A Recurring Theme 2 September 2009
Posted by Renette in 2 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, 7 The Last Battle, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.5 comments
I wish I could take credit for noticing this recurring theme, but all credit goes to Paul F. Ford, author of Companion to Narnia. He noticed that a similar theme was used when Aslan was first introduced and when Aslan was last mentioned in the Chronicles of Narnia. (I also wish I could take credit for this lovely artwork of Aslan and Lucy, but all credit goes to Robert Bucknell.)
FIRST MENTION OF ASLAN
The first book written in “The Chronicles of Narnia” is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Here is a portion from Chapter 7 (A Day with the Beavers) regarding the first ever mention of Aslan’s name.
And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning – either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.
At the mention of Aslan’s name, there were two things that Lucy felt – the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning, and the feeling you have when you realize that it is the beginning of the holidays.
LAST MENTION OF ASLAN
Now here is a portion from Chapter 15 (Further Up and Further In) of The Last Battle, the last book of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” which contains the last ever mention of Aslan’s name. Curiously, the last person who talks to him is Lucy.
Then Aslan turned to them and said: “You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.”
Lucy said, “We’re so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often.”
“No fear of that,” said Aslan. “Have you not guessed?”
Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them.
“There was a real railway accident,” said Aslan softly. “Your father and mother and all of you are – as you used to call it in the Shadowlands – dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”
The two themes mentioned with respect to Aslan is repeated – the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning, and the feeling you have when you realize that it is the beginning of the holidays. Now he says, “The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.”
I don’t know if this was intentional in the part of C. S. Lewis or not, but this just shows what a genius he was. And his description of the New Narnia makes me yearn even more to see the real Aslan someday.
LETTERS TO POLLY (Part 1) 28 October 2008
Posted by Renette in 1 The Magician's Nephew, 2 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, By Terb, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.7 comments
How did Professor Kirke feel when he first heard that Lucy has been to Narnia? Here’s a glimpse through his letter to his old friend. (By the way, this is my first attempt at fan fiction of any kind, so any suggestions will be most welcome.)
My dear friend Polly,
I hope this letter finds you in the best of health. I must smile a bit while writing your name because indeed, Polly is a funny name. I know you are thinking that it is not half so funny as Digory, and if you were here, we could go on about it, like we did as children.
I’m writing to share with you some news that will surprise you for sure. A month ago, I received a telegram from Mrs. Helen Pevensie of Finchley – I do not know if you remember her, she was a distant relation of my Aunt Letty. It is the usual story – the father is fighting in the war, the air raids are going on about London, and the mother knows their house in the middle of the city is not safe, especially for her children. Mrs. Pevensie cannot leave the house for fear that the dreaded telegram from the War Office should come one day and not find her there, but she implored me to take in her four children since she knew the country is much safer than the city. I remember how you adamantly told me once that London is not a beastly hole, but indeed it is, especially during these trying times.
I had no qualms in agreeing to her request, since it can get lonely out here with only my trusty housekeeper, Mrs. Macready, and the handful of servants to keep me company. You know that even I am a bit afraid of Mrs. Macready, so I thought it would be interesting to suddenly have four bustling children running around the country house.
More than a week ago, the four Pevensie children arrived, and such well-behaved children they were, except for one who is a bit of a rascal. The oldest boy is named Peter, and you’d think he was older than he really was. I reckon it’s because he is the oldest among the four, and so is taking on the role of the absent father for his siblings. The next one is named Susan, quite a lovely young lady and very mature for her age. She reminds me a lot of her mother, Mrs. Pevensie. The third is the rascal I mentioned earlier, who is named Edmund. I will admit something to you and trust that you will not repeat this to anyone else, but this boy Edmund reminds me a lot of myself when I was his age. The youngest is a dear little girl named Lucy, who is a favorite among the servants for her sweet smile and coaxing manners.
I noticed that they made sure never to disturb me – probably one of the rules of Mrs. Macready that I do not know about – except one morning when Peter and Susan knocked timidly at my study door. I hastened to find chairs for them and told them that I was at their disposal, and they begun to share such wonderful news. The youngest child, Lucy, has entered Narnia through the magical wardrobe in my country house! I’m sure you remember that the wardrobe was made from the apple tree I planted years ago, from the apple that Aslan himself handed to me for my sick mother.
While they were telling their story, I could not move out of surprise and a sudden flooding of memories – the Wood between the Worlds, the creation of Narnia, the cabby and the horse Strawberry whom we accidentally brought along – or should we call them King Frank and Fledge now?
