What is the real meaning of Watership Down?

It has been endlessly picked apart and analysed and described as an allegory for both communism and Christianity but the daughters of Richard Adams have revealed the true meaning of Watership Down. “It's just a story about rabbits.”

Whats the meaning behind Watership Down?

Watership Down has been viewed as a statement about nature, an attempt to give us a glimpse into the beautiful yet removed world of the woods and grasslands. Humankind destroys animals' environments at a frightening rate, and yet does so without any real knowledge of what it is doing.

Is Watership Down a true story?

For those who still shiver at the mention of Watership Down, it may come as a surprise to know that Richard Adams' novel, later made into a film and TV series, was actually based on his own real life experiences.

Why is Watership Down about rabbits?

Evoking epic themes, the novel follows the rabbits as they escape the destruction of their warren and seek a place to establish a new home (the hill of Watership Down), encountering perils and temptations along the way. Watership Down was Richard Adams' debut novel.

What is the Black rabbit of death?

The Black Rabbit of Inlé is the grim reaper of the rabbit world who takes rabbits away at their predestined times of death. He lives in a warren of stone on earth, inhabited by dead rabbits and filled with disease, death, and sadness beyond imagining.

Why Is WATERSHIP DOWN So Messed Up?!

What does ELIL mean in Watership Down?

Edit. Elil is a Lapine word for enemy. Animals who prey on rabbits are called elil, and those animals include dogs, cats, foxes, weasels, stoats, badgers, pikes, and birds of prey. Man is said to be most dangerous of all elil.

Who is Blackavar in Watership Down?

Blackavar is a rabbit with very dark fur from Efrafa. He tried to escape Efrafa when prevented from joining the Owsla only to be caught by Campion. As punishment, Blackavar's ears were ripped to shreds and he was kept in solitary confinement to discourage further escape attempts.

Is Watership Down a sad story?

The Watership Down book ending is happy, but with a hell of a lot of darkness and sadness thrown in for good measure. So the whole story is about a rabbit called Hazel trying to lead a load of other rabbits to a new warren after his younger brother Fiver predicts something dangerous is going to happen.

Is Watership Down disturbing?

Seemingly everyone who's seen the animated 1978 adaptation of “Watership Down” has a horror story about how disturbingly brutal and violent it was. This is understandable and ridiculous. It's understandable, because the story is about rabbits, which we're conditioned to associate with Thumper and Peter Cottontail.

Is Watership Down a rabbit or hare?

They were clearly hares.” “Do the people who did the CGI for Watership Down actually know what rabbits look like. They were hares!

Where did Watership Down get its name?

By Richard Adams

Watership Down is named after a real location in England that is, frankly, pretty boring. In fact, it's just a hill. There were no battles there, no famous speeches, no iPod factories or summer music festivals.

Why is Watership Down so good?

There are several reasons it's long been listed in the pantheon of literary classics. First, it's a highly engrossing story and a propulsive read. You might hate fantasy stories or think you're too old for them, but one quickly forgets that “Watership Down” has anything to do with rabbits.

Why did Richard Adams write Watership Down?

'I simply wrote down a story I told to my little girls'

I simply wrote down a story I told to my little girls. ' Yes, despotic baddie General Woundwart's origins really are that prosaic: Watership Down started on long car journeys as a means of entertaining Adams' two daughters.

Is Watership Down for adults?

WATERSHIP DOWN was written for adults, but adolescents often find it more irresistible than their elders do.

What happened at the end of Watership Down?

Death finally catches up to Hazel, but it is not sorrowful or painful, but rather beautiful. Hazel steps into a different world, one with which his brother Fiver was always familiar and one where rabbits never cease running. This vision of death provides the end of the novel with a special kind of hope.

What happens to Fiver in Watership Down?

Although the harrowing nature and intensity of his visions hasn't diminished, Fiver is shown to recover from them relatively harmless (though shaken), in contrast to his affected mental state in the book following the Battle of Watership Down.

Is Watership Down film on Netflix?

Watch Watership Down | Netflix.

At what age should you read Watership Down?

For any child over 12, I wouldn't hesitate generally to allow them this read as it's pretty tame overall and I'm also not saying that children younger than 12 can't read this either, it just depends on the maturity and their level of reading. Ultimately, it's the parental figures choice.

Is Watership Down meant for kids?

Watership Down is a bit of a conundrum. The classic children's novel by Richard Adams, about a band of rabbits trying to establish a safe home in the English countryside, is a little too subtle and complex for (young) children. And the 1978 animated film is definitely too violent and terrifying for them.

Is Watership Down appropriate for 12 year old?

Watership Down will delight all audiences, young and old! Violence/Gore: Several (animal) characters die by traps, predators, being shot, or being gassed, with varying degrees of description.

Who is cowslip in Watership Down?

Cowslip was a minor antagonist in Watership Down but the part he played gave an extra adventure to the story. He was a member of the Warren of Snares, and although seems to have some authority, he claims that his warren has no Chief. He is a large rabbit, who is used to good food and safe surroundings.

What happened to General Woundworts parents?

Woundwort was orphaned at a young age when his father was shot by a human and his mother was slaughtered by a weasel.

Who does Bigwig mate with?

Thethuthinnang was a doe who was a part of Efrafa but was rescued by the Watership Down rabbits. She ended up being the mate of Bigwig.

What does Silflay Hraka U Embleer rah mean?

It's the first time in the book Adams doesn't provide a footnote, but careful readers can string together a translation: silflay means to feed, hraka are droppings, embleer is to stink like fox, and rah denotes a chieftain or leader.

Is Lapine a real language?

Lapine is a fictional language created by author Richard Adams for his 1972 novel Watership Down, where it is spoken by rabbit characters. The language was again used in Adams' 1996 sequel, Tales from Watership Down, and has appeared in both the film and television adaptations.