Narnia (world)
Encyclopedia
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 so called after the country of Narnia
, in which much of the action of the Chronicles takes place.
In Narnia, some animals can talk, mythical
beasts abound, and magic
is common. The series tracks the story of Narnia when humans, usually children, enter the Narnian world from 'our world', or Earth.
is where most of the action of the series is set. According to the mythology of the series, Narnia was created by the great lion, Aslan
, and is filled with talking animals and mythical creatures. C. S. Lewis may have taken the name from the Italian town of Narni
, whose Latin name was in fact Narnia. Narnia features rolling hills rising into low mountains to the south, and is predominantly forested except for marshlands in the north. The region 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 Great River of Narnia enters the country from the northwest and flows to the Eastern Ocean. At its mouth lies Cair Paravel
, the seat of High King Peter and his siblings. Other communities along the river include, from east to west, Beruna, Beaversdam, and Chippingford.
is a mountainous country south of Narnia. It is bordered on the north by Narnia and on the south by the Winding Arrow river. The seat of government is at Anvard, in the heart of the country. No other towns or villages are mentioned in the Chronicles. It is described as being somewhat open parkland, with many different varieties of trees scattered far enough apart so as to not constitute a forest – but it is mostly a mountainous country. Archenland is allied with Narnia, as is shown in The Horse and His Boy
. Unlike Narnia, Archenland is inhabited by humans and is governed by Men. The second son of King Frank VI of Narnia became the first King of Archenland. For reasons not explained in the Chronicles, the line of King Frank survived here (at least until the time of High King Peter) but failed in Narnia itself.
is a semi-arid empire
in the south of the world of Narnia. Notable geographic features include the Flaming Mountain of Lagour (a volcano
) and the Great Desert
. The Great Desert is in the northern part of the country, and the difficulty of crossing it discouraged the Calormenes from invading Archenland and 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. Gardens and pleasure houses line the river valley for several miles above the city. North of the river, on the margins of the desert, lie the royal tombs.
The city of Azim Balda, to the south of Tashbaan, is a hub where many roads meet; it hosts the government's postal system.
Narnia never was on very good terms with Calormen, because of Calormen's desire to dominate the countries around it.
es 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) where the sky meets the surface of the earth; in addition, it is implied that a passage to Aslan's Country is located there. The Easternmost Ocean is described as having "sweet" water, capable of sating both hunger and thirst, and is completely covered by large lilies. The sea becomes progressively more shallow the further East one travels, eventually terminating in a gigantic standing wave. Beyond the wave can be seen the "impossibly tall" mountains of Aslan's Country
.
. 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, and beyond it are the western islands.
Underland
is located in great cave
rns deep beneath the ground of Narnia. The land of Bism lies far below Underland. To the north are caverns containing Father Time and other mythological creatures who appear at the end of the world.
, in particular Ulster
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". 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 Northern Ireland 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."
The four Pevensie children are the best known: Peter Pevensie
(High King Peter the Magnificent), Susan Pevensie
(Queen Susan the Gentle), Edmund Pevensie
(King Edmund the Just), and Lucy Pevensie
(Queen Lucy the Valiant). All of them appear in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
and in Prince Caspian
. Edmund and Lucy appear in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
and all of them appear (but Peter, who is out fighting giants on the northern frontier) as adults in The Horse and his Boy
.
Others from our world include King Frank
(who had been a cabman in London) and his wife Queen Helen, who were the first King and Queen of Narnia and whose descendants lived in Narnia for many generations. They, together with Uncle Andrew Ketterley, Digory Kirke
, and Polly Plummer
appear in The Magician's Nephew
. Eustace Scrubb
, a cousin of the Pevensies, appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
and The Silver Chair
, and Jill Pole
, a schoolmate of Scrubb's, also appears in The Silver Chair
. All of these except for Susan Pevensie
and Uncle Andrew appear in The Last Battle
.
There were also about a dozen unnamed humans from our world (six pirates and their women) who repopulated the unpeopled land of Telmar and founded the race of the Telmarines. As Aslan says in Prince Caspian
, they accidentally found in a cave "one of the chinks or chasms between that world and this" (i.e. between our world and Narnia), and he adds, "There were many chinks or chasms between worlds in old times, but they have grown rarer. This was one of the last: I do not say the last." So quite possibly others came to Narnia from our world as well, but Lewis did not record their histories for us.
Humans from Earth are sometimes referred to as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve by Narnians, a reference to C. S. Lewis' Christian worldview.
Although he is not a human, Strawberry, the cabman's horse, also entered Narnia from our world and there was chosen to be a talking beast and transformed into the winged horse Fledge.
, as opposed to humans, who are called Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve. Dwarfs exist in at least two varieties: Black Dwarfs and Red Dwarfs, distinguished by the colour of their hair. While many Red Dwarfs are kind and loyal to Aslan, Black Dwarfs appear to be more selfish and hostile. Dwarfs appearing in the books are male and live together in communities, although they are known to mingle with and reproduce with humans. For example, Prince Caspian's Tutor Cornelius is a half-dwarf, and Caspian's former nurse is described as "a little old woman who looked as if she had dwarf blood in her".
Dwarfs, like faun
s, satyr
s, the river god
and his Naiad
daughters and the tree people (deities
of the woods) stepped forth when Aslan (in The Magician's Nephew
) called for Narnia to "Awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters." The dwarfs were presumably born of the earth, as the Dryad
s were of the trees and the Naiads of the waters. Dwarfs appear as the King's train-bearers at the coronation of King Frank. (Naiads — river nymphs — held Queen Helen's robes) In keeping with their character as sons of Earth, the dwarfs are skilled and prolific smiths
, miner
s, and carpenter
s. In battle they are renowned as deadly archers
. A Dwarf can walk all day and night.
breathed upon the first animal pairs, some not only gained thought and speech, but changed in size as well. Smaller animals (rodents, birds and small mammals) are larger than their non-talking relatives and larger animals are slightly smaller. Talking beasts can be divided into three main categories: Avian
, Mammal
, and Reptile
. There are no talking fish
or insects.
are mentioned by name in the Narnian books, the White Witch
(Jadis, Empress
of Charn
, or the "White Lady") and the Lady of the Green Kirtle
(or "the Green Lady"). Long after Lewis's death, character sketches appeared in later editions of the books that seem to indicate that these two witches are the same, but these notes are not due to Lewis. (See the Lady of the Green Kirtle
for more discussion.)
Jadis is the last scion of the royal house of Charn, though in Narnian rumor she is said to be descended from Adam's first wife, Lilith
(a mythological Mesopotamian storm demon), and to have both Jinn
and Giant
blood in her veins. According to the Beavers, she has no human blood at all, although she has the appearance of a very tall human woman. When Jadis first entered Narnia at its creation she fled to the north, where she spent nine hundred years gathering strength to invade and conquer Narnia. She was killed by Aslan in the First Battle of Beruna.
The Green Lady is able to transform herself into a huge serpent, and does so twice in The Silver Chair
: once when she kills Rilian
's mother, and once when she tries to kill Rilian himself and his companions. Most of her other powers seem to be related to seduction
and enslavement; she has bewitched and enslaved Rilian and an army of underground gnomes, and almost succeeds in bewitching Jill
, Eustace
, and Puddleglum
.
Lesser characters that might qualify as witches include the hags that appear in Jadis's army and the hag brought to Aslan's How in Prince Caspian
.
s, Cruels, Dragon
s, Dryad
s, Earthmen
or gnome
s, Efreets, Ettins, Faun
s, Giant
s, Ghoul
s, Griffin
s, Hag
s, Hamadryad
s, Horrors, Incubi
, Maenad
s, Merepeople, Minotaur
s, Monopod
s, Naiad
s, Ogre
s, Orknies (perhaps from Old English orcneas "walking dead"), Winged Horse
s, People of the Toadstools, Phoenix
, Satyr
s, Sea Peoples
(mermen
), Sea serpent
s, Sylvan
s, Spectres, Sprite
s, Star People, Troll
s, Unicorn
s, Werewolve
s, Wooses, and Wraiths. These are a free mix of creatures from Greco-Roman sources and others from native British tradition.
