Narnia

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For the town, see Narnia (town) — for the band, see Narnia (band).

Narnia is a fantasy world created by the Anglo-Irish author C. S. Lewis as a location for his Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children. In Narnia, animals can talk, mythical beasts abound, and magic is common.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

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Geography

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Narnia

The name of "Narnia" refers to not only the Narnian world, but especially to the country of Narnia within it, which its creator, Aslan the great lion, filled with talking animals and mythical creatures. Narnia is a land of rolling hills rising into low mountains to the south, and is predominantly forested except for marshlands in the north. The country is bordered on the east by the Eastern Ocean, on the west by a great mountain range, on the north by the River Shribble, and on the south by a continental divide.

The economic heart of the country is the Great River of Narnia, which enters the country from the northwest on an east-southeasterly course to the Eastern Ocean. The seat of government is Cair Paravel, at the mouth of the Great River. Other communities along the river include (from east to west) Beruna, Beaversdam, and Chippingford.

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Archenland

Archenland is a mountainous country to the south of Narnia. It is bordered on the north by a continental divide and on the south by the Winding Arrow river. The seat of government is at Anvard, in the heart of the country. Anvard is both the capital city and the name of the castle within the city. Archenland appears to be very sparsely populated, with no other towns or villages mentioned in the Chronicles.

Archenland is on good terms with Narnia, as is shown in The Horse and His Boy.

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Calormen

Calormen is an empire in the south of the world of Narnia. Most of the country has a semi-arid climate, and its most notable geographic features are a volcano known as the Flaming Mountain of Lagour, and the Great Desert. The Great Desert is in the northern part of the country, and the difficulty of crossing this desert prevented aggressive Calormene governments from invading Archenland and Narnia for centuries.

The cultural center of Calormen is the River of Calormen, which flows from west to east along the south side of the Great Desert. The capital city is Tashbaan, located on an island in the river's delta, and the river is bordered for much of its length by farmland and wealthy communities.

The city of Azim Balda, located at a crossroads in the heart of the country, is a major hub for travel and communications.

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The Eastern Ocean

Numerous islands and archipelagoes dot the Eastern Ocean. Most notable among these are Galma, the Seven Isles, and the Lone Islands, all subjects of the Narnian crown, and Terebinthia, an independent island. At the far end of the Eastern Ocean the geography becomes completely fantastic (as a result of the Narnian world being flat) and the sky meets the surface of the earth; in addition, it is implied that a passage to Aslan's country is located here.

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Other lands

To the north of Narnia lies Ettinsmoor and the Wild Lands of the North, both inhabited by giants. The most prominent settlement is the House of Harfang, a community of giants that is apparently the remnant of a much larger city which was abandoned generations ago and fell into ruin.

The land west of Narnia is an uninhabited region of rugged mountains known as the Western Wild. The land of Telmar lies somewhere beyond this region, but its exact location was never documented.

Underland is located in great caverns deep beneath the ground of Narnia. The land of Bism lies far below Underland.

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Inhabitants

There are several notable races that inhabit Narnia and the surrounding countries. These include Dwarfs, all manner of Talking Beasts, and even Pegasi, Centaurs, Fauns, and Giants. Here is the list of every Narnia inhabitant.

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Dwarfs

Dwarfs are a race native to Narnia. They are called Sons of Earth by Aslan, as opposed to humans, whom are called Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve. Dwarfs exist in at least two (and presumably more) varieties: Black Dwarfs and Red Dwarfs; the only significant physical difference between the two is the color of their hair. While many Red Dwarfs are kind and loyal to Aslan, Black Dwarfs appear to be more selfish and warlike. All documented dwarfs are male and live together in communities, although it is known for them to mingle with and reproduce with humans. Consequently, it is possible for there to be females of dwarfish descent despite the lack of female dwarfs.

It is not known how the dwarfs came to being. However, when Aslan called the first council when the land was "not yet five hours old," he called the chief Dwarf to present himself (The Magician's Nephew ch. 10). They appear as the King's train-bearer at the coronation of Frank. (Naiads — river nymphs — held Queen Helen's robes; ibid. ch. 14.) They are known to be prolific smiths, miners, and carpenters. In battle they are renowned as deadly archers.

