Redwall

An image of Martin the Warrior is stitched into a corner of the tapestry in the great hall. While it is meant to stand as a symbol of heroism to the inhabitants of Redwall, its use in the book signals the opposite. The struggle to possess the tapestry is more closely associated with Cluny and the theme of the nature of villainy. He correctly perceives that the image holds great significance for the mice and explains this to his followers: “The mere mention of Martin the Warrior sends them into ecstasies. Don’t you see, he is their symbol. […] So, if the mice were to lose their most precious omen, the picture of Martin, where would that leave them?” (64).

As stated earlier, Cluny recognizes the value of fear in controlling his army and conquering his foes. He hopes that the loss of the tapestry will demoralize the mice to such a degree that they will lose the heart to resist him. Although Cluny captures the tapestry for a while, possessing it places him in the same predicament as the mice. By affixing it to his battle standard, Cluny makes the tapestry a symbol of his victory. When Jess recaptures it later in the story, it becomes an ill omen for the warlord. Losing the tapestry suggests that he might lose the war.

Aside from the tapestry itself, the image of Martin as depicted on the tapestry haunts the rat’s dreams. On more than one occasion, he sees himself being pursued by the mouse knight, and these nightmares leave him demoralized and fearful. Cluny stole the tapestry in the first place to instill fear into the mice. He gets the opposite result. The loss of the tapestry and the nightmare visions of Martin instill fear in him.