One passage in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
declines to describe the evil creatures, so that the book may remain suitable for children.
's Monopods) live on a distant island. There are also many singular beings who frequent or inhabit Narnia and its surrounding countries including: the River god
, Bacchus
, Father Christmas
, Father Time
, Pomona
, Silenus
, and Tash
. It should also be noted that the Stars themselves are sentient beings within Narnia. Coriakin
, the Magician, who rules over the Dufflepud/Monopods, and Ramandu
, whose daughter marries Caspian X
, are both stars who, for various reasons, are earth-bound. Both of these individuals were encountered in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
.
in a geocentric universe. Its sky is a dome that mortal creatures cannot penetrate.
Narnia's star
s are burning humanoid
beings. Its constellation
s are the result of a mystical dance upon the sky, performed by the stars to announce the works and comings of Aslan
, Narnia's creator. The stars also arrange themselves to allow seers to foretell certain future events.
The Narnian sun is a flaming disc that revolves around the world once daily. The sun has its own ecosystem
, and is thought to be inhabited by great white birds, which appear in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
. Some of the vegetation
on the sun is known to contain healing properties. For example, the extract of a certain fire-flower found in the mountains can heal any wound or sickness
, and a fire-berry that grows in its valleys, when eaten by a fallen star named Ramandu, works to reverse the effects of age.
Suggested by several of the books, the ground of Narnia may be a living organism. In The Silver Chair
, the main characters find a land named Bism many miles below Narnia, in which diamonds and other jewels provide juice when crushed or squeezed. They find the idea unbelievable until a gnome
explains that the precious stones found in Bism are real, not dead like the ones found in the "shallow" mines made by dwarfs and others who live on the surface.
of many worlds including Earth and the world of Charn
. These are connected by a meta-world or linking room known as the Wood between the Worlds
. This space takes the form of a dense forest with many pools
of water. With appropriate magic (or a device such as rings made from the soil), each pool leads to a different world. The Wood between the Worlds seems to affect the magic and strength of the White Witch
, who becomes weak and ill when taken there.
The Narnia book The Magician's Nephew
in its second paragraph says "In those days Sherlock Holmes
was still living in Baker Street
and the Bastables
were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road." This suggests that the Earth end of the Narnia stories, and the Sherlock Holmes stories, and The Story of the Treasure Seekers
, happen in the same fictional universe
.
, Empress of Charn; Digory Kirke
; Polly Plummer
; Andrew Ketterley; Frank
the cabman; and Strawberry, his cabhorse. During a failed attempt by Digory to transfer Jadis from London
in our world back to her own world of Charn
, the group arrived in the unmade darkness of Narnia just prior to Aslan calling it into being this was Narnia's Age of Conquest. (The cabby's wife Nellie, who was to become Queen Helen, was called into Narnia by Aslan soon afterwards.)
Aslan began the creation soon after they arrived, and with his song called forth the stars, sun, and eventually all landforms, plants, and animals as well. When he was finished, Aslan selected certain animals from these to be Talking Animals, giving to them, and all other magical creatures, Narnia as their new home, to own and rule it with wisdom and caring.
Aslan next appointed its first rulers, the cabby and his wife (the latter having been called to Narnia by Aslan), as King Frank I and 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 to retrieve a magic apple from a garden in the Western Wild beyond Narnia. When Digory 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 an apple from the new tree back 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 Digory, now Professor Kirke, had its wood made into the wardrobe
that figures in the title of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe — for this wardrobe became the entrance through which the Pevensies would discover Narnia.
By this time humans had died out in Narnia, or had been driven out; though humans remained in Archenland and Calormen. Jadis feared a prophecy that "when Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sit at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done." Her spies were thus always watching for human intruders. A hundred years into the endless winter, Lucy Pevensie
entered Narnia and was befriended by Tumnus the faun, and Lucy and her siblings managed to reach Aslan before Jadis could kill them. In the year 1000 under Aslan's influence the Witch's spells were broken and the winter came to an end. Aslan restored the Narnians whom the Witch had turned into stone, and killed the Witch herself at the Battle of Beruna and so ended the Age of Winter and began the Golden Age of Narnia.
fulfilled the ancient Narnian prophecy
and made the four Pevensie children — Peter
, Susan
, Edmund
, and Lucy
— Kings
and Queens
of Narnia. The ensuing prosperity inaugurated Narnia's Golden Age
. In its first few years the Pevinsies where vanquishing the remnants of the White Witch's Army. Other countries had feared Jadis, but after her death the new Kings and Queens had to contend with them. The Pevensies drove back the northern giants and defeated an invading army from Calormen
including the Archenland Conflict in 1014 which involved Aravis, Hwin, Bree and Shasta. But the two Kings and two Queens were always triumphant, and during the fifteen years of their reign Narnia was a safe and happy land. In 1015 the Pensiveness left the Narnian world and returned to Earth and so the Golden Age of Narnia had ended.
ines, descendants of pirates from our world and so began the Telmarine Age of Narnia. They left their land in the West to escape a great famine, and reached Narnia by crossing a pass in the mountains. After years of Telmarine rule, the native "Old Narnians" decreased in number and went into hiding. Humans became the dominant species. By the time of the birth of Caspian X, the old days of Narnia were widely regarded as legendary — and knowledge of the Old Narnians was actually suppressed by Telmarine kings. People began to fear the woods and the sea, and to forget that the old creatures had once lived there.
, the High King, and his siblings were recalled to Narnia 1288 Narnian years after their departure in the Narnian year 2303. Narnia was then ruled by the Telmarine King Miraz
, who had murdered his brother and usurped the throne, and who planned to murder the true heir, his nephew Prince Caspian
. Caspian had learned of Old Narnia and its creatures, and had become sympathetic to their plight. The four Pevensies helped Caspian defeat Miraz at the second Battle of Beruna, and Caspian recovered the throne and so the Telmarine Age of Narnia and began its Age of Exploration.
Lucy
and Edmund
came to Narnia once again three years later with their cousin Eustace
in the year 2306, and sailed with Caspian aboard the ship Dawn Treader
. Caspian undertook this journey to find The Seven Great Lords of Narnia who had been banished by Miraz to the far Eastern Seas beyond the Lone Islands. Caspian restored 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, including fighting a sea serpent
, encountering a wizard
and his invisible subjects, and Eustace
being turned briefly into a dragon
.
Caspian married the daughter of a star
named Ramandu
. After the birth of their son Rilian
, the Queen was killed by a witch in the form of a serpent
, and Rilian, by then a young man, disappeared while searching for her. Eustace
was drawn back to Narnia in the year 2356 along with a school friend, Jill Pole
, to find that the passage of time had left Caspian an old man. As Caspian embarked on one final voyage in search of Rilian, the children, with Puddleglum
the Marsh-wiggle, began their own search. This took them to the Wild Lands of the North, inhabited by giants
, and to the underworld
, where they found Rilian and the Lady of the Green Kirtle
, who had bewitched him. They freed Rilian, who in turn killed the witch. They returned to Narnia to find Caspian dying as he returned from his voyage which ended the Age of Exploration and began Narnia's Later Ages.
, son of King Erlian and seventh in descent from Rilian
.
A talking ape
named Shift
constructed an elaborate conspiracy
in a selfish attempt to change Narnia to his liking. By dressing a donkey
named Puzzle in a lion's skin and claiming him to be Aslan, Shift began surreptitiously to gain control of the country, forcing inhabitants to do his bidding in the lion's name. He then made contact with the rulers of Calormen, inviting them to conquer Narnia for their mutual advantage. Calormene soldiers under Captain Rishda Tarkaan soon arrived, and by the time King Tirian learned of the ape's treasonous 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 the divisive effect of the false Aslan and the capture of Cair Paravel
by a Calormene fleet rendered his efforts unsuccessful. Tirian and his remaining supporters came to a last stand against Rishda's army at the Battle of Stable Hill, where Tirian was defeated. But in the course of this final stand, the defenders were forced back into the stable, and found inside, to their surprise, Aslan's country: all that the real Narnia ever had that was good, a Narnia-within-Narnia. Aslan was waiting for them, and told them that this final defeat signified the End.
