Magical creatures are an important aspect of the fictional world of Narnia contained within The Chronicles of Narnia book series and connected media originally created by C. S. Lewis. Throughout the seven books of the series, the protagonists encounter a variety of these creatures as they travel throughout Narnia and the surrounding lands and seas, including Archenland, Calormen, and the Great Eastern Ocean.

Much of Lewis' Narnian mythology references Greek, Norse, Arthurian, and Christian mythologies, among others.[1] As a member of the Inklings literary group, Lewis was a contemporary of other authors of fiction such as J. R. R. Tolkien, and as such they held much discourse regarding different approaches to world-building.[2]

Some magical creatures are simply larger, talking versions of real animals such as beavers, bears, mice, and wolves. Other magical creatures are traditional figures associated with various mythologies such as fauns, satyrs, centaurs, and dryads. Lewis' mythology also includes various deities and species of his own creation.

Background

At the time C. S. Lewis wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, he was a devout Christian. Much of this is reflected through the books, which prominently utilize allegories to retell biblical stories in this fantastical setting. Perhaps most prominently, Lewis wrote the character of Aslan to reflect the figure Jesus Christ, mirroring the same journey of a sacrificial death and resurrection as found in the Gospels. Tolkien and others have criticized Lewis' work as merely a thinly veiled allegory, though supporters argue that his work is much more nuanced than it may initially appear.[2][3]

In addition to the prominent Christian message that he sought to present, Lewis brings in figures from Greco-Roman and Norse mythology, Turkish tradition, and even specific European folk characters such as Father Christmas.[4][5]

List of creatures

Centaurs

Centaurs are creatures with the upper torso of a human and the lower legs and body of a horse, just as they appear in Greek mythology. Unlike most of their counterparts in the Greek myths (which are portrayed as wild, violent, lustful, and intoxicated),[6] Narnian centaurs are always seen in a positive light, more in line with the unique Greek figure Chiron. Throughout the books, they are seen as wise prophets, sages, and loyal courtiers. Typically, they are highly skilled in astronomy and divination, using this ability to read the stars and tell of future events. In addition, they are usually proficient warriors, using their great size and strength to their advantage. Centaurs are viewed as some of the most majestic and powerful creatures in Narnia, and as such, fellow Narnians place a great deal of respect on any member of this species.

Centaurs appear in five out of seven books in the Chronicles of Narnia series, two out of three Disney movie adaptations, and other assorted television specials and series based on the works of C. S. Lewis.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), four centaurs are listed among the ranks of Aslan's loyal army, described as looking like part English farm horse and part giant from the perspective of the Pevensie children. Notably, they are all part of the task-force sent to help rescue Edmund from the White Witch, and all four later participate in the climactic battle against her. In addition, at least two more appear as stone statues in the White Witch's castle, and they are rescued and restored by Aslan as reinforcements for the main army.[7] In the 2005 Disney film adaptation, Aslan's army is much larger than the book, with dozens of centaurs, both male and female, participating in the battle against the White Witch. The film also introduces Oreius, portrayed by Patrick Kake, who is featured prominently as the field leader of the army until the Pevensies arrive. Similar to the books, Oreius leads a team to help rescue Edmund from the White Witch, and he later helps Peter organize the troops in the wake of Aslan's temporary death. During the battle, Oreius and a rhino hold off the entire enemy army in order to buy time so that Peter and the others can fall back, with Oreius getting turned into stone by the White Witch after killing her minotaur general. At the Pevensies' coronation, Oreius can be seen in the crowd, apparently restored by Aslan offscreen.[8]

Centaurs take their most prominent role in Prince Caspian (1951) in the form of Glenstorm and his three sons as part of the Narnian resistance against the Telmarine occupation. Glenstorm operates as one of the primary supporters of Prince Caspian, as his abilities as a prophet and astronomer make him aware of the coming conflict and Caspian's position as the rightful king, based on the movement of the heavenly bodies Tarva and Alambil. Glenstorm's stance helps alleviate much of the skepticism from the other Narnians at the Council of Dancing Lawn. Later, Glenstorm acts as one of Peter's marshals in the latter's duel with Miraz.[9] Cornell John portrayed Glenstorm in the Disney film adaptation.

