("Silent") Sam Squirrel

Gender: male

Species: squirrel

Appears In: Redwall, The Great Redwall Feast, A Redwall Winter's Tale, The Redwall Cookbook, and Mattimeo




Sam is an infant resident of Mossflower where he lives with his parents Mr. Squirrel and Jess until he leads Matthias to the Abbey, so the family decide to move here as Cluny has arrived in the woodlands. While he cannot speak during the Late Rose Summer Wars (hence his nickname "Silent" Sam) he plays a big role in defending his home, as seen when he finds a hornet nest used to drop on the battering ram Cluny's horde is attempting to use to climb over the wall. As a reward Basil gives him a small dagger, and in the final battle he steers Ambrose around when the hedgehog rolls himself into a protective ball of spikes. At some point after the Scourge's defeat he begins talking, and the following summer is named the Summer of the Talking Squirrel in his honour. Seasons later he, along with several other young Redwallers, is kidnapped by Slagar and thrown into slavery. After Mattimeo learns that Slagar is really Chickenhound, Sam relates the actual truth to his friends as he is the only one out of them who was alive at the time. He survives the trip to the Kingdom of Malkariss, is rescued by his mother, and returns to Redwall where he becomes Elmtail's adoptive brother and helps to found the Mossflower Patrol.