Narnia | |
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The Chronicles of Narnia location | |
![]() 1972 Map of Narnia by Pauline Baynes | |
Created by | C. S. Lewis |
Genre | Children's fantasy |
In-universe information | |
Type | Fantasy world |
Ethnic group(s) | Narnians, Wild Westerners, Telmarines, Archenlanders, Calormenes, Ettinsmoorish, Northerners, Underlanders, Bismites, Merpeople, Galmanes, Terebinthians, Seven Islanders, Lone Islanders, Burnt Islanders (actual name unknown), Duffers, Sea People |
Race(s) | Centaurs, Dragons, Dwarves, Dufflepuds, Earthmen, Ettins, Fauns, Hags, Giants, Humans, Marsh-wiggles, Minotaurs, Ogres, Nymphs, Sea Serpents, Talking Animals, Werewolves, etc. |
Locations | Narnia (country), Archenland, Calormen, Underland, Aslan's Country |
Characters | Aslan, White Witch, Lucy, Mr. Tumnus |
Narnia is a fantasy world created by C. S. Lewis as the primary location for his series of seven fantasy novels for children, The Chronicles of Narnia . The world is named after the country of Narnia, where much of the Chronicles takes place.
In Narnia, some animals talk, mythical beasts abound, and magic is common. The series tracks the story of Narnia when humans, usually children, enter the Narnian world from Earth. The entire Narnian timeline, from its creation to its end (c. 1–2555), ran parallel to 49 Earth-years (c. 1900–1949), thus on average a year on Earth meant 52.14 time dilation years in Narnia.
The landscape of Lewis's native Ireland, in particular his native Ulster, now modern day Northern Ireland for most parts, played a large part in the creation of the Narnian landscape. In his essay On Stories, Lewis wrote "I have seen landscapes, notably in the Mourne Mountains and southwards which under a particular light made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge". [1] In a letter to his brother, Lewis would later confide "that part of Rostrevor which overlooks Carlingford Lough is my idea of Narnia". Although in adult life Lewis lived in England, he returned to Ulster often and retained fond memories of the Irish scenery, saying "I yearn to see County Down in the snow; one almost expects to see a march of dwarfs dashing past. How I long to break into a world where such things were true."[ citation needed ]
Beginning in 1906, young C.S. Lewis (1898–1963) visited the northern Irish seaside near Portrush in the north of County Antrim many times. [2] [3] In later years, Lewis remembered the sounds of the sea, the cliffs rising above it, and the ruined medieval towers of Dunluce Castle which many authors have speculated may have inspired his creation of Cair Paravel. [2] [3] [4]
Concerning Narnia and Narni, Roger Lancelyn Green writes about C.S. Lewis and Walter Hooper:
When Walter Hooper asked [C.S. Lewis] where he found the word 'Narnia', Lewis showed him Murray's Small Classical Atlas, ed. G.B. Grundy (1904), which he acquired when he was reading the classics with Mr [William T. Kirkpatrick at Great Bookham [1914–1917]. On plate 8 of the Atlas is a map of ancient Italy. Lewis had underscored the name of a little town called Narnia, simply because he liked the sound of it. Narnia – or 'Narni' in Italian – is in Umbria, halfway between Rome and Assisi.
Narnia, a small medieval town, is situated at the top of an olive-covered hill. It was already ancient when the Romans defeated it in 299 BC. Its thirteenth-century fortress dominates a deep, narrow gorge of the Nera river which runs below. One of its most important archaeological features is a Romanesque cathedral, which contains the relics of a number of Umbrian saints.
Kingdom of Narnia | |
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The Chronicles of Narnia location | |
Map of the Narnian Realm | |
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Created by | C. S. Lewis |
Genre | Children's fantasy |
In-universe information | |
Other name(s) | Narnia |
Type | Absolute Monarchy |
Race(s) | Telmarines (formerly Humans from Earth), Dwarfs, Giants, Fauns, Centaurs, Nymphs, Marsh-wiggles, Talking Animals, Humans, etc. |
Locations | Cair Paravel (capital), Lantern Waste, Beaversdam, Beruna |
Characters | Mr. Tumnus, White Witch, Caspian X, Trumpkin |
The novels revolve around the fantastical country of Narnia. The nation of Narnia, often and officially the Kingdom of Narnia, was guarded over by Aslan, the Great Lion, and was filled with humans, talking animals, and other mythical creatures. Narnia was a land of rolling hills rising into low mountains to the south, and was predominantly forested, except for marshlands in the north. [5] [6] 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 Archenland.
