Umfry Spikkle was a male hedgehog resident of Redwall Abbey and the grandson of Corksnout Spikkle. When he was young, he was a simple type, illiterate and not overburdened with knowledge. However, few beasts remarked upon this, because he was a big hedgehog of prodigious strength. This enabled him to hold the position of Bellringer. The only beast physically bigger than him was his grandfather, whom he eventually outgrew.
Umfry was renowned at Redwall for his loud snoring. As a result, Abbot Glisam appointed young Umfry to the position of Gatekeeper to get him out of the Abbey and allow other beasts some peace and quiet. He was temporarily stripped of this job as punishment for failing to close the gates one night and allowing Doomwytes to enter the Abbey; while he was deposed, Umfry helped in the search for the Doomwyte jewels and was part of the band who was attacked by the Painted Ones in the tunnels beneath Redwall.
Many seasons later, Abbot Glisam retired to become the Abbey Schoolteacher; in that capacity, he focused specifically on the education of Umfry. The big hedgehog finally learned to read and write, and eventually became the Abbey Recorder and adopted the aliases "The Teller of Tales" and "The Weaver of Dreams".
Trivia[]
- Umfry is the only Redwall character to be a Bellringer, Gatekeeper, and Recorder; Tim Churchmouse and Rollo were also Bellringers and Recorders.