Opening the Stable door, the children and other survivors witnessed the end of Narnia, the inrushing of the sea, the destruction of sun and moon, the coming home of the stars, and ultimately the end of all that existed in the world. Aslan called all of its inhabitants to him. Those who had been faithful were taken with him into his own land where they met people who had died previously in Narnia. Those who had been unfaithful were turned away at the entrance to the new land and disappeared to an unknown fate. Aslan's land was bigger and better than the old Narnia, those who had died were found alive in it, because it was the "real" one, whereas the old Narnia had been just a copy of Aslan's land. "That was the dream, this is reality." It is also indicated that Aslan's country connected "further up and further in" to the "real" England, where Lucy Pevensie was able to see her parents, who died in a train wreck that killed all the other Pevensie siblings (except Susan) as well as Digory, Polly, Eustace, and Jill.
(ISBN 0-02-051970-2).
It is possible that there were other visits. Given that the darker-skinned Calormenes differed in appearance from northern peoples (like Telmarines and Archenlanders), it is possible that they are descended from another group from the world of men; however, this is not stated in the books.
, Jewel the Unicorn discusses Narnian history with Jill Pole
, explaining that while she (and the readers) imagine it to have been excessively turbulent ("It's a pity there's always so much happening in Narnia"), that is only because humans have been sent to aid Narnia at its worst times. At other times there were long periods of peace and prosperity.
, who included it in his essay Past Watchful Dragons: The Fairy Tales of C. S. Lewis. In the series proper, Lewis never explicitly stated the year or years in which events in the novels took 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, 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, Martha Sammons and others.
and the "End of Narnia", and concludes the end of the London entries with "1949: Serious accident on British Railways".
The timeline includes information concerning the birth of several human characters, including Digory Kirke
in 1888, Polly Plummer
in 1889, and Peter Pevensie
in 1927. Dates are also given for the year that Susan
, Edmund
and Lucy
were born (1928, 1930, 1932 respectively) as well as Eustace Scrubb
and Jill Pole
(both born in 1933).
The timeline also lists the dates of notable events in the series, particularly the main periods where the protagonists enter Narnia. Digory and Polly entering Narnia in 1900, and the Pevensies twice enter Narnia in 1940 and 1941. This corresponds to the Pevensies arrival in Narnia in the Narnian year 1000, where Aslan sacrifices himself, and Peter becomes Narnia's new ruler. According to the timeline, the Pevensies vanish out of Narnia in the year 1014, after King Peter carries out a successful raid on the Northern Giants, and King Lune of Archenland defeats an attack by Prince Rabadash
. Lewis also gives the year 1942 as the year that both The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
and The Silver Chair
take place. This corresponds to Caspian X's voyage to the end of the World
in 2306-2307 Narnian time.
The timeline also lists Narnia dates for events that are not mentioned in the books. For example, the timeline indicates that Moonwood and the Hare lived around the year 570, that the White Witch
Jadis returns to Narnia around year 898, that King Ram of Archenland succeeds Cor in 1050, and that Queen Swanwhite lived around the year 1502.
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
created by 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...
as the primary location for his series of seven fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
novels for children, 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...
. The world is so called after the country of Narnia
Narnia (country)
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Narnia is the country around which the books revolve. It is one of several lands in the Narnian world.-Geography:...
, in which much of the action of the Chronicles takes place.
In Narnia, some animals can talk, mythical
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
beasts abound, and magic
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
is common. The series tracks the story of Narnia when humans, usually children, enter the Narnian world from 'our world', or Earth.
Narnia
The country of NarniaNarnia (country)
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Narnia is the country around which the books revolve. It is one of several lands in the Narnian world.-Geography:...
is where most of the action of the series is set. According to the mythology of the series, Narnia was created by the great lion, Aslan
Aslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
, and is filled with talking animals and mythical creatures. C. S. Lewis may have taken the name from the Italian town of Narni
Narni
Narni is an ancient hilltown and comune of Umbria, in central Italy, with 20,100 inhabitants, according to the 2003 census. At an altitude of 240 m , it overhangs a narrow gorge of the Nera River in the province of Terni. It is very close to the Geographic center of Italy...
, whose Latin name was in fact Narnia. Narnia features rolling hills rising into low mountains to the south, and is predominantly forested except for marshlands in the north. The region 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
Archenland
In C. S. Lewis's fantasy novels the Chronicles of Narnia, Archenland is a nation to the south of Narnia, and to the north of both nations' occasional enemy, Calormen. Its borders are formed by mountains to the north and by the River Winding Arrow to the south...
.
The Great River of Narnia enters the country from the northwest and flows to the Eastern Ocean. At its mouth lies Cair Paravel
Cair Paravel
Cair Paravel is the fictional castle where the Kings and Queens of Narnia rule in The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the location of the four thrones of High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy The Valiant....
, the seat of High King Peter and his siblings. Other communities along the river include, from east to west, Beruna, Beaversdam, and Chippingford.
Archenland
ArchenlandArchenland
In C. S. Lewis's fantasy novels the Chronicles of Narnia, Archenland is a nation to the south of Narnia, and to the north of both nations' occasional enemy, Calormen. Its borders are formed by mountains to the north and by the River Winding Arrow to the south...
is a mountainous country south of Narnia. It is bordered on the north by Narnia and on the south by the Winding Arrow river. The seat of government is at Anvard, in the heart of the country. No other towns or villages are mentioned in the Chronicles. It is described as being somewhat open parkland, with many different varieties of trees scattered far enough apart so as to not constitute a forest – but it is mostly a mountainous country. Archenland is allied with Narnia, as is shown 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...
. Unlike Narnia, Archenland is inhabited by humans and is governed by Men. The second son of King Frank VI of Narnia became the first King of Archenland. For reasons not explained in the Chronicles, the line of King Frank survived here (at least until the time of High King Peter) but failed in Narnia itself.
Calormen
CalormenCalormen
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Calormen is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis derived its name from the Latin calor, meaning "heat". When used as an adjective Lewis spelled the name with an 'e' at the end . Narnia and Calormen are separated by a large desert...
is a semi-arid empire
Empire
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium . Politically, an empire is a geographically extensive group of states and peoples united and ruled either by a monarch or an oligarchy....
in the south of the world of Narnia. Notable geographic features include the Flaming Mountain of Lagour (a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
) and the Great Desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
. The Great Desert is in the northern part of the country, and the difficulty of crossing it discouraged the Calormenes from invading Archenland and Narnia.
The capital of Calormen is Tashbaan, located on an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
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. Gardens and pleasure houses line the river valley for several miles above the city. North of the river, on the margins of the desert, lie the royal tombs.
The city of Azim Balda, to the south of Tashbaan, is a hub where many roads meet; it hosts the government's postal system.
Narnia never was on very good terms with Calormen, because of Calormen's desire to dominate the countries around it.
Eastern Ocean
Numerous islands and archipelagoArchipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
es 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) where the sky meets the surface of the earth; in addition, it is implied that a passage to Aslan's Country is located there. The Easternmost Ocean is described as having "sweet" water, capable of sating both hunger and thirst, and is completely covered by large lilies. The sea becomes progressively more shallow the further East one travels, eventually terminating in a gigantic standing wave. Beyond the wave can be seen the "impossibly tall" mountains of Aslan's Country
Aslan's Country
Aslan's Country is a fictional location from C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia series. It is the home of Aslan, the great lion. It is described as a series of mountains, thousands of feet high, but without snow or ice. Instead, Aslan's Country has a clear blue sky, lush green grass, colourful...
.
