Tash (Narnia)

Last updated
Tash
Narnia character
The Calormen god Tash.jpeg
Tash the inexorable, the irresistible, as illustrated by Pauline Baynes in The Last Battle
In-universe information
Race Deity
Familythe Tisrocs and Tarkaans and Tarkheenas (claim descendants)
ChildrenThe first Tisroc (Claimed)
Nationality Calormen

Tash is a fictional deity and demonic god, found in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series. He is an antagonist in the novels The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle .

Contents

Tash is the patron god of the ruling class of Calormen. The Calormene capital is named Tashbaan, and the Tisrocs and Tarkaans and Tarkheenas all claim descent from Tash. The worship of Tash is the only formal religion depicted in the world of Narnia, except that the people of Narnia honour the memory of Aslan, a great lion who was killed and returned from the dead many generations before. There are temples to Tash, Calormenes regularly use ritual phrases such as "Tash the inexorable, the irresistible" and "Tash preserve us", and he is the only being referred to by any character in the books as a god. At the end of the series, Tash is revealed as the antithesis of Aslan (who represents Jesus), and appears as a terrible demon, with a skeletal, humanoid body, a vulture-like head, and four taloned arms.

Appearances

The Horse and His Boy

In The Horse and His Boy , which explores Calormene society in some depth, the name of Tash is frequently used in oaths and exclamations. (Two other Calormene gods are mentioned, Azaroth and Zardeenah, Lady of the Night and Maidens, but only briefly.) However, Tash is not described at all, and his worship plays little part in the story. Near the end of the novel, the principal antagonist Rabadash, frustrated and maddened by defeat, tries to call on Tash to inflict vengeance on the Narnians and Aslan—such as "lightning in the shape of scorpions". But this results in nothing but mockery and pity from his captors, because Aslan, after repeatedly warning Rabadash to repent of his anger, turns Rabadash into a donkey. Aslan tells Rabadash that his transformation will be lifted when he visits the temple of Tash in Tashbaan during the middle of a festival (meaning he'll be seen changing back by thousands of people), and that afterwards he must never stray more than ten miles from the temple or he will be transformed again, this time with no ability to return to his human self. [1]

The Last Battle

The worship of Tash persists in The Last Battle , the final book of the series, in which he is depicted as a very real and malevolent being who is the antithesis of Aslan. Narnians distastefully describe him as a god or a demon. Tash appears much larger than a man, with four arms and the head of a vulture; his presence brings cold and the stench of death. While the Calormenes offer human sacrifice to Tash, a majority did not actually believe in him. Illustrations by Pauline Baynes enhance his macabre appearance.

"It was roughly the shape of a man but it had the head of a bird; some bird of prey with a cruel, curved beak. It had four arms which it held high above its head, stretching them out Northward as if it wanted to snatch all Narnia in its grip; and its fingers - all twenty of them - were curved like its beak and had long, pointed bird-like claws instead of nails."

–The first description of Tash The Last Battle [2]

In the course of the story, the Calormene warlord Rishda schemes with Shift the manipulative ape and Ginger the duplicitous cat to concoct a story that Aslan and Tash are the same being, called Tashlan. Many Narnians see that this is ridiculous, given the antithetical nature of Aslan and Tash. King Tirian of Narnia, with two of Narnia's English friends, Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole, attempt to defend Aslan and Narnia, but they are overpowered by the Calormene soldiers. The conspirators send dissenters "to meet Tashlan" in the stable of Puzzle the donkey, where Calormene soldiers can secretly murder them.

Through these evil actions, the conspirators have unwittingly summoned Tash himself into Narnia. Ginger encounters Tash and barely escapes, but loses the power of speech. A devout Calormene soldier named Emeth enters the stable voluntarily, determined to meet his god. He vanishes into Aslan's Country, where he meets Aslan and realizes where his true devotion lies. Aslan tells him that "all the service thou hast done to Tash, I accept as service done to me", and further explains that "no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him". He explains that Emeth's pious devotion, because it was rooted in a love of justice and truth, was really to Aslan rather than to Tash.

Tirian manages to throw Shift into the stable, and Tash devours the ape. Rishda takes fright at this, and hastily attempts to placate Tash by offering the remaining Narnians as sacrifices, but Tirian drags Rishda into the stable, where Tash seizes him. In the name of Aslan and the Emperor beyond the sea, High King Peter banishes Tash back to his own realm. Tash vanishes, carrying Rishda in his clutches. [3]

Character analysis

Assyrian stone relief from Nineveh depicting an evil-looking deity (L), with some similarities to Tash. Chaos Monster and Sun God.png
Assyrian stone relief from Nineveh depicting an evil-looking deity (L), with some similarities to Tash.

