- "I'm quite sure, myself, that if we don't change our natural ways we shan't be able to stay here very long."
- — Blackberry about digging burrows
Blackberry is a rabbit with characteristically black-tipped ears and a part of the group who left Sandleford Warren for Watership Down. His Lapine name may be Brekennion, which literally translates into "blackberry."
Personality[]
- "This is the magic trick now."
- — Bigwig about Blackberry's trick with a boat
Blackberry is regarded as the most cunning rabbit in the book, film, and miniseries. Blackberry is a very clever and cunning rabbit who often comes up with things that others cannot. He realizes, for instance, that wood floats, and the rabbits use this tactic twice to traverse on water when necessary. His ideas are often too difficult for other rabbits to understand, although Fiver always appreciates them at their true value. He is one of Hazel's most trusted advisors, given the task of planning a way to rescue does from Efrafa.
In the book Blackberry is a highly intelligent buck, grasping concepts that elude the others, such as the physics behind floating wood entirely. As such, he usually devises ideas that save the rabbits on their journey to Watership Down. Hazel often calls on him when planning is done and orders him to develop a trick that will lose the Efrafans after Bigwig's breakout.
In the TV series, she is female, being the only doe willing to travel with the bucks from Sandleford to Watership Down. She is a hard worker, and Hazel considers her to be Watership Down's best digger. She is somewhat feminist due to being outnumbered by bucks. She is affronted by their laziness and unwillingness to help her with digging, trying to challenge their perception of digging being only a doe's duty. She has considerable knowledge about a warren's structure and is careful to ensure that diggers only accidentally weaken it by working in the right place. Blackberry is also brave and says she would willingly go with the Black Rabbit of Inle if it meant peace and freedom. In the finale of Season 2, Blackberry and Campion fall in love at first sight. Blackberry is devastated when he nearly dies protecting General Woundwort, but upon learning that he survived, she goes into enemy territory to find him. She also refuses to leave his side in Darkhaven, even when he tells her to escape and leave him behind. Eventually, they settle on Watership Down together. Blackberry's talents lie in digging and healing rather than physical combat. She is knowledgeable about plants and herbs that are good for healing injuries. Her quick thinking also gives her an edge over her opponents, making up for her lack of physical strength. For example, she uses sand to blind an opponent during Woundwort's siege on Watership Down and leads Granite under a conveyor belt so that a rock falls on him. However, she does not intend for him to get hurt so badly and therefore heals him afterward.
Books[]
Watership Down[]
In the book, Blackberry wanted to leave Sandleford because there were too many bucks and not enough does, so he was one of the first to join Hazel and Fiver. When travelers faced a river, Blackberry came up with the idea to use a piece of wood to take Fiver and Pipkin across the river as they were too tired to swim. This discovery saved their lives, but everyone, except for Fiver and Blackberry himself, didn't understand the meaning of this and forgot about it soon.
During the journey, Blackberry doesn't oppose Hazel's authority. In contrast, Acorn, Hawkbit, and Speedwell did, but later, he admitted that he, like others, was tired and confused, so he began to wonder whether Hazel knew where they were going. Finally, when the rabbits reached fields near Cowslip's Warren, Blackberry realized that Hazel had led them well. Blackberry, then, was the first to call Hazel the Chief Rabbit.
Blackberry's trick with a piece of wood
Later, Hazel often took advice from Blackberry. For example, when Cowslip invites rabbits into his warren, Hazel consults with Blackberry, Bigwig, and Fiver, and Blackberry says they should go and rest in Cowslip's Warren. In the warren, Blackberry, Hazel, and Fiver felt something was wrong with those rabbits, but he didn't realize the real danger. When the shining wire caught Bigwig, Blackberry was the first who understood the meaning of what he said, "Dig out the peg," and managed to rescue Bigwig.
When they reached Watership Down, Blackberry admitted that they had much to learn. It was his idea not to live in the small and cold hole the rabbits found there but to dig a deep, safe, and comfortable warren for themselves under a beech tree, although bucks don't dig. Hazel, Fiver, and Pipkin liked the idea, so they built Watership Down Warren.
During the raid on Nuthanger Farm, Blackberry and Bigwig freed hutch rabbits by biting through leather hinges and twisting a nail on the rabbits' cage and then escorted two hutch rabbits, Clover and Boxwood, to the Down. Blackberry felt guilty for leaving Hazel on the farm, so later, he returned with Fiver to find him.
Blackberry and Hazel.
After Captain Holly's return from Efrafa, Blackberry, Fiver, and Hazel work out a plan to rescue some Efrafan does. The plan had three points: to get the does out of Efrafa, break up the pursuit, and escape to Watership Down. Together, the rabbits thought out how to solve the first two problems but not the third one. Fortunately, on their way to Efrafa, he and Fiver saw a boat on the great river, and Blackberry, with the help of Fiver and Kehaar, came up with the idea to use the boat to escape by water like they used a piece of wood to cross the river. Due to the fast stream, Blackberry's trick worked well, and the rabbits drifted far away from Efrafa.
When General Woundwort and his Owsla attacked Watership Down, Hazel chose Blackberry and Dandelion, the two fastest rabbits, to lead the dog, Bob, from Nuthanger Farm to the Down. Bob almost lost interest in the rabbits once, but Blackberry managed to draw its attention and lead it to the Down. After Efrafa's defeat, Blackberry settled on Watership Down with his friends.