Other lands
To the north of Narnia lie Ettinsmoor and the Wild Lands of the North, both inhabited by giantsGiant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
. 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
Telmar
Telmar is a country in the fictional world of Narnia created by the British author C. S. Lewis for his series of books which compose The Chronicles of Narnia. The Telmarines are prominent in the book Prince Caspian, the second book published in the series...
lies somewhere beyond this region, but its exact location was never documented, and beyond it are the western islands.
Underland
Underland (Narnia)
The Underland is a fictional location in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Described by Lewis as lying beneath the land of Narnia, Underland appears mainly in The Silver Chair, where Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole travel under the ground to reach it in their...
is located in great cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
rns deep beneath the ground of Narnia. The land of Bism lies far below Underland. To the north are caverns containing Father Time and other mythological creatures who appear at the end of the world.
Inspiration
The landscape of Lewis' native IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, in particular Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
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". In a letter to his brother, Lewis would later confide "that part of Rostrevor
Rostrevor
Rostrevor is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the Newry and Mourne District Council area. It lies at the foot of Slieve Martin on the coast of Carlingford Lough. The Kilbroney River flows through the village....
which overlooks Carlingford Lough
Carlingford Lough
Carlingford Lough is a glacial fjord or sea inlet that forms part of the border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. On its northern shore is County Down and on its southern shore is County Louth...
is my idea of Narnia". Although in adult life Lewis lived in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he returned to Northern Ireland often and retained fond memories of the Irish scenery, saying "I yearn to see County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
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."
Inhabitants
- see also: Narnia Creatures and Narnia Characters
Humans from Earth
A total of eleven named humans from Earth have entered Narnia, four boys, two men, four girls, and a woman.The four Pevensie children are the best known: Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie is a major fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Peter appears in four 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 Horse and His Boy...
(High King Peter the Magnificent), Susan Pevensie
Susan Pevensie
Susan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' 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...
(Queen Susan the Gentle), Edmund Pevensie
Edmund Pevensie
Edmund "Ed" Pevensie is a major fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He is a principal character in three of the seven books , and a lesser character in two others .In the live-action films, The...
(King Edmund the Just), and 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...
(Queen Lucy the Valiant). All of them appear 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 in Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, written in late 1949 and first published in 1951. It is the second-published book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth.-Plot summary:While standing on a...
. Edmund and Lucy appear in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Written in 1950, it was published in 1952 as the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia...
and all of them appear (but Peter, who is out fighting giants on the northern frontier) as adults 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...
.
Others from our world include King Frank
King Frank
King Frank and Queen Helen also known as the "Cabby" and "Nellie" were the first rulers of Narnia in the Chronicles of Narnia. The Chronicles say little of their history, except that Frank and Helen were both country folk, and lived in London only from economic necessity...
(who had been a cabman in London) and his wife Queen Helen, who were the first King and Queen of Narnia and whose descendants lived in Narnia for many generations. They, together with Uncle Andrew Ketterley, Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis' fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is in three of the seven books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, and is mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.In the 2005 film The Chronicles...
, and Polly Plummer
Polly Plummer
Polly Plummer is a major fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. She appears in two of the seven books: The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle.-The Magician's Nephew:...
appear in The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. Thus it is an early example of a prequel.The novel is initially set in...
. Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins...
, a cousin of the Pevensies, appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Written in 1950, it was published in 1952 as the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia...
and The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
, and Jill Pole
Jill Pole
Jill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.-Prior story:Very little is known about Jill's family or her life before she becomes friends with Eustace...
, a schoolmate of Scrubb's, also appears in The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
. All of these except for Susan Pevensie
Susan Pevensie
Susan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' 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...
and Uncle Andrew appear in 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...
.
There were also about a dozen unnamed humans from our world (six pirates and their women) who repopulated the unpeopled land of Telmar and founded the race of the Telmarines. As Aslan says in Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, written in late 1949 and first published in 1951. It is the second-published book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth.-Plot summary:While standing on a...
, they accidentally found in a cave "one of the chinks or chasms between that world and this" (i.e. between our world and Narnia), and he adds, "There were many chinks or chasms between worlds in old times, but they have grown rarer. This was one of the last: I do not say the last." So quite possibly others came to Narnia from our world as well, but Lewis did not record their histories for us.
Humans from Earth are sometimes referred to as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve by Narnians, a reference to C. S. Lewis' Christian worldview.
Although he is not a human, Strawberry, the cabman's horse, also entered Narnia from our world and there was chosen to be a talking beast and transformed into the winged horse Fledge.
Dwarfs
Dwarfs are native to Narnia. They are called Sons of Earth by AslanAslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
, as opposed to humans, who are called Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve. Dwarfs exist in at least two varieties: Black Dwarfs and Red Dwarfs, distinguished by the colour of their hair. While many Red Dwarfs are kind and loyal to Aslan, Black Dwarfs appear to be more selfish and hostile. Dwarfs appearing in the books are male and live together in communities, although they are known to mingle with and reproduce with humans. For example, Prince Caspian's Tutor Cornelius is a half-dwarf, and Caspian's former nurse is described as "a little old woman who looked as if she had dwarf blood in her".
Dwarfs, like 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:...
s, satyr
Satyr
In 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....
s, the river god
River God
River God is a novel by author Wilbur Smith. It tells the story of the talented eunuch slave Taita, his life in Egypt, the flight of Taita along with the Egyptian populace from the Hyksos invasion, and their eventual return. The novel can be grouped together with Wilbur Smith's other books on...
and his Naiad
Naiad
In Greek mythology, the Naiads or Naiades were a type of nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks....
daughters and the tree people (deities
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
of the woods) stepped forth when Aslan (in The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. Thus it is an early example of a prequel.The novel is initially set in...
) called for Narnia to "Awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters." The dwarfs were presumably born of the earth, as the Dryad
Dryad
Dryads are tree nymphs in Greek mythology. In Greek drys signifies 'oak,' from an Indo-European root *derew- 'tree' or 'wood'. Thus Dryads are specifically the nymphs of oak trees, though the term has come to be used for all tree nymphs in general...
s were of the trees and the Naiads of the waters. Dwarfs appear as the King's train-bearers at the coronation of King Frank. (Naiads — river nymphs — held Queen Helen's robes) In keeping with their character as sons of Earth, the dwarfs are skilled and prolific smiths
Smith (metalwork)
A metalsmith, often shortened to smith, is a person involved in making metal objects. In contemporary use a metalsmith is a person who uses metal as a material, uses traditional metalsmithing techniques , whose work thematically relates to the practice or history of the practice, or who engages in...
, miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
s, and carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
s. In battle they are renowned as deadly archers
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
. A Dwarf can walk all day and night.
Talking animals
Many of the animals found in our world can also be found in Narnia. In addition, there are talking versions of most of these animals. When AslanAslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
breathed upon the first animal pairs, some not only gained thought and speech, but changed in size as well. Smaller animals (rodents, birds and small mammals) are larger than their non-talking relatives and larger animals are slightly smaller. Talking beasts can be divided into three main categories: Avian
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, Mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
, and Reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
. There are no talking fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
or insects.
Witches
Two witchesWitchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
are mentioned by name in the Narnian books, the White Witch
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...
(Jadis, Empress
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of Charn
Charn
Charn is a fictional city appearing in the 1955 book The Magician's Nephew, book six in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, written as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the book, Charn is described as a very large and completely deserted city that is in a semi-ruined state....
, or the "White Lady") and the Lady of the Green Kirtle
Lady of the Green Kirtle
The Lady of the Green Kirtle, also called Queen of Underland and Queen of the Deep Realm, is the main villain in The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis. She is sometimes called briefly the Green Lady , and she is known also as the Emerald Witch; neither name, however, appears in Lewis's text...