Tash is an incidental character during The Horse and His Boy, but becomes an important character during the narrative of The Last Battle when he "follows his worshippers into Narnia." [4] Michael Ward notes that Tash's arrival in Narnia is part of the "deadly atmosphere" pervading The Last Battle. "At the appearance of Tash, Puzzle complains, 'It's so cold." [5] However other commentators view the introduction of Tash in The Last Battle as a type of deus ex machina , "swooping in from left-field" to threaten Narnia. [6]

Religious analysis

Imran Ahmad writing in the Huffington Post describes how the presentation of Tash in The Last Battle intersects with how some Evangelical Christians view Islam. "Shift puts out the (obviously untrue) assertion that 'Aslan and Tash are the same.' In this, I hear echoes of the old argument: Muslims propose that God and Allah are the same; evangelical Christians vehemently oppose this." [7] Paul Simpson in his guide to Lewis's writings notes that "the discussion whether Tash and Aslan are the same is one of the underlying themes of the book." [8] But some other commentators view Tash as derivative from other religious sources. For example, Sameer Rahim writing for The Telegraph describes Tash as "a bizarre concoction of a Babylonian devil and Hindu god." [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> Series of childrens fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narnia (world)</span> Fantasy world created by C.S. Lewis, setting of The Chronicles of Narnia

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.

<i>The Last Battle</i> Childrens fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, 1956

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.

<i>The Horse and His Boy</i> Childrens fantasy novel by C.S. Lewis, 1954

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.

In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Calormen is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis probably derived its name from the Latin calor, meaning "heat". When using the name as an adjective or an ethnonym, Lewis spelled the name with an 'e' at the end: a Calormene soldier; "The Calormenes have dark faces and long beards."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Pevensie</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Susan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Susan is the elder sister and the second eldest Pevensie child. She appears in three of the seven books—as a child in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Horse and His Boy. She is also mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Last Battle. During her reign at the Narnian capital of Cair Paravel, she is known as Queen Susan the Gentle or Queen Susan of the Horn. She was the only Pevensie that survived the train crash on Earth which sent the others to Narnia after The Last Battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Pole</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Jill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.

Hwin is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. She is prominent in the 1954 book The Horse and His Boy.

Aravis is a fictional character in the 1954 novel The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis.

King Tirian is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is the protagonist of The Last Battle, in which he is the last King of Narnia, who has to defend his kingdom against subversion and invasion. He is well respected by the Narnians and a skilled swordsman. He is descended from Prince Caspian, and is the son of King Erlian. His closest friend is Jewel the Unicorn.

Shift is a fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. He is the main antagonist of The Last Battle, which is the last book of the series. Shift is an ape who, like many animals in Lewis' work, can talk; Lewis does not specify what kind of ape, but Pauline Baynes' illustrations depict him as a chimpanzee. At the beginning of the book, he lives near his friend/servant Puzzle the donkey at the base of the Great Waterfall, next to the Caldron Pool where the Great River starts its course to the sea. Lewis describes Shift as "the cleverest, ugliest, most wrinkled Ape you can imagine."

Shasta, later known as Cor of Archenland, is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He is the principal character in the fifth book published in the series, The Horse and His Boy. The book's events, however, are chronologically third in the series. He also appears briefly at the end of The Last Battle, the seventh and final book in the series.

Emeth is a Calormene character from C. S. Lewis's book The Last Battle from The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is a controversial character among some Christians who take the Chronicles to be allegories, and thus have expressed disagreement with Lewis' apparent soteriology. Specifically, the salvation of Emeth is understood to be an implicit endorsement of the doctrinal idea of Inclusivism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aslan</span> Fictional lion, a deity in The Chronicles of Narnia

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.

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages. The series borrows characters and ideas from Classical, Norse, Irish, Arthurian, Islamic, Jewish and Christian mythology. Of all the mythologies taken into consideration, the Christian one is the most fundamental for the Narnia series, due to the themes covered.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Narnia:

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.

References

  1. Lewis, CS (1998). The Chronicles of Narnia. London: Collins. p. 310. ISBN   0007640218.
  2. Lewis (1998). The Chronicles of Narnia. p. 712.
  3. Lewis (1998). The Chronicles of Narnia. p. 740.
  4. Watt-Evans, Lawrence (2005). "On the Origins of Evil" . In Caughey, Shanna (ed.). Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in CS Lewis' Chronicles. Benbella Books. pp.  25–32. ISBN   1932100636.
  5. Ward, Michael (2008). Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of CS Lewis. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 202.
  6. Morris, Shane (5 December 2016). "How Narnia Should Have Ended: Why 'The Last Battle' is My Least Favorite Chronicle". Patheos.com. Patheos. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  7. Ahmad, Imran (4 June 2012). "Narnia in the Eyes of A Young Muslim Reader". huffingtonpost.com. Huffington post. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  8. Simpson, Paul (2013). C.S. Lewis From Mere Christianity to Narnia. London: Constable & Robinson. p. 150. ISBN   9781472100665.
  9. Rahim, Sameer (30 July 2012). "Rowan Williams: 'Aslan is on the knife-edge of the erotic'". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 June 2018.