Watership Down Characters – Bigwig (Thlayli)

Bigwig, or Thlayli

There are three primary rabbit characters in Richard Adams’ Watership Down. There are the two brothers, Hazel and Fiver. The third primary cunicular hero is Bigwig — his name in the lapine language is Thlayli. He is large — even imposing — and possesses great physical strength. The evening after Fiver pronounces his vision of doom and death for the Sandleford warren, Bigwig approaches Hazel and Fiver and we read this dialogue:

“Hello, Bigwig,” said Hazel. “You’re off duty?”
“Off duty,” said Bigwig, “and likely to remain off duty…The Threarah’s [name of the Chief Rabbit of their warren] rather good at making himself unpleasant when he’s been woken up…I told him that the Owsla’s privileges didn’t mean all that much to me in any case, and that a strong rabbit could always do just as well by leaving the warren…lettuce stealing isn’t my idea of a jolly life.” (p. 15).

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