According to Prince Caspian, one of the books of The Chronicles of Narnia, chapter 8, Dwarfs can walk all day and night.

Notable dwarfs of Narnia:

  • The White Witch's servant while she was the Queen of Narnia (Lion, Witch and Wardrobe)
  • Doctor Cornelius, of human and dwarf descent (P. Caspian ch. 4); called a "half-and-halfer" by Nikabrik
  • Seven Brothers of Shuddering Wood (Prince Caspian)
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Talking animals

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Rodents and other critters

Narnia is home to talking varieties of many rodents and other small mammals including rabbits, beavers, ermines, hares, hedgehogs, otters, squirrels, moles, mice, rats and water rats. The main physical difference between talking rodents and their unintelligent kin is in size, the talking varieties standing on average 3–3.5' tall.

While all animals listed above are mentioned throughout the Narnia books, mice in particular are given special attention by their services to Aslan in the first book and the swashbuckling character of Reepicheep.

Mice are also unusual in that they were not designated as Talking animals at creation. Some mice were given the gift of speech much later in Narnia's chronology after they chewed the ropes binding Aslan the Lion to the Stone Table. This is usually seen as an inconsistency caused by the fact that The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe was written before The Magician's Nephew.

Notable Talking Rodents:

  • Mr. and Mrs. Beaver (Lion, Witch and Wardrobe)
  • Reepicheep, a mouse (P. Caspian, Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
  • Peepiceek, a mouse (P. Caspian)
  • Pattertwig, a squirrel (P. Caspian)
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Equines, ruminants, etc.

An array of hoofed and trunked mammals also inhabit Narnia such as cows, deer, horses, donkeys, sheep, goat, moose, lambs, elephants, and tapirs. These beasts resemble the ordinary versions in almost all ways physically (excepting their slightly smaller size), but were not usually used by Narnians for labour out of respect for their intelligence.

Notable talking equines:

  • Fledge, the father of Winged Horses (The Magician's Nephew)
  • Bree, a horse (The Horse and His Boy)
  • Hwin, a horse (The Horse and His Boy)
  • Puzzle, a donkey (The Last Battle)
  • Jewel, a unicorn (The Last Battle)
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Other herbivores, carnivores and omnivores

An assortment of intelligent animals representing many of the herbivore, carnivore and omnivore mammal species dwell in Narnia. These include cats, dogs, bears, apes, wolves, boars, foxes, lions, badgers, panthers, and leopards. They also resemble their unintelligent counterparts in all ways except for size.

Notable talking carnivores and omnivores

  • Maugrim or Fenris Ulf (as he is known in the early American edition), a wolf (Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe)
  • Trufflehunter, a badger (P. Caspian)
  • Ginger, a cat (The Last Battle)
  • Shift the Ape (The Last Battle)
  • The Bulgy Bears (P. Caspian)
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Birds

In Narnia the intelligent varieties of birds include most species with crows, eagles, owls, jackdaws, ravens, vultures, pelicans, robins, and doves all included. Like rodents, talking birds are slightly larger in size than usual.

Notable Talking Birds:

  • Farsight, an eagle (The Last Battle)
  • Glimfeather, an owl (The Silver Chair)
  • The First Joke, a jackdaw (The Magician's Nephew)
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Giants

Several giants figure in the Chronicles; many of them are (literarily, though not physically) relatively insignificant, and only a few of them are named:

  • Pire
  • Rumblebuffin (The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe)
  • Wimbleweather

Ettins are also giant creatures.

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Witches

The only witches mentioned in the Narnian books are the "White Witch" (a.k.a. Jadis, empress of Charn) and the "Lady of the Green Kirtle". While an important part of the origin of Jadis is explained in The Magician's Nephew, it is never fully revealed whether "The Green Lady" comes from a different universe, or is a native of Narnia (though a character in The Silver Chair does imply that they were both "from the same crew of Northern Witches" in Narnia). Jadis is the last scion of the royal house of Charn; she is also said (in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) to be descended from Adam's first wife, Lilith, and to have both Djinn and Giant blood in her veins.