The economic heart of the country centres on the Great River of Narnia, which crosses the country from the northwest on an east-southeasterly course to the Eastern Ocean. The seat of government is the castle of Cair Paravel, originally on a peninsula, later an island, at the mouth of the Great River on the coast of the Great Eastern Ocean. Other communities along the river include (from east to west):
Kingdom of Archenland | |
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The Chronicles of Narnia location | |
![]() Flag of Archenland | |
![]() Coat of arms of Archenland | |
Created by | C. S. Lewis |
Genre | Children's fantasy |
In-universe information | |
Other name(s) | Archenland |
Type | Absolute monarchy |
Locations | Anvard (capital), Mount Pire |
Characters | King Lune, Cor, Corin |
Archenland is a mountainous country south of Narnia. It is bordered on the north by Narnia and on the south by the Winding Arrow River and further south is the Great Desert. The seat of government is at Anvard, in the heart of the country, a fortified area. [7] [8]
Calormen is a semi-arid empire in the south of the world of Narnia. The capital of Calormen is Tashbaan, located on an island near the mouth of the River of Calormen, which flows from west to east in the north of Calormen, just south of the Great Desert. The city of Azim Balda, to the south of Tashbaan, is a hub where many roads meet; it hosts the government's postal system. [9] Prince Caspian describes slave trade between Calormen and Telmar from areas far south of Calormen.
North of Narnia lies Ettinsmoor, a cold barren plain home to the once civilized, now anarchistic giants. North of Ettinsmoor is a deep gorge crossed by an ancient bridge known simply as the "Giant Bridge", part of a long-abandoned road. This leads to the Wild Lands of the North, home of the Ruined City of the Giants and the castle Harfang, which is still inhabited by giants.
East of Narnia is the Great Eastern Ocean, where the Bight of Calormen is home to the Merpeople and the islands of Galma, Terebinthia, Seven Isles, and the Lone Islands. Beyond the Bight of Calormen is more ocean, including the islands of Dragon Island, Burnt Island, Death Water Island, Island of the Duffers, Dark Island, and the Island of the Star. Beyond the Island of the Star, is another undersea country called the Eastern Last Sea, the water of white lilies known as the Silver Sea, and the Utter East, which is a small plain, bordering a perpetual wave and the high mountains of Aslan's Country.
To Narnia's west is the landlocked Western Wild, south of this country and also west of Calormen is the Far West region, and somewhere beyond this is Telmar, and eventually on the other side of the unnamed continent is the Western Sea. The Western Sea is an uncharted territory of the Narnian world, but some claim that on its islands are "strange and unearthly creatures".
In the domed sky are the sun and moon, which rise from the Utter East and set in the Utter West. The Last Sea in the east is bright with a "drinkable light". There are stars and planets in the sky but in the Narnian world they are people who move accordingly, and some live on the surface.
Deep below Narnia's surface is a dark sunless country Underland and even deeper than that, at the world's base, is the fiery nation of Bism, home to the Gnomes and Salamanders.
The flat world of Narnia [10] is connected to Earth and many other worlds through a nexus called the Wood between the Worlds. Travel is possible through a pool each for every world. [11] The Wood is so named by Polly Plummer, who is transported there when Digory Kirke's Uncle Andrew tricks her into picking up a magic yellow ring. [12] It has a slothful influence on those travelling it, which is explained by C.S. Lewis as the Wood being a place where nothing ever happens, unlike the different worlds that it connects. For the child protagonists, this experience is pleasant and relaxing. However, it affects the White Witch Jadis negatively: she shrieks in despair that the wood is "killing" her, and she is sickly and pale. It could be described as a nexus of sorts, existing outside the other worlds and not being a world on its own. [11] The wood derives its name from The Wood Beyond the World , a fantasy novel by William Morris, an author who Lewis greatly admired. [13] [14] [15] [16] However, the location's function stems from another Morris novel, The Well at the World's End . Some scholars have suggested Dante's Divine Comedy or Algnernon Blackwood's "The Education of Uncle Paul", both of which Lewis was known to have enjoyed, as possible secondary influences. [15] [16]
Lewis provided a timeline of events related to The Chronicles of Narnia, in emulation of The Tale of the Years chronology in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings . He gave an "Outline of Narnian History" in manuscript form to Walter Hooper, who included it in his essay Past Watchful Dragons: The Fairy Tales of C. S. Lewis. [17] [18] The novels never explicitly mention the year or years in which events take place, so the timeline is the only source for this information. Kathryn Lindskoog, along with other Lewis scholars, has challenged the authenticity of some posthumous works attributed to Lewis and edited by Hooper, [19] but the validity of the outline in particular has not been questioned. The outline is accepted by Lewis experts and has been included in works by Paul Ford, [20] Martha Sammons [21] and others.
Several people have pointed out more or less significant areas where Lewis's Outline is not consistent with the text of the Chronicles. For example, the outline dates Queen Swanwhite c. 1502, though according to The Last Battle she ruled Narnia before Jadis returned (meaning that her reign must have ended before 898). Paul Ford, author of Companion to Narnia, points out that the text of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe states that Lucy and Edmund are one year apart in age; the years given in the timeline for their births, 1930 and 1932 respectively, would put their ages at something more than a year. [20] Devin Brown, author of Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, uses the timeline as a way to reconcile some of the statements concerning the timing of Aslan's appearances in Narnia with other characters' recollections of those appearances. [22]
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in The Horse and His Boy, the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by the lion Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in The Magician's Nephew to its eventual destruction in The Last Battle.
