rabbits along their journey Pipkin A small and initially timid buck rabbit Hazel refuses to leave him behind when he is wounded and Pipkin grows fiercely loyal to Hazel He serves as a comforter to Holly and becomes very brave offering to go into Efrafa himself when Bigwig is late in returning He also is the first to jump into the River Test when Hazel orders the rabbits to do so His name is Hlao-roo ("Little Dimple in the Grass") in Lapine Holly Former captain of the Sandleford Warren Owsla escapes with Bluebell when his warren is destroyed by men He is near death when he finds the warren at Watership Down but is nursed back to health and welcomed by the fugitives Bluebell Buck rabbit who escapes with Holly during the destruction of Sandleford He tells jokes (often in rhyme) to cope and to help himself and Holly recover from the mental strain of seeing the Sandleford warren destroyed and Pimpernel killed by Cowslip's rabbits He like Dandelion is also a storyteller Pimpernel A Sandleford rabbit who helps Bluebell to escape the poisoning of the Sandleford warren but becomes very ill and weak in the process He travels towards Watership with Holly and Bluebell but is murdered by Cowslip's rabbits Threarah - Usually called "THE Threarah" because his name means "Lord/Prince Rowan Tree" in Lapine and there is only one rowan near the warren He is Silver's uncle and the cool and detached leader of the Sandleford Warren He believes in the gift of foresight but dismisses Fiver's fears believing rabbits can best weather any dangers by sitting tight He is presumed killed when the men poison his warren