In The Silver Chair (1953), a centaur healer named Cloudbirth is referenced, and two unnamed centaurs provide more insight into the nature of the species. These two allow Eustace and Jill to ride them, an honor that had and would never be replicated again in the entirety of Narnian history due to the prideful nature of centaurs. As the four talk, the children learn that centaurs possess both a human and horse digestive system, so they require double the sustenance— large meals (particularly breakfast) and long hours of grazing. On their journey through Narnia, they teach the Eustace and Jill about herbs and roots, planets, the nine names of Aslan with their meanings, and other philosophical subjects.[10]

In The Horse and His Boy (1954), an unnamed centaur prophesies about the baby Prince Cor one day saving the kingdom of Archenland, setting up those very events when someone kidnaps the infant to prevent this from occurring.[11]

Centaurs do not appear in any capacity in The Magician's Nephew (1955). They are not included in the account of the Creation of Narnia by Aslan, so it is unknown at what point they came into existence. No doubt Aslan had something to do with their creation, as they are all fiercely loyal to him for the rest of the series without exception.

In The Last Battle (1956), the centaur Roonwit is one of the last remaining loyal subjects to the throne of the Narnian king Tirian. Roonwit is the only one initially aware that the ape Shift has allied with the Calormenes and set up a false Aslan, basing this on the terrible signs he sees in the skies. Tirian tasks Roonwit with gathering those still loyal, but Roonwit is slain by Calormen archers. Farsight the eagle delivers his final message, that all world's draw to an end and that a noble death is a most precious treasure.[12]

Dragons

Dragons are fire-breathing reptiles with bat-shaped wings that reside within the different areas of Narnia.

In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952), Eustace Scrubb discovers the treasure horde of an old, sick dragon on one of the islands, and he watches as it collapses and dies. Eustace sleeps on the treasure and in the morning he finds that he has been transformed into a dragon himself. Aslan was able to restore him to normal through an extremely painful process of removing the layers of reptilian scales.

In The Silver Chair (1953), some dragons were shown sleeping in Underland. In The Last Battle (1956), these same dragons were awoken on the last day of Narnia and started uprooting all vegetation alongside the giant lizards and the salamanders, before rapidly growing old and dying as Narnia ceased to exist.

Dryads

Dryads and other nature spirits are featured throughout the series. Dryads are spirits of the trees, and naiads are spirits of water. When the Telmarines arrive in Narnia, magical creatures are hunted down and the dryads retreat deep within their trees, to the point that it is only Aslan who has the ability to wake them. A similar process occurs when the Calormenes invade Narnia at the end of time.

Dwarfs

Referred to as Sons of Earth by Aslan, dwarfs are broadly divided into two varieties – Red Dwarfs and Black Dwarfs. These distinctions are given due to their respective hair colors, though there are differences in their personalities as well.

Both varieties are skilled miners, blacksmiths, and carpenters in keeping with their title "Sons of Earth." They are also deadly proficient archers. Notable individuals included Trumpkin the Red Dwarf, a skeptic who aided Caspian's resistance against the Telmarines and eventually came to truly believe in Aslan; and Nikabrik the Black Dwarf, who attempted to convince Caspian to try and resurrect the White Witch before the Pevensies arrive and intervene.

Fauns

Similar to the changes made for the centaurs, Lewis tames down the half-man half-goat fauns from their lustful, intoxicated counterparts in Greco-Roman mythology, though they are still known for enjoying spirited parties in the woods to dance with the dryads.[4] Mr. Tumnus has the designation of being the first magical creature featured in the series in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Tumnus was also the first character that Lewis came up with while brainstorming the series.[13]

Giants

Giants are large human-shaped creatures that range in size from ten to fifty feet.