These two witches are not considered fully human, but have the appearance of very beautiful women. Jadis is also described as being extremely tall (around 7'), and, at least after eating the Apple, very pale. The books never reveal if the Green Lady's appearance correlates in either aspect. The Green Lady is able to transform herself into a snake-like Worm, and does so twice in The Silver Chair, once when she kills Prince Rilian's mother, and once when she tries to kill Rilian himself and his companions.

There are also much less attractive Hags (such as the one Nikabrik brought to council in Aslan's How in Prince Caspian), and other evil beings which might be classified as witches under our cultural definitions. They are clearly of a lower order than the White Witch, and probably than "She of the Green Kirtle".

Notable Witches:

  • White Witch/Jadis/The White Lady (Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew, Prince Caspian)
  • Lady of the Green Kirtle/The Green Lady (The Silver Chair)
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Mythological creatures

Other inhabitants of Narnia based on known mythological creatures include Boggles, Centaurs, Cruels, Dragons, Dryads, Efreets, Ettins, Fauns, Ghouls, Gnomes, Hags, Hamadryads, Horrors, Incubi, Maenads, Minotaurs, Naiads, Ogres, Orknies, Winged Horses, People of the Toadstools, Phoenix, Satyrs, Sea People, Sea Serpents, Silvans, Spectres, Sprites, Star People, Unicorns, Werewolves, Wooses, and Wraiths.

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Other creatures

Creatures of Lewis' own invention include the Marsh-wiggles and the Dufflepuds/Monopods.

Singular personages who frequent or inhabit Narnia and its surrounding countries include: the River god, Bacchus, Father Christmas, Father Time, Pomona, Silenus, and Tash.

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Cosmology

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General characteristics

The world of Narnia is a flat world in a geocentric universe. Its sky is a dome that mortal creatures cannot penetrate.

Narnia's stars are flaming humanoid beings. Its constellations are the result of a mystical dance upon the sky, performed by the stars to announce the works of Aslan, Narnia's creator.

Its sun is a flaming disc that revolves around the world once daily. The sun has its own ecosystem, and is known to be inhabited by great white birds. The vegetation on the sun contains healing properties. For example, the extract of a certain fireflower found in the mountains can heal any wound or sickness, and a fire-berry that grows in its valleys, when eaten by a star, works to reverse the effects of age.

The Narnian ground is a living organism. The surface is dead soil in much the same way that an animal's outer layers of skin consist of dead cells, but at deeper levels the rocks themselves are alive, and in many cases edible. The Narnian dwarfs themselves are referred to as "Sons of Earth".

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Multiverse

The Narnian world is part of a multiverse of countless worlds including our own world and the world of Charn. These are connected by a meta-world or linking room known as the Wood Between the Worlds. Not much is known about this wood, but it appears to be an empty space occurring as a side effect of the multiverse's underlying structure. This space takes the form of a dense forest with pools of water. With an appropriate magical device (such as the rings), each pool becomes a portal to a different world.

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Time

British visitors to Narnia observe that the passage of time while they are away is unpredictable. The tendency is for time to pass faster in Narnia than at home, but this is not universally true.

To plot the intersections of the worlds' timelines requires curved lines in at least two dimensions. The distance between any two intersections will be different on each timeline, and there is no predictable relationship between them.

There is some confusion concerning the intersections of the timelines. The Telmarines were descended from pirates from our world, who had stumbled through a door between the worlds they discovered on an island in the South Seas. Some believe this references the men involved in the famous Mutiny on the Bounty in the late 18th century who eventually settled on Pitcairn Island in the southern Pacific Ocean. If true, this would put their arrival before the first visit to Narnia, around the year 1900 our time. At that time, the visitors witnessed the creation of Narnia, which would mean that the pirates, leaving much earlier, would arrive much later.

However, the books do not say that the pirates were pre-industrial. They could easily be from a later post-industrial era and so no confusion may be necessary.