(or "the Green Lady"). Long after Lewis's death, character sketches appeared in later editions of the books that seem to indicate that these two witches are the same, but these notes are not due to Lewis. (See the Lady of the Green Kirtle
Lady of the Green Kirtle
The Lady of the Green Kirtle, also called Queen of Underland and Queen of the Deep Realm, is the main villain in The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis. She is sometimes called briefly the Green Lady , and she is known also as the Emerald Witch; neither name, however, appears in Lewis's text...
for more discussion.)
Jadis is the last scion of the royal house of Charn, though in Narnian rumor she is said to be descended from Adam's first wife, Lilith
Lilith
Lilith is a character in Jewish mythology, found earliest in the Babylonian Talmud, who is generally thought to be related to a class of female demons Līlīṯu in Mesopotamian texts. However, Lowell K. Handy notes, "Very little information has been found relating to the Akkadian and Babylonian view...
(a mythological Mesopotamian storm demon), and to have both Jinn
Genie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
and Giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
blood in her veins. According to the Beavers, she has no human blood at all, although she has the appearance of a very tall human woman. When Jadis first entered Narnia at its creation she fled to the north, where she spent nine hundred years gathering strength to invade and conquer Narnia. She was killed by Aslan in the First Battle of Beruna.
The Green Lady is able to transform herself into a huge serpent, and does so twice in The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
: once when she kills Rilian
Rilian
In C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia fictional series, Rilian is the son of King Caspian and the grandson of Ramandu the star. Rilian appears in two of the seven books, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.- In The Silver Chair:...
's mother, and once when she tries to kill Rilian himself and his companions. Most of her other powers seem to be related to seduction
Seduction
In social science, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage. The word seduction stems from Latin and means literally "to lead astray". As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation...
and enslavement; she has bewitched and enslaved Rilian and an army of underground gnomes, and almost succeeds in bewitching Jill
Jill Pole
Jill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.-Prior story:Very little is known about Jill's family or her life before she becomes friends with Eustace...
, Eustace
Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins...
, and Puddleglum
Puddleglum
Puddleglum is a fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Puddleglum appears in The Silver Chair, in which he is a principal character. He also appears briefly at the end of The Last Battle...
.
Lesser characters that might qualify as witches include the hags that appear in Jadis's army and the hag brought to Aslan's How in Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, written in late 1949 and first published in 1951. It is the second-published book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth.-Plot summary:While standing on a...
.
Mythological creatures
Other inhabitants of the Narnian world based on known mythological or folkloric creatures include Boggles, CentaurNarnian Centaurs
Centaurs are creatures that are half-horse, half-human. They have the head, torso, and arms of a human but have the lower body of a horse joining at the human's waist. Their horse bodies are generally chestnut coloured with human hair and beards of various colours. Centaurs are always seen...
s, Cruels, Dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s, Dryad
Dryad
Dryads are tree nymphs in Greek mythology. In Greek drys signifies 'oak,' from an Indo-European root *derew- 'tree' or 'wood'. Thus Dryads are specifically the nymphs of oak trees, though the term has come to be used for all tree nymphs in general...
s, Earthmen
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
or gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
s, Efreets, Ettins, 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:...
s, Giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
s, Ghoul
Ghoul
A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...
s, Griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
s, Hag
Hag
A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as Hansel and Gretel. Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of the chosen forms of shapeshifting deities, such as the Morrígan or...
s, Hamadryad
Hamadryad
Hamadryads are Greek mythological beings that live in trees. They are a particular type of dryad, which in turn are a particular type of nymph. Hamadryads are born bonded to a particular tree. Some believe that hamadryads are the actual tree, while normal dryads are simply the entities, or...
s, Horrors, Incubi
Incubus (demon)
An incubus is a demon in male form who, according to a number of mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have intercourse with them. Its female counterpart is the succubus...
, Maenad
Maenad
In Greek mythology, maenads were the female followers of Dionysus , the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones"...
s, Merepeople, Minotaur
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur , as the Greeks imagined him, was a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, "part man and part bull"...
s, Monopod
Monopod (creature)
Monopods are mythological dwarf-like creatures with a single, large foot extending from one thick leg centered in the middle of their body...
s, Naiad
Naiad
In Greek mythology, the Naiads or Naiades were a type of nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks....
s, Ogre
Ogre
An ogre is a large, cruel, monstrous, and hideous humanoid monster, featured in mythology, folklore, and fiction. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature...
s, Orknies (perhaps from Old English orcneas "walking dead"), Winged Horse
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
s, People of the Toadstools, Phoenix
Phoenix (mythology)
The phoenix or phenix is a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Arabian, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, Indian and Phoenicians....
, Satyr
Satyr
In 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....
s, Sea Peoples
Sea Peoples
The Sea Peoples were a confederacy of seafaring raiders of the second millennium BC who sailed into the eastern Mediterranean, caused political unrest, and attempted to enter or control Egyptian territory during the late 19th dynasty and especially during year 8 of Ramesses III of the 20th Dynasty...
(mermen
Merman
Mermen are mythical male equivalents of mermaids – legendary creatures who have the form of a human from the waist up and are fish-like from the waist down.-Mythology:...
), Sea serpent
Sea serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings...
s, Sylvan
Sylvan
Sylvan, Silvan or Sylvian refers to an association with the woods. Specifically, that which inhabits the wood, is made of tree materials, or comprises the forest itself. The term can also refer to a person who resides in the woods or a spirit of the wood...
s, Spectres, Sprite
Sprite (creature)
The term sprite is a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures. The term is generally used in reference to elf-like creatures, including fairies, and similar beings , but can also signify various spiritual beings, including ghosts. In Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books,...
s, Star People, Troll
Troll
A troll is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term troll was a generally negative synonym for a jötunn , a being in Norse mythology...
s, Unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
s, Werewolve
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
s, Wooses, and Wraiths. These are a free mix of creatures from Greco-Roman sources and others from native British tradition.
One passage 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'...
declines to describe the evil creatures, so that the book may remain suitable for children.
Other creatures and inhabitants
Narnia is inhabited by Marsh-wiggles (creatures of Lewis' own invention), and Dufflepuds (adapted from PlinyPliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
's Monopods) live on a distant island. There are also many singular beings who frequent or inhabit Narnia and its surrounding countries including: the River god
Asopus
Asopus or Asôpos is the name of four different rivers in Greece and one in Turkey. In Greek mythology, it was the name of the gods of those rivers.-The rivers in Greece:...
, Bacchus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
, Father Christmas
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India...
, Father Time
Father Time
Father Time is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, somewhat worse for wear, dressed in a robe, carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device...
, Pomona
Pomona
Pomona was a goddess of fruitful abundance in ancient Roman religion and myth. Her name comes from the Latin word pomum, "fruit," specifically orchard fruit. She was said to be a wood nymph and a part of the Numia, guardian spirits who watch over people, places, or homes...
, Silenus
Silenus
In Greek mythology, Silenus was a companion and tutor to the wine god Dionysus.-Evolution of the character:The original Silenus resembled a folklore man of the forest with the ears of a horse and sometimes also the tail and legs of a horse...
, and Tash
Tash (Narnia)
Tash is a fictional character found in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. He is an antagonist in the novels The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle....
. It should also be noted that the Stars themselves are sentient beings within Narnia. Coriakin
Coriakin
Coriakin is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.-Biographical summary:...
, the Magician, who rules over the Dufflepud/Monopods, and Ramandu
Ramandu
Ramandu is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, part of the series The Chronicles of Narnia.- About :...
, whose daughter marries Caspian X
Caspian X
Caspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of The Lone Islands, also called Caspian the Seafarer and Caspian the Navigator, 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...
, are both stars who, for various reasons, are earth-bound. Both of these individuals were encountered in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Written in 1950, it was published in 1952 as the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia...
.
General characteristics
The world of Narnia is a flat worldFlat Earth
The Flat Earth model is a belief that the Earth's shape is a plane or disk. Most ancient cultures have had conceptions of a flat Earth, including Greece until the classical period, the Bronze Age and Iron Age civilizations of the Near East until the Hellenistic period, India until the Gupta period ...
in a geocentric universe. Its sky is a dome that mortal creatures cannot penetrate.
