Mr Tumnus
Encyclopedia
Tumnus is a fictional character
in C. S. Lewis
' series The Chronicles of Narnia
. He is featured prominently in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
and also appears in The Horse and His Boy
and The Last Battle
. He is close friends with Lucy Pevensie
and is the first person she meets in Narnia, as well as the first Narnian to be introduced in the series. Lewis said 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. In that way, Tumnus was the initial inspiration for the entire Narnia series.
legs with glossy black hair, a "strange but pleasant little face," a long tail, and being, "only a little taller than Lucy herself."
He first appears in the story when Lucy arrives in Narnia at the lamp-post. He introduces himself to Lucy and she tells him who she is, before inviting her back to his cave for dinner. During dinner, they have a conversation about Narnia before Tumnus starts playing his flute
and Lucy falls asleep. When Lucy wakes up she realizes that he is crying. He confesses that he is in the pay of the White Witch, who rules Narnia and has made it always winter but never Christmas. She had ordered him and the other Narnians to hand over any Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve - humans - that he sees in Narnia. Mr Tumnus soon realises that he can't give Lucy up to the Witch, and so he guides her back to the lamp-post to see that she returns safely to her own world.
When Lucy returns to Narnia a few days later, Tumnus is still there and neither of them can understand how the White Witch hasn't found out about his letting her go. However, when Lucy and her siblings come to Narnia a while afterwards, they find that Tumnus has been captured by Maugrim
, Chief of Jadis, the White Witch's
secret police. However, he had spoken to Mr. Beaver not long before his arrest and told him to act as a guide to the four children if he saw them in Narnia. He had told Mr. Beaver that he feared that he would soon be arrested.
They met Mr. Beaver just after leaving Tumnus's ransacked cave.
Much later on in the story, when the winter has come to an end and Aslan is preparing an army to take on the White Witch, Lucy and Susan find Tumnus as a statue in the Witch's castle and he is restored by Aslan.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
' series The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children 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...
. He is featured prominently in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...
and also appears in The Horse and His Boy
The Horse and His Boy
The Horse and His Boy is a novel by C. S. Lewis. It was published in 1954, making it the fifth of seven books published in Lewis' series The Chronicles of Narnia. The books in this series are sometimes ordered chronologically in relation to the events in the books as opposed to the dates of their...
and The Last Battle
The Last Battle
The Last Battle is the seventh and final novel in The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. It won the prestigious Carnegie Medal in Literature in 1956.-Plot summary:In The Last Battle, Lewis brings The Chronicles of Narnia to an end...
. He is close friends with Lucy Pevensie
Lucy Pevensie
Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. 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...
and is the first person she meets in Narnia, as well as the first Narnian to be introduced in the series. Lewis said 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
Faun
The faun is a rustic forest god or place-spirit of Roman mythology often associated with Greek satyrs and the Greek god Pan.-Origins:...
carrying an umbrella and parcels through a snowy wood. In that way, Tumnus was the initial inspiration for the entire Narnia series.
Description
Lewis describes Tumnus as having reddish skin, curly hair, brown eyes, a short pointed beard, horns on his forehead, cloven hooves, goatGoat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
legs with glossy black hair, a "strange but pleasant little face," a long tail, and being, "only a little taller than Lucy herself."
He first appears in the story when Lucy arrives in Narnia at the lamp-post. He introduces himself to Lucy and she tells him who she is, before inviting her back to his cave for dinner. During dinner, they have a conversation about Narnia before Tumnus starts playing his flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and Lucy falls asleep. When Lucy wakes up she realizes that he is crying. He confesses that he is in the pay of the White Witch, who rules Narnia and has made it always winter but never Christmas. She had ordered him and the other Narnians to hand over any Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve - humans - that he sees in Narnia. Mr Tumnus soon realises that he can't give Lucy up to the Witch, and so he guides her back to the lamp-post to see that she returns safely to her own world.
When Lucy returns to Narnia a few days later, Tumnus is still there and neither of them can understand how the White Witch hasn't found out about his letting her go. However, when Lucy and her siblings come to Narnia a while afterwards, they find that Tumnus has been captured by Maugrim
Maugrim
Maugrim is a fictional wolf, a servant of White Witch in the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. He is captain of the witch's Secret Police...
, Chief of Jadis, the White Witch's
White Witch
Jadis is the main antagonist of The Magician's Nephew and of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in C.S. Lewis' series, The Chronicles of Narnia...
secret police. However, he had spoken to Mr. Beaver not long before his arrest and told him to act as a guide to the four children if he saw them in Narnia. He had told Mr. Beaver that he feared that he would soon be arrested.
They met Mr. Beaver just after leaving Tumnus's ransacked cave.
Much later on in the story, when the winter has come to an end and Aslan is preparing an army to take on the White Witch, Lucy and Susan find Tumnus as a statue in the Witch's castle and he is restored by Aslan.
Portrayals
- He originally appeared in the 1988 BBC miniseriesThe Chronicles of Narnia (TV miniseries)The Chronicles of Narnia is a BBC-produced television serial that was aired from 13 November 1988 to 23 December 1990 and is based on four books of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series...
of The Chronicles of Narnia played by actor Jeffrey Perry.
- Mr. Tumnus appears in the 2005 film The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
, Tumnus has lighter skin, blue eyes, brown legs, and he also has a stubbly little tail. He was portrayed by actor James McAvoyJames McAvoyJames McAvoy is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune...
in the film.
In popular culture
- Tumnus appears in the "Robot Chicken's Half-Assed Christmas Special" voiced by Seth GreenSeth GreenSeth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
. When he meets the nerd upon his arrival, the nerd beats him to death with a giant stick he dubs "Excalibur 2."
- Tumnus also appears in an episode of Family GuyFamily GuyFamily Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. Looking for a missing sock in the dryer, Peter GriffinPeter GriffinPeter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
falls in and enters the land of Narnia. He is greeted by Tumnus, who has his missing sock.
- Tumnus also appears in the South ParkSouth ParkSouth Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
trilogy, "ImaginationlandImaginationland"Imaginationland" is a three-part episode of the American animated television series South Park.*Episode I*Episode II*Episode III...
".
- Tumnus also appears in Epic Movie as he explains to Lucy that he is a faun.
See also
- Pan (mythology)Pan (mythology)Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...
- Puck (mythology)Puck (mythology)In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. Puck is also a generalised personification of land spirits. In more recent times, the figure of Robin Goodfellow is identified as a puck.-Etymology:...
- SatyrSatyrIn Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....
- FaunFaunThe faun is a rustic forest god or place-spirit of Roman mythology often associated with Greek satyrs and the Greek god Pan.-Origins:...
- VertumnusVertumnusIn Roman mythology, Vertumnus — also Vortumnus or Vertimnus — is the god of seasons, change and plant growth, as well as gardens and fruit trees...