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History

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Creation of Narnia

The Creation of Narnia was witnessed by six creatures: Jadis, Empress of Charn; Digory Kirke; Polly Plummer; Andrew Ketterly; Frank, a cabby; and Strawberry, his cabhorse. This group was brought to the unmade Narnian world by accident during a failed attempt by Digory to transfer Jadis from London in our world back to her own world of Charn.

Aslan began the creation soon after they arrived, using song to call forth the stars, sun, and eventually all landforms, plants, and animals as well. When he was finished, Aslan selected certain animals to be Talking Animals, giving to them, and all other magical creatures, Narnia as their new home.

Aslan next appointed its first rulers, the cab driver and his wife (who had been called to Narnia by Aslan), as King Frank I and his wife Queen Helen, and commanded them to rule peacefully over the talking beasts. Aware that the evil witch-queen Jadis had entered his new land, Aslan sent Digory on a mission to retrieve a magic apple from a garden located in the Western Wild beyond Narnia. When he returned, the apple was planted by the river where it immediately grew into a tree which, as Aslan explained, would protect Narnia from Jadis for many years.

Aslan allowed Digory to take one of the apples from the new tree back with him to our world for his ill mother. After she had eaten it, Digory planted the core in his garden where it grew into a great apple tree. Many years later the tree was blown down in a storm and the now Professor Kirke had its wood made into a wardrobe.

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The Golden Age

The land of Narnia was in peace for hundreds of years after its creation. This peace lasted until, eventually, Jadis the Witch-Queen returned (presumably the protector tree that Digory had planted had by then collapsed) and bound the land in ice and snow for one hundred years, making it always winter and never Christmas.

When four children named Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy found their way into Narnia through Professor Kirke's magic wardrobe, they happened to arrive at a time when the great Lion Aslan had returned, and the hundred years of winter were ending. Becoming part of his court, they fought in the first great Battle of Beruna Ford and defeated the White Witch. Aslan then fulfilled an ancient Narnian prophecy and made the children Kings and Queens of Narnia. Because of the great prosperity Narnia experienced under their reign, this period of Narnian history is known as its Golden Age.

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King Caspian X

However, after ruling well for many years, the four great Kings and Queens disappeared and Narnia was left leaderless. When they returned from our world 1288 Narnian years later, Narnia had been taken over by a people called the Telmarines, who had suppressed all magical creatures under their rule. The current king, named Miraz, was an evil man who had murdered his brother and usurped the throne, and who also planned to murder the true heir, his nephew Caspian. Caspian had been taught about the magical history and creatures of Narnia by his tutor, a half-dwarf named Cornelius, and had become sympathetic to their plight. The four children helped Caspian defeat Miraz at the second Battle of Beruna, set him on the throne, and under his rule humans and talking beasts lived in Narnia together happily for years.

Lucy and Edmund returned to Narnia once more with their spoiled cousin Eustace, and sailed with King Caspian on a legendary voyage aboard the ship Dawn Treader. Caspian had undertaken this journey in order to find seven lords of Narnia (Lords Revilian, Bern, Argoz, Mavramorn, Octesian, Restimar, and Rhoop) who had been sent by his uncle Miraz to explore the Eastern Seas beyond the Lone Islands and had never returned. On this voyage Caspian reinstated Narnian control over the Lone Islands (which had lapsed under Telmarine rule) and explored the unknown eastern islands to the very edge of the world. The explorers had many adventures amongst these islands which included fighting a sea serpent, encountering a wizard and his invisible subjects, and (in the case of Eustace) being turned into a dragon for a time before being returned to human form by Aslan.

Caspian married a beautiful woman (the daughter of a star named Ramandu) he met on that voyage, and she became Queen of Narnia. They had a son named Rilian, but the Queen was killed by a snake and Rilian as a young man disappeared. Eustace returned to Narnia with his school friend Jill Pole, and they were sent by Aslan to find the lost prince, a journey which took them to the wild lands of the north, inhabited by giants, and to the underworld where an evil Queen had bewitched Rilian into doing her bidding. Freeing him and destroying the Queen in her evil snake-form, the two children returned to their world.