Narnia's star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s are burning humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
beings. Its constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s are the result of a mystical dance upon the sky, performed by the stars to announce the works and comings of Aslan
Aslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
, Narnia's creator. The stars also arrange themselves to allow seers to foretell certain future events.
The Narnian sun is a flaming disc that revolves around the world once daily. The sun has its own ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
, and is thought to be inhabited by great white birds, which appear in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Written in 1950, it was published in 1952 as the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia...
. Some of the vegetation
Vegetation
Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region; it refers to the ground cover provided by plants. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characteristics. It is broader...
on the sun is known to contain healing properties. For example, the extract of a certain fire-flower found in the mountains can heal any wound or sickness
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
, and a fire-berry that grows in its valleys, when eaten by a fallen star named Ramandu, works to reverse the effects of age.
Suggested by several of the books, the ground of Narnia may be a living organism. In The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
, the main characters find a land named Bism many miles below Narnia, in which diamonds and other jewels provide juice when crushed or squeezed. They find the idea unbelievable until a gnome
Gnome
A gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
explains that the precious stones found in Bism are real, not dead like the ones found in the "shallow" mines made by dwarfs and others who live on the surface.
Multiverse
The Narnian world is part of a multiverseParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
of many worlds including Earth and the world of Charn
Charn
Charn is a fictional city appearing in the 1955 book The Magician's Nephew, book six in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, written as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the book, Charn is described as a very large and completely deserted city that is in a semi-ruined state....
. These are connected by a meta-world or linking room known as the Wood between the Worlds
Wood between the Worlds
The Wood between the Worlds is a linking room location in The Magician's Nephew, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis.-The Magician's Nephew:...
. This space takes the form of a dense forest with many pools
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
of water. With appropriate magic (or a device such as rings made from the soil), each pool leads to a different world. The Wood between the Worlds seems to affect the magic and strength of the White Witch
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...
, who becomes weak and ill when taken there.
The Narnia book The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. Thus it is an early example of a prequel.The novel is initially set in...
in its second paragraph says "In those days Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
was still living in Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
and the Bastables
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a novel by E. Nesbit. First published in 1899, it tells the story of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover the fortunes of their family; its sequels are the The...
were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road." This suggests that the Earth end of the Narnia stories, and the Sherlock Holmes stories, and The Story of the Treasure Seekers
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
The Story of the Treasure Seekers is a novel by E. Nesbit. First published in 1899, it tells the story of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius Bastable, and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover the fortunes of their family; its sequels are the The...
, happen in the same fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
.
Time
Earth visitors to Narnia typically find that a visit to Narnia lasts longer in Narnia (sometimes much longer) than the corresponding period of their absence from Earth. How much longer appears to be arbitrary — for example, in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Lucy's first visit to Narnia lasts hours and the four children's main adventure there lasts fifteen years; but each time, they are gone from Earth for at most a few seconds. Temporal order, however, seems to be preserved: a person crossing between the worlds arrives after people who have crossed previously, and before people who cross later.Creation of Narnia
In the year 1, the Creation of Narnia was witnessed by six creatures: JadisWhite 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...
, Empress of Charn; Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis' fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is in three of the seven books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, and is mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.In the 2005 film The Chronicles...
; Polly Plummer
Polly Plummer
Polly Plummer is a major fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. She appears in two of the seven books: The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle.-The Magician's Nephew:...
; Andrew Ketterley; Frank
King Frank
King Frank and Queen Helen also known as the "Cabby" and "Nellie" were the first rulers of Narnia in the Chronicles of Narnia. The Chronicles say little of their history, except that Frank and Helen were both country folk, and lived in London only from economic necessity...
the cabman; and Strawberry, his cabhorse. During a failed attempt by Digory to transfer Jadis from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in our world back to her own world of Charn
Charn
Charn is a fictional city appearing in the 1955 book The Magician's Nephew, book six in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, written as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the book, Charn is described as a very large and completely deserted city that is in a semi-ruined state....
, the group arrived in the unmade darkness of Narnia just prior to Aslan calling it into being this was Narnia's Age of Conquest. (The cabby's wife Nellie, who was to become Queen Helen, was called into Narnia by Aslan soon afterwards.)
Aslan began the creation soon after they arrived, and with his song called forth the stars, sun, and eventually all landforms, plants, and animals as well. When he was finished, Aslan selected certain animals from these to be Talking Animals, giving to them, and all other magical creatures, Narnia as their new home, to own and rule it with wisdom and caring.
Aslan next appointed its first rulers, the cabby and his wife (the latter having been called to Narnia by Aslan), as King Frank I and 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 to retrieve a magic apple from a garden in the Western Wild beyond Narnia. When Digory 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 an apple from the new tree back 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 Digory, now Professor Kirke, had its wood made into the wardrobe
Wardrobe
A Wardrobe is a cabinet used for storing clothes.Wardrobe may also refer to:* Wardrobe , a full set of multiple clothing items* Wardrobe , part of royal administration in medieval England...
that figures in the title of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe — for this wardrobe became the entrance through which the Pevensies would discover Narnia.
Rule of the White Witch
During the Age of Conquest Narnia remained at peace for hundreds of years after its creation, until Jadis the Witch-Queen returned as the White Witch in 898. She conquered Narnia and reigned as a tyrant in 900, using her wand to turn anyone who crossed her into stone so began Narnia's Age of Winter. With her magic she covered the land in perpetual ice and snow, making it "always winter and never Christmas." Though she claimed to be Queen of Narnia and Châtelaine of Cair Paravel, Jadis ruled from her own fortress in the north, where her halls were lined with Narnians she had turned to stone.By this time humans had died out in Narnia, or had been driven out; though humans remained in Archenland and Calormen. Jadis feared a prophecy that "when Adam's flesh and Adam's bone sit at Cair Paravel in throne, the evil time will be over and done." Her spies were thus always watching for human intruders. A hundred years into the endless winter, 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...
entered Narnia and was befriended by Tumnus the faun, and Lucy and her siblings managed to reach Aslan before Jadis could kill them. In the year 1000 under Aslan's influence the Witch's spells were broken and the winter came to an end. Aslan restored the Narnians whom the Witch had turned into stone, and killed the Witch herself at the Battle of Beruna and so ended the Age of Winter and began the Golden Age of Narnia.
Golden Age
After the defeat of the Witch in 1000, AslanAslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
fulfilled the ancient Narnian prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
and made the four Pevensie children — Peter
Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie is a major fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Peter appears in four 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 Horse and His Boy...
, Susan
Susan Pevensie
Susan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' 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...
, Edmund
Edmund Pevensie
Edmund "Ed" Pevensie is a major fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He is a principal character in three of the seven books , and a lesser character in two others .In the live-action films, The...
, and Lucy
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...
— Kings
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
and Queens
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
of Narnia. The ensuing prosperity inaugurated Narnia's Golden Age
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology and legend and refers to the first in a sequence of four or five Ages of Man, in which the Golden Age is first, followed in sequence, by the Silver, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and then the present, a period of decline...
. In its first few years the Pevinsies where vanquishing the remnants of the White Witch's Army. Other countries had feared Jadis, but after her death the new Kings and Queens had to contend with them. The Pevensies drove back the northern giants and defeated an invading army from Calormen
Calormen
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Calormen is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis derived its name from the Latin calor, meaning "heat". When used as an adjective Lewis spelled the name with an 'e' at the end . Narnia and Calormen are separated by a large desert...
including the Archenland Conflict in 1014 which involved Aravis, Hwin, Bree and Shasta. But the two Kings and two Queens were always triumphant, and during the fifteen years of their reign Narnia was a safe and happy land. In 1015 the Pensiveness left the Narnian world and returned to Earth and so the Golden Age of Narnia had ended.