Prince Caspian is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1951. It was the second published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956), and Lewis had finished writing it in 1949, before the first book was out. It is volume four in recent editions of the series, sequenced according to the internal chronology of the books. Like the others, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a portal fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956). Among all the author's books, it is also the most widely held in libraries. It was the first of The Chronicles of Narnia to be written and published, but is marked as volume two in recent editions that are sequenced according the stories' internal chronology. Like the other Chronicles, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and her work has been retained in many later editions.
The Last Battle is a portal fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by The Bodley Head in 1956. It was the seventh and final novel in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956). Like the other novels in the series, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.
The Horse and His Boy is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1954. Of the seven novels that comprise The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956), The Horse and His Boy was the fifth to be published. The novel is set in the period covered by the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe during the reign of the four Pevensie children as Kings and Queens of Narnia. Though three of the Pevensies appear as minor characters in The Horse and His Boy, the main characters are two children and two talking horses who escape from Calormen and travel north into Narnia. On their journey, they learn of the Prince of Calormen's plan to attack Archenland, and warn the King of Archenland of the impending strike.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a portal fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1952. It was the third published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956). Macmillan US published an American edition within the calendar year, with substantial revisions which were retained in the United States until 1994. It is volume five in recent editions, which are sequenced according to the novels' internal chronology. Like the other Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and her work has been retained in many later editions.
The Silver Chair is a children's portal fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1953. It was the fourth published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956); it is volume six in recent editions, which are sequenced according to Narnian history. Like the others, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.
Mr. Tumnus is a faun in The Chronicles of Narnia books written by C. S. Lewis, primarily in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but also briefly in The Horse and His Boy and in The Last Battle. He is the first creature Lucy Pevensie meets in Narnia and becomes her first friend in the kingdom. Lewis wrote that the first Narnia story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, all came to him from a single picture he had in his head of a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels through a snowy wood. Tumnus thus became the initial inspiration for the entire Narnia series.
Jadis is a fictional character and the main antagonist of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and The Magician's Nephew (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, The Chronicles of Narnia. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as she is the Witch who froze Narnia in the Hundred Years Winter.
Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan. Also, of all the humans who have visited Narnia, Lucy is perhaps the one that believes in Narnia the most. She is ultimately crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant, co-ruler of Narnia along with her two brothers and her sister. Lucy is the central character of the four siblings in the novels. Lucy is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a minor character in two others.
Peter Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Peter appears in three of the seven books; as a child and a principal character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Last Battle. He is mentioned in The Horse and His Boy, in which he is away on the northern frontier fighting giants, and in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in which he is studying under the tutelage of Professor Kirke.
Edmund Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a lesser character in two others.
The Telmarines are a people in the fictional world of Narnia created by the British author C. S. Lewis for his series The Chronicles of Narnia. Hailing from Telmar, the Telmarines are prominent in the book Prince Caspian, the second book published in the series. The Telmarines were pirates in Earth before entering the Narnian world through a magical cave.
Prince Caspian is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. He is featured in three books in the series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. He also appears at the end of The Last Battle.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 high fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the 1951 novel Prince Caspian, Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, the second published and fourth chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), it is the second installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series.
Trumpkin is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' fantasy novel series The Chronicles of Narnia. Trumpkin is an intensely practical and skeptical dwarf who lives during the reigns of King Miraz and King Caspian X. He is a major character in Prince Caspian, briefly mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and is a minor character in The Silver Chair.
Aslan is a major character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion and is described as the King of Beasts, the son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, and the King above all High Kings in Narnia.
Maugrim is a fictional character in the 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. A Narnian wolf, he is the Captain of the White Witch's Secret Police. In early American editions of the book, Lewis changed the name to Fenris Ulf, but when HarperCollins took over the books they took out Lewis' revisions, and the name Maugrim has been used in all editions since 1994.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Narnia:
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)In its glory, Dunluce would have been the model of a kingly castle, but Lewis saw it in ruins, as the four Pevensie children saw Cair Paravel upon their return to Narnia in Prince Caspian.
I have some vague memories of the cliffs round there and of Dunluce Castle, and some memories that are not at all vague of the same coast a little further on at Castlerock where we used to go in the old days. (letter from Lewis to Arthur Greeves, written in 1915)
…the dramatically situated clifftop Dunluce Castle (pictured above) in County Atrium, Northern Ireland. […] Its otherworldly look is said to have inspired CS Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia series. Apparently, the ruins formed the basis for the Narnian castle of Cair Paravel.
A name inspired by William Morris' novel, The Wood Beyond the World. For an indication of Lewis' esteem for Morris see...
...is taken from the title of a fantasy novel, The Wood Beyond the World , by nineteenth century novelist, William Morris, a writer Lewis loved.