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Destruction of Narnia

The world of Narnia was finally destroyed some two hundred years later during the reign of King Tirian, son of King Erlian and seventh in descent from Rilian.

The events that culminated in its destruction were begun by a talking ape named Shift who had constructed an elaborate conspiracy in a selfish attempt to 'modernize' the kingdom of Narnia to his liking. By dressing a donkey in a lion's skin and claiming him to be Aslan, Shift began surreptitiously gaining control of the western portion of the country by forcing the inhabitants to do his bidding in the lion's name. He then made contact with the current Calormen regime, inviting them to take advantage of the situation and fulfill their centuries-old goal of conquering Narnia. A small group of soldiers under command of Captain Rishda Tarkaan was soon sent and by the time King Tirian learned of the ape's traitorous plans they were well on the way to completion.

With the help of Eustace and Jill (who arrived in time to rescue the king from capture), Tirian attempted to rally Narnia and drive out the invaders, but thanks to the dividing effect the faux-Aslan had had on the populace and the simultaneous capture of Cair Paravel by a Calormen fleet, his efforts were unsuccessful. Tirian and his remaining supporters were eventually forced into a last stand against Rishda's army in the Battle of Stable Hill that ultimately ended in the Narnian army's defeat.

When this occurred, Aslan proclaimed the end of Narnia and destroyed it, calling all of its inhabitants to him in the process. All the creatures of Narnia who had been faithful to Aslan were taken with him into his own land where they met previous people who had lived in Narnia and died. Aslan's land was bigger and better than the old Narnia, because it was the real one, whereas the old Narnia had been just a copy of Aslan's land.

Also see:

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Contact with our world

There are seven documented events of contact between the world of men and the world of Narnia. Dates are taken from a timeline provided in the book Past Watchful Dragons by Walter Hooper (ISBN 0020519702).

  • In The Magician's Nephew, four humans, Frank (last name unknown), Andrew Ketterley, and children Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, were present at the creation of Narnia, having been brought there by a series of unfortunate events. The same day, Aslan called Frank's wife, Helen, from England, and the two remained in Narnia as King and Queen. The children and Andrew returned to London.
  • In Narnian Year 460, as alluded to in Prince Caspian, six human pirates from the South Sea entered the land of Telmar through a magic cave. They remained in Telmar and their descendants formed the Telmarine civilization.
  • In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, in Narnian Year 1000, four siblings, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, entered Narnia through a wardrobe Digory had built from the wood of a magical Narnian tree. Aslan returned to Narnia at the same time, defeated the foreign ruler Jadis, now known as the White Witch, and set up the four children as kings and queens. They ruled for fifteen years before returning to England back in the state of their childhood.
  • In Prince Caspian, in Narnian Year 2303, the Pevensie children were summoned to Narnia by magic to help remove a Telmarine usurper King Miraz from the Narnian throne and establish the teenage Prince Caspian as king. After this, Aslan allowed the Telmarines, descendants of the pirates who had arrived long ago, to go back to an island in the South Sea if they so wished.
  • In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in Narnian Year 2306, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and Eustace Scrubb entered Narnia through a magic painting, and took part in Caspian's voyage to the edge of the world.
  • In The Silver Chair, in Narnian Year 2376, Aslan brought Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole to Narnia, where they rescued Rilian, son of the now elderly Caspian, from his enchanted captivity. Caspian died, but was resurrected and briefly crossed over into England in 1942 to help remove a corrupt school administrator.
  • In The Last Battle, in 1949, King Tirian of Narnia appeared to the friends of Narnia in England, and Aslan brought Eustace and Jill to Narnia in Narnian Year 2575 to assist Tirian at the end of his reign.
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External links

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
The World of Narnia
Archenland | Bism | Calormen | Charn | Galma | The Lone Islands

Narnia | Seven Isles | Telmar | Terebinthia | Wood between Worlds

Books Characters Places
it:Narnia

es:Narnia fi:narnia fr:Le Monde de Narnia he:נרניה ja:ナルニア国 no:Narnia pt:Nárnia de:Narnia

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