Invasion of the Telmarines
In the year 1998, Narnia was invaded by a people from the West called the TelmarTelmar
Telmar is a country in the fictional world of Narnia created by the British author C. S. Lewis for his series of books which compose The Chronicles of Narnia. The Telmarines are prominent in the book Prince Caspian, the second book published in the series...
ines, descendants of pirates from our world and so began the Telmarine Age of Narnia. They left their land in the West to escape a great famine, and reached Narnia by crossing a pass in the mountains. After years of Telmarine rule, the native "Old Narnians" decreased in number and went into hiding. Humans became the dominant species. By the time of the birth of Caspian X, the old days of Narnia were widely regarded as legendary — and knowledge of the Old Narnians was actually suppressed by Telmarine kings. People began to fear the woods and the sea, and to forget that the old creatures had once lived there.
The Reign of Caspian X
Peter PevensiePeter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie is a major fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Peter appears in four 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 Horse and His Boy...
, the High King, and his siblings were recalled to Narnia 1288 Narnian years after their departure in the Narnian year 2303. Narnia was then ruled by the Telmarine King Miraz
Miraz
Miraz is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is the main antagonist in the second book Prince Caspian, and is the uncle of the book's protagonist....
, who had murdered his brother and usurped the throne, and who planned to murder the true heir, his nephew Prince Caspian
Caspian X
Caspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of The Lone Islands, also called Caspian the Seafarer and Caspian the Navigator, 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...
. Caspian had learned of Old Narnia and its creatures, and had become sympathetic to their plight. The four Pevensies helped Caspian defeat Miraz at the second Battle of Beruna, and Caspian recovered the throne and so the Telmarine Age of Narnia and began its Age of Exploration.
Lucy
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 Edmund
Edmund Pevensie
Edmund "Ed" Pevensie is a major fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He is a principal character in three of the seven books , and a lesser character in two others .In the live-action films, The...
came to Narnia once again three years later with their cousin Eustace
Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins...
in the year 2306, and sailed with Caspian aboard the ship Dawn Treader
Dawn Treader
The Dawn Treader was a Narnian ship in the fictional world of The Chronicles of Narnia. It was built by King Caspian X and is featured primarily in the book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader...
. Caspian undertook this journey to find The Seven Great Lords of Narnia who had been banished by Miraz to the far Eastern Seas beyond the Lone Islands. Caspian restored 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, including fighting a sea serpent
Sea serpent
A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea serpent sightings...
, encountering a wizard
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
and his invisible subjects, and Eustace
Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins...
being turned briefly into a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
.
Caspian married the daughter of a star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
named Ramandu
Ramandu
Ramandu is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, part of the series The Chronicles of Narnia.- About :...
. After the birth of their son Rilian
Rilian
In C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia fictional series, Rilian is the son of King Caspian and the grandson of Ramandu the star. Rilian appears in two of the seven books, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.- In The Silver Chair:...
, the Queen was killed by a witch in the form of a serpent
Serpent (symbolism)
Serpent in Latin means: Rory Collins :&, in turn, from the Biblical Hebrew word of: "saraf" with root letters of: which refers to something burning-as, the pain of poisonous snake's bite was likened to internal burning.This word is commonly used in a specifically mythic or religious context,...
, and Rilian, by then a young man, disappeared while searching for her. Eustace
Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins...
was drawn back to Narnia in the year 2356 along with a school friend, Jill Pole
Jill Pole
Jill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.-Prior story:Very little is known about Jill's family or her life before she becomes friends with Eustace...
, to find that the passage of time had left Caspian an old man. As Caspian embarked on one final voyage in search of Rilian, the children, with Puddleglum
Puddleglum
Puddleglum is a fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Puddleglum appears in The Silver Chair, in which he is a principal character. He also appears briefly at the end of The Last Battle...
the Marsh-wiggle, began their own search. This took them to the Wild Lands of the North, inhabited by giants
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
, and to the underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
, where they found Rilian and the Lady of the Green Kirtle
Lady of the Green Kirtle
The Lady of the Green Kirtle, also called Queen of Underland and Queen of the Deep Realm, is the main villain in The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis. She is sometimes called briefly the Green Lady , and she is known also as the Emerald Witch; neither name, however, appears in Lewis's text...
, who had bewitched him. They freed Rilian, who in turn killed the witch. They returned to Narnia to find Caspian dying as he returned from his voyage which ended the Age of Exploration and began Narnia's Later Ages.
Destruction
The world of Narnia was finally destroyed in the end of the Later Ages of the year 2555, during the reign of King TirianTirian
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...
, son of King Erlian and seventh in descent from Rilian
Rilian
In C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia fictional series, Rilian is the son of King Caspian and the grandson of Ramandu the star. Rilian appears in two of the seven books, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.- In The Silver Chair:...
.
A talking ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
named Shift
Shift (Narnia)
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...
constructed an elaborate conspiracy
Conspiracy (political)
In a political sense, conspiracy refers to a group of persons united in the goal of usurping or overthrowing an established political power. Typically, the final goal is to gain power through a revolutionary coup d'état or through assassination....
in a selfish attempt to change Narnia to his liking. By dressing a donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
named Puzzle in a lion's skin and claiming him to be Aslan, Shift began surreptitiously to gain control of the country, forcing inhabitants to do his bidding in the lion's name. He then made contact with the rulers of Calormen, inviting them to conquer Narnia for their mutual advantage. Calormene soldiers under Captain Rishda Tarkaan soon arrived, and by the time King Tirian learned of the ape's treasonous 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 the divisive effect of the false Aslan and the capture of Cair Paravel
Cair Paravel
Cair Paravel is the fictional castle where the Kings and Queens of Narnia rule in The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the location of the four thrones of High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy The Valiant....
by a Calormene fleet rendered his efforts unsuccessful. Tirian and his remaining supporters came to a last stand against Rishda's army at the Battle of Stable Hill, where Tirian was defeated. But in the course of this final stand, the defenders were forced back into the stable, and found inside, to their surprise, Aslan's country: all that the real Narnia ever had that was good, a Narnia-within-Narnia. Aslan was waiting for them, and told them that this final defeat signified the End.
Opening the Stable door, the children and other survivors witnessed the end of Narnia, the inrushing of the sea, the destruction of sun and moon, the coming home of the stars, and ultimately the end of all that existed in the world. Aslan called all of its inhabitants to him. Those who had been faithful were taken with him into his own land where they met people who had died previously in Narnia. Those who had been unfaithful were turned away at the entrance to the new land and disappeared to an unknown fate. Aslan's land was bigger and better than the old Narnia, those who had died were found alive in it, because it was the "real" one, whereas the old Narnia had been just a copy of Aslan's land. "That was the dream, this is reality." It is also indicated that Aslan's country connected "further up and further in" to the "real" England, where Lucy Pevensie was able to see her parents, who died in a train wreck that killed all the other Pevensie siblings (except Susan) as well as Digory, Polly, Eustace, and Jill.
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 HooperWalter Hooper
Walter McGehee Hooper is a trustee and literary advisor of the estate of C.S. Lewis. Born in Reidsville, North Carolina, U.S., he earned an M.A. in education and was an instructor in English at the University of Kentucky in the early 1960s. As a visitor to England, he served briefly as Lewis's...
(ISBN 0-02-051970-2).
- In The Magician's NephewThe Magician's NephewThe Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. Thus it is an early example of a prequel.The novel is initially set in...
, four humans, FrankKing FrankKing Frank and Queen Helen also known as the "Cabby" and "Nellie" were the first rulers of Narnia in the Chronicles of Narnia. The Chronicles say little of their history, except that Frank and Helen were both country folk, and lived in London only from economic necessity...
(last name unknown), Andrew Ketterley, and children Digory KirkeDigory KirkeDigory Kirke is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis' fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is in three of the seven books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, and is mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.In the 2005 film The Chronicles...
and Polly PlummerPolly PlummerPolly Plummer is a major fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. She appears in two of the seven books: The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle.-The Magician's Nephew:...
