Fermald the Ancient was a very old female squirrel resident of Redwall Abbey who was exceptionally introverted in her old age and chose to live in isolation in the Abbey's attic. She grew increasingly senile and was usually content with being alone, often reciting cryptic riddles and rhymes. Fermald enjoyed fishing on the Abbey pond, chasing after Grimjaw. She also carried with her an exquisitely carved wooden spoon.
When Graylunk arrived at the Abbey with a terrible head wound, Fermald befriended him, gave him her wooden spoon, and let him stay with her in the attic. She cared for him before he died, and hid his stolen treasure, the six Tears of all Oceans, throughout the Abbey after his death, while writing a short but difficult riddle for each individual pearl.
Trivia[]
- Although she does not appear alive in the story, the aftermath of her actions before her death creates the impetus for much of the plot in Pearls of Lutra.
- Because of her extreme age, she must have been alive during the events of Mattimeo. Furthermore, certain characters younger than her, who were in both Mattimeo and Pearls of Lutra, mention memories of her. However, she did not participate in any of the events of Mattimeo, which likely means she was already living as a hermit at the time and simply did not come out until the fight with General Ironbeak was over.