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950), some giants are on the side of Aslan while others are on the side of the White Witch. One giant named Rumblebuffin was turned to stone by the White Witch and was restored by Aslan. He later helped out the reinforcements during the First Battle of Beruna where he used his club on some of the White Witch's minions while also stepping on some of them.

In Prince Caspian (1951), a giant named Wimbleweather helped Prince Caspian in the Narnians' fight with the Telmarines.

In The Silver Chair (1953), some Narnian giants got lost trying to find Prince Rilian. The tribe of giants that live in Ettinsmoor were described as being moronic, disorganized, and speak an incomprehensible language. Further north are the giants of Harfang, who are more organized and speak a comprehensible language.

Marsh-wiggles

An original creation by Lewis, Marsh-wiggles are frog-like humanoids that are known for being gloomy, cynical creatures who live in distant swamps. The most notable individual in the series was Puddleglum, who aided Eustace and Jill in their journey to save Caspian's lost son.

Satyrs

Satyrs are creatures that are half-human and half-goat, similar to fauns save for more reddish fur and longer horns. In the 2005 film, satyrs are shown to be more bestial in appearance than fauns, covered in fur and having goat-like heads while still remaining humanoid in stature.

Sea serpents

Sea serpents and other massive aquatic monsters are rumored to inhabit the vast oceans to the east of the mainland, though most regard these tales as mere superstitions of drunk sailors and pirates. However, the crew of the Dawn Treader were notably attacked by a large sea serpent that almost destroyed the ship, confirming that much of the ocean had yet to be discovered.

Stars

Narnia has a vast array of star arranged in different constellations than the ones found on Earth. Each of the stars are actually powerful, sentient beings created by Aslan. The exact extent of their strength and knowledge is unknown. Some stars can give up this status and take on a mortal form, such as the magician Coriakin. Others still travel to Earth and retain their abilities, such as Ramandu and his daughter. Ramandu's daughter in turn would give up her heavenly status and marry King Caspian, and the two would have a son Rilian. She was killed by the poison of the Lady of the Green Kirtle.

At the end of time, the stars all return to Earth at the blow of Father Time's horn, permanently darkening the night sky.

Unicorns

Unicorns only appear a couple of times throughout the Narnia mythos. Most notably, Jewel the unicorn is one of the last remaining loyal subjects of Aslan during the events of The Last Battle, and he is King Tirian's closest friend.

In the 2005 film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Peter rides a unicorn into battle before it is wounded by Black Dwarf archers.

Witches

Two prominent Witches appear in the series:

Miscellaneous

The following races are not in the sections above:

Jadis' army

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, many evil creatures are listed as members of the White Witch's army. These include:

Other

Throughout the rest of the series, other minor creatures make rare appearances. These include:

Humans

While not typically considered to be magical or fantastical, humans also live in Narnia where they have differentiated to various societies:

Talking animals

In The Magician's Nephew, Lewis presents the creation account for the world of Narnia by the great lion Aslan, who was the first talking animal. As one of the final stages of creation, Aslan calls forth animals from the ground, similar to the biblical story. Later, Aslan grants some of these animals the ability to speak as he does. Throughout the series, a number of these talking animals are involved in the storyline primarily as allies to Aslan and the protagonists, though some such as the ape Shift operate as antagonists. Broadly speaking, talking animals can be divided into three categories: Avian, Mammal, and Reptile (there are no known talking fish, amphibians, or invertebrates).

In addition to their linguistic capacity, talking animals are also designated as being larger in size their non-speaking counterparts. For example in Prince Caspian, the talking mouse Reepicheep is described as being two to three feet tall while standing on his hind legs.