, 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 CaspianPrince CaspianPrince Caspian: The Return to Narnia is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, written in late 1949 and first published in 1951. It is the second-published book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth.-Plot summary:While standing on a...
, six human pirates and their wives from the South Sea entered the land of TelmarTelmarTelmar is a country in the fictional world of Narnia created by the British author C. S. Lewis for his series of books which compose The Chronicles of Narnia. The Telmarines are prominent in the book Prince Caspian, the second book published in the series...
through a magic cave. They remained in Telmar and their descendants formed the Telmarine civilization. - In The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe 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'...
, in Narnian Year 1000, four siblings, PeterPeter PevensiePeter Pevensie is a major fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Peter appears in four 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 Horse and His Boy...
, SusanSusan PevensieSusan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' 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...
, EdmundEdmund PevensieEdmund "Ed" Pevensie is a major fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He is a principal character in three of the seven books , and a lesser character in two others .In the live-action films, The...
, and Lucy PevensieLucy PevensieLucy 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...
, 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 WitchWhite WitchJadis 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...
, 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 CaspianPrince CaspianPrince Caspian: The Return to Narnia is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, written in late 1949 and first published in 1951. It is the second-published book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth.-Plot summary:While standing on a...
, 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 CaspianCaspian XCaspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of The Lone Islands, also called Caspian the Seafarer and Caspian the Navigator, 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...
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 TreaderThe Voyage of the Dawn TreaderThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Written in 1950, it was published in 1952 as the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia...
, in Narnian Year 2306, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and Eustace ScrubbEustace ScrubbEustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins...
entered Narnia through a magic painting, and took part in Caspian's voyage to the edge of the world. - In The Silver ChairThe Silver ChairThe Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
, in Narnian Year 2356, Aslan brought Eustace Scrubb and Jill PoleJill PoleJill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.-Prior story:Very little is known about Jill's family or her life before she becomes friends with Eustace...
to Narnia, where they rescued RilianRilianIn C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia fictional series, Rilian is the son of King Caspian and the grandson of Ramandu the star. Rilian appears in two of the seven books, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.- In The Silver Chair:...
, son of the now elderly CaspianCaspian XCaspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of The Lone Islands, also called Caspian the Seafarer and Caspian the Navigator, 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...
, from his enchanted captivity. Caspian died, but was resurrected in Aslan's country. Aslan briefly allowed him to cross over into the children's world (England, 1942) to help them in return, which resulted in the removal of a corrupt school administrator. - In The Last BattleThe Last BattleThe 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...
, 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 2555 to assist Tirian at the end of his reign.
It is possible that there were other visits. Given that the darker-skinned Calormenes differed in appearance from northern peoples (like Telmarines and Archenlanders), it is possible that they are descended from another group from the world of men; however, this is not stated in the books.
Another perspective on Narnian history
In The Last BattleThe 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...
, Jewel the Unicorn discusses Narnian history with Jill Pole
Jill Pole
Jill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.-Prior story:Very little is known about Jill's family or her life before she becomes friends with Eustace...
, explaining that while she (and the readers) imagine it to have been excessively turbulent ("It's a pity there's always so much happening in Narnia"), that is only because humans have been sent to aid Narnia at its worst times. At other times there were long periods of peace and prosperity.
Outline of Narnian History
Lewis provided a timeline to map out the events related to The Chronicles of Narnia. He gave an "Outline of Narnian History" in manuscript form to Walter HooperWalter Hooper
Walter McGehee Hooper is a trustee and literary advisor of the estate of C.S. Lewis. Born in Reidsville, North Carolina, U.S., he earned an M.A. in education and was an instructor in English at the University of Kentucky in the early 1960s. As a visitor to England, he served briefly as Lewis's...
, who included it in his essay Past Watchful Dragons: The Fairy Tales of C. S. Lewis. In the series proper, Lewis never explicitly stated the year or years in which events in the novels took place, so the timeline
Chronology
Chronology is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time, such as the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the determination of the actual temporal sequence of past events".Chronology is part of periodization...
is the only source for this information. Kathryn Lindskoog
Kathryn Lindskoog
Kathryn Lindskoog was a C. S. Lewis scholar known largely for her theory that some works attributed to Lewis are forgeries, including The Dark Tower....
, along with other Lewis scholars, has challenged the authenticity of some posthumous works attributed to Lewis and edited by Hooper, 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, Martha Sammons and others.
Consistency with other works
Several people have pointed out more or less significant areas where Lewis' Outline is not consistent with the text of The Chronicles. 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. 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 character's recollection of those appearances.Contents of the timeline
The timeline begins in the Narnian year 1 and continues to the Narnian year 2555, which corresponds with the period of time in London from year AD 1888 until AD 1949. He concludes the Narnian entries with the last battleThe 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...
and the "End of Narnia", and concludes the end of the London entries with "1949: Serious accident on British Railways".
The timeline includes information concerning the birth of several human characters, including Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke
Digory Kirke is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis' fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. He is in three of the seven books: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, and is mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.In the 2005 film The Chronicles...
in 1888, Polly Plummer
Polly Plummer
Polly Plummer is a major fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. She appears in two of the seven books: The Magician's Nephew and The Last Battle.-The Magician's Nephew:...
in 1889, and Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie is a major fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Peter appears in four 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 Horse and His Boy...
in 1927. Dates are also given for the year that Susan
Susan Pevensie
Susan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' 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...
, Edmund
Edmund Pevensie
Edmund "Ed" Pevensie is a major fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He is a principal character in three of the seven books , and a lesser character in two others .In the live-action films, The...
and Lucy
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...
were born (1928, 1930, 1932 respectively) as well as Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Scrubb
Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins...
and Jill Pole
Jill Pole
Jill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.-Prior story:Very little is known about Jill's family or her life before she becomes friends with Eustace...
(both born in 1933).
The timeline also lists the dates of notable events in the series, particularly the main periods where the protagonists enter Narnia. Digory and Polly entering Narnia in 1900, and the Pevensies twice enter Narnia in 1940 and 1941. This corresponds to the Pevensies arrival in Narnia in the Narnian year 1000, where Aslan sacrifices himself, and Peter becomes Narnia's new ruler. According to the timeline, the Pevensies vanish out of Narnia in the year 1014, after King Peter carries out a successful raid on the Northern Giants, and King Lune of Archenland defeats an attack by Prince Rabadash
Prince Rabadash
Prince Rabadash is a human character and the main antagonist in C. S. Lewis's fantasy novel The Horse and His Boy. Rabadash is the heir to the throne of Calormen, being the eldest son of the Tisroc...
. Lewis also gives the year 1942 as the year that both The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Written in 1950, it was published in 1952 as the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia...
and The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair
The Silver Chair is part of The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels written by C. S. Lewis. It was the fourth book published and is the sixth book chronologically. It is the first book published in the series in which the Pevensie children do not appear. The main characters are...
take place. This corresponds to Caspian X's voyage to the end of the World
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Written in 1950, it was published in 1952 as the third book of The Chronicles of Narnia...
in 2306-2307 Narnian time.
The timeline also lists Narnia dates for events that are not mentioned in the books. For example, the timeline indicates that Moonwood and the Hare lived around the year 570, that the White Witch
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...
Jadis returns to Narnia around year 898, that King Ram of Archenland succeeds Cor in 1050, and that Queen Swanwhite lived around the year 1502.
See also
- Pauline BaynesPauline BaynesPauline Diana Baynes was an English book illustrator, whose work encompassed more than 100 books, notably those by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. She was born in Hove, Sussex....
, original illustrator for the Narnia books and maps; she also illustrated some of J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's books, and drew two poster maps of Middle-earthMiddle-earthMiddle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
(but not the ones published in the books). - The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of English fantasy films from Walden Media that are based on The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of novels written by C. S. Lewis...
— for details on the films
External links
- HarperCollins site for the books
- Disney site for the movies
- Disney Map of Narnia NarniaMap.jpg, 2244 x 1692, 1359 KB
- Six maps of Narnia