Tales from Watership Down[]
To be written.
Film[]
Blackberry's character doesn't change much in the film version - he remains the same cunning and fast rabbit, Hazel's advisor, and assistant. His image is depicted fairly as reasonably realistic as most of the characters.
TV series[]
- "I'd go with the Black Rabbit, if it meant peace and freedom for all of us."
- — Blackberry before the last battle with General Woundwort.
Blackberry as a doe in the TV series
In contrast to the book, Blackberry is controversially portrayed as a female due to the novel's lack of female rabbits. Like in the book, Blackberry is very clever and came up with ideas of using a piece of wood and a boat in episodes 1 and 7. Blackberry has skills in herbs and is also referred to as a digging expert. She is the only doe to go to Watership Down with Hazel and the others.
When the rabbits begin to settle into their new home on the down in episode two, problems become apparent because the burrows need digging, but Blackberry is the only doe, and bucks don't dig. Hazel and Fiver managed to persuade other bucks to help Blackberry, but she still did the lion's share of work and guided all the work. Then, in episode 11, the rabbits found a strange hole in their back burrows. Blackberry decided to dig a way downward to save Hazel, Fiver, and Hawkbit, who fell into the hole. So the cavern tunnel to Efrafa was found, which the rabbits later often used. Blackberry also appears in almost every TV series episode but only plays a minor role.
However, she becomes one of the leading characters beginning with episode 26 when Campion visits Watership Down to warn rabbits about Vervain finding their secret tunnel to Efrafa. Campion and Blackberry quickly fell in love at first sight as she explained her plan to bring down a rock to block the passage. Unfortunately, Campion was crushed beneath a rock while saving Woundwort, and Blackberry felt devastated, not knowing that the brave Efrafan Captain survived.
Campion and Blackberry
Blackberry began to suspect something when she noticed Pipkin's strange behaviour and found Campion's tracks. Under these circumstances, Pipkin was forced to confess that he found a wounded Campion and saved his life. So Blackberry ran off to see Campion. When she found him, she told him she loved him, despite the scars, but Campion told Blackberry he could not be with her because he had been touched by the Black Rabbit of Inlé and didn't want Blackberry to suffer and then ran off.
Blackberry rejoined with Campion when she was captured by General Woundwort's soldiers and taken prisoner in Darkhaven. Campion tried to help her to escape with another rabbit, Silverweed, but Blackberry stayed with Campion because she didn't want to cause any trouble for him. But her problems only began. A Darkhaven doe Spartina was sent by Woundwort to befriend Hazel and the others and act as a spy for him. However, before she left, she informed a rabbit named Granite that he must kill Blackberry if she did not return to Darkhaven by the next full moon. Neither Spartina nor Granite knew that Blackberry would save Granite's life when the male got injured while chasing Blackberry. But since Darkhaven law forbade showing mercy, Vervain was ordered to punish Blackberry for it, and only Campion managed to save her.
When Spartina didn't return, Granite felt he couldn't kill Blackberry, so he tried to help her escape out of gratitude. Unfortunately, his plan fails as General Woundwort catches Blackberry after discovering Campion's betrayal. He uses her to make him confess where Watership Down is and to lead his army into battle there. However, Campion, Blackberry, and Spartina managed to escape from Woundwort with the help of Hannah, Skree, and some bats. They fought in the battle with Woundwort and settled on Watership Down together. It can be assumed that Primrose and Blackberry became friends towards the end of the series.
Miniseries[]
Blackberry with Bluebell in the miniseries.
Blackberry appears in the miniseries and is a buck, like in the book and film. He still comes up with the idea to hop on a human object that can float on water (which is a trash can lid). He seems to be good friends with Bluebell, but gets annoyed when he tries to kiss him when he complemented his storytelling. He is shown to be brave and aggressive when needed, as when Cowslip tries to stop the rabbits from going to help Bigwig, who has been trapped in a snare. He threatens Cowslip (with assistance from Bluebell) before shoving him aside, allowing them to run and rescue Bigwig.
He, Captain Holly, and Bluebell leave Watership Down to check out Efrafa and are captured by its rabbits. However, they manage to escape with the help of Hyzenthlay, but this leads to the death of Captain Orchis's brother, Vervain. He gets run over by a train while pursuing the three. It is not shown if Orchis holds it against Blackberry or Bluebell for this, but he does against Holly and Hyzenthlay.
Later on, during the battle of Watership Down, he saves Hyzenthlay from an Efrafan soldier, but this leads to him witnessing Holly, who had tried to save her, getting killed by other soldiers. He has to push a sobbing Hyzenthlay back into the burrow. He then goes and informs Hazel of the former captain's death. However, he survives the battle and continues to live at Watership Down. Bluebell is shown leading his kittens to play-fight with "Uncle Blackberry," and they do so, despite his insistence that he does not like play-fighting.
Trivia[]
- Richard Adams on Blackberry in his Reddit AMA: "The real intellectual though is Blackberry, who is really overlooked. If you re-read it you'll notice what a part Blackberry plays!"
Gallery[]
- Main page: Blackberry/Image Gallery