Talking animals can permanently lose their ability to speak under certain circumstances. During the Telmarine occupation of Narnia, magical creatures were hunted down, and many talking animals retreated and devolved into "dumb beasts". One such bear was encountered by the Pevensie children and the red dwarf Trumpkin. During the events of The Last Battle, a talking cat named Ginger was allied with Shift and the Calormenes. In a demonstration of power, Ginger enters a stable to pretend to talk to the conglomerate god "Tashlan", not realizing that Tash himself was inside. The incident scares Ginger so badly he flees from the stable and hysterically climbs a tree, where the surrounding crowd notice that he visibly shrinks in size and screams nonsense until he reverts to a normal cat, a dumb beast.

Notable individuals

Powerful individuals and deities also make the land of Narnia their home.

Aslan

Main article: Aslan

Aslan is a massive talking lion, described as the King of the Beasts and the Son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea. Lewis intentionally wrote this character as a stand-in for Jesus as the Lion of Judah in Judeo-Christian theology.[14]

Bacchus

Derived from the Roman god of wine, Bacchus comes to Aslan's aid to free the river god from his "chains," which was in fact the Telmarine bridge crossing the Beruna River.

Father Christmas

Locked out of Narnia for one-hundred years by the White Witch, Father Christmas (derived from the folkloric character of the same name) was able to return when the four Pevensie children arrived, weakening the Witch's magic. Father Christmas gave each of the children gifts that they would need for the upcoming battle, and resumed his normal activities delivering presents for the celebration of Christmas.

Father Time

A massive, sleeping giant derived from folkloric personification of time, Father Time was awoken by Aslan to assist in the final destruction of Narnia at the end of time. His horn alerted the stars to return to Earth, and he was also responsible for crushing the sun.

Tash

Main article: Tash (Narnia)

As the primary god of the Calormene people, Tash borrows heavily from Islamic traditions and customs. In The Horse and His Boy, Tash worship is first introduced. In The Last Battle, it is revealed that Tash was a real demonic being with a skeletal body and bird-like head, killing the charlatan Shift who had attempted to combine Aslan and Tash into one deity to control the Narnian public while himself believing in neither.

References

  1. ^ Costello, Alicia (2009). "Examining Mythology in "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis". Inquiries Journal. 1 (11): 1.
  2. ^ a b Williams, Rowan. "Why Did C.S. Lewis Write Narnia?". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  3. ^ McGrath, Alister (2016-06-08). "Enchanting Faith: The Chronicles of Narnia and the Power of Myth". ABC Religion & Ethics. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  4. ^ a b Mikalatos, Matt (2019-10-16). "The Messy, Beautiful Worldbuilding of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  5. ^ Hicks, Andrea. "Myths of Our Times: The Chronicles of Narnia". Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  6. ^ Cartwright, Mark (5 October 2012). "Centaur". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  7. ^ Lewis, C. S. (1950). The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. New York, NY: HarperCollins (published 2002). pp. 138–139, 145, 150–151, 184–185, 191, 194. ISBN 978-0-06-447104-6.
  8. ^ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Directed by Andrew Adamson; performances by Liam Neeson, Tilda Swinton, Patrick Kake, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, and Shane Rangi; Walt Disney Pictures, 2005.
  9. ^ Lewis, C. S. (1951). Prince Caspian. New York, NY: HarperCollins (published 2002). pp. 81–82, 97–98, 191–192, 200, 230. ISBN 978-0-06-447105-3.
  10. ^ Lewis, C. S. (1953). The Silver Chair. New York, NY: HarperCollins (published 2002). pp. 244–248. ISBN 978-0-06-447109-1.
  11. ^ Lewis, C. S. (1954). The Horse and His Boy. New York, NY: HarperCollins (published 2002). pp. 190, 220–221. ISBN 978-0-06-447106-0.
  12. ^ Lewis, C. S. (1956). The Last Battle. New York, NY: HarperCollins (published 2002). pp. 17–22, 113, 193–194, 223. ISBN 978-0-06-447108-4.
  13. ^ C.S. Lewis. On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature. 1982, p. 53. ISBN 0-15-668788-7
  14. ^ The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, vol iii, p 160: "I found the name [Aslan]...it is the Turkish for Lion. ... And of course it meant the Lion of Judah."
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