Here comes the sad news however. Narnia is under a spell by a powerful enchantress whom Narnians refer to as the White Witch. She is styling herself as the Queen of Narnia, and I wonder whatever happened to King Frank and Queen Helen (remember how she first appeared in Narnia with soapsuds up to her elbows?). We have no idea how Narnian time has passed since we’ve been there last, so this White Witch could be anybody. But I have a sinking feeling that it could be none other than Jadis, the Queen of Charn, whom I woke up from her magical slumber. It is an act I have since regretted much – even though both you and Aslan have graciously forgiven me – but never more so than now.
The older children are afraid that their sister is going mad, because they found nothing special or magical about the wardrobe when they went to investigate. I was surprised that they never even considered the possibility that Lucy is telling the truth, even though it is the most logical explanation. What do they teach at schools these days?
I will write to you again when I have more news. I have a feeling that this is not the end of the children’s adventures in Narnia.
Ever your friend,
Digory Kirke
PRACTICAL PEOPLE IN NARNIA 21 August 2008
Posted by Renette in 1 The Magician's Nephew, 3 The Horse and His Boy, 4 Prince Caspian, 5 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, Talking Beasts.2 comments
In The Chronicles of Narnia, a total of seven people were described as being practical, and three of them were called practical in a rather negative way.
JADIS
The children were now afraid that Jadis would have something to say to them about what had happened in the wood. As it turned out, however, she never mentioned it either then or afterwards. I think (and Digory thinks too) that her mind was of a sort which cannot remember that quiet place at all, and however often you took her there and however long you left her there, she would still know nothing about it. Now that she was left alone with the children, she took no notice of either of them. And that was like her too. In Charn she had taken no notice of Polly (till the very end) because Digory was the one she wanted to make use of. Now that she had Uncle Andrew, she took no notice of Digory. I expect most witches are like that. They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them; they are terribly practical. So there was silence in the room for a minute or two. But you could tell by the way Jadis tapped her foot on the floor that she was growing impatient. – from Chapter 6, “The Beginning of Uncle Andrew’s Troubles,” The Magician’s Nephew
From this quote about Jadis, being practical means only paying attention to someone if you wanted to use the person in one way or another. Jadis didn’t pay attention to Polly because she was using Digory. Later on, she didn’t pay attention to Digory either because she was using Uncle Andrew. She didn’t waste her time in noticing or paying attention to people who didn’t suit her purposes.
UNCLE ANDREW
We must now go back a bit and explain what the whole scene had looked like from Uncle Andrew’s point of view. It had not made at all the same impression on him as on the Cabby and the children. For what you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing: it also depends on what sort of person you are.
Ever since the animals had first appeared, Uncle Andrew had been shrinking further and further back into the thicket. He watched them very hard of course; but he wasn’t really interested in seeing what they were doing, only in seeing whether they were going to make a rush at him. Like the Witch, he was dreadfully practical. He simply didn’t notice that Aslan was choosing one pair out of every kind of beasts. All he saw, or thought he saw, was a lot of dangerous wild animals walking vaguely about. And he kept on wondering why the other animals didn’t run away from the big Lion. – from Chapter 9, “The Founding of Narnia,” The Magician’s Nephew
From this quote about Uncle Andrew, being practical means only paying attention to something that involves yourself and nothing more. Uncle Andrew missed the point of the entire creation (or “founding”) of Narnia simply because he was only concerned that that the animals wouldn’t attack him. He didn’t waste his time in noticing or paying attention to things that didn’t concern him directly.
ARSHEESH
Sometimes if Arsheesh was there Shasta would say, “O my Father, what is there beyond that hill?” And then if the fisherman was in a bad temper he would box Shasta’s ears and tell him to attend to his work. Or if he was in a peaceable mood he would say, “O my son, do not allow your mind to be distracted by idle questions. For one of the poets has said, `Application to business is the root of prosperity, but those who ask questions that do not concern them are steering the ship of folly towards the rock of indigence’.”
Shasta thought that beyond the hill there must be some delightful secret which his father wished to hide from him. In reality, however, the fisherman talked like this because he didn’t know what lay to the North. Neither did he care. He had a very practical mind. – from Chapter 1, “How Shasta Set Out on His Travels,” The Horse and His Boy
From this quote about Arsheesh, being practical means only paying attention to something that you already know about. He never concerned himself with the lands beyond, like the free North. He didn’t waste his time in noticing or paying attention to things that he wasn’t familar with.
Being practical isn’t all that bad though. In fact, there were four others who were mentioned as being practical, but not in the way that Jadis, Uncle Andrew and Arsheesh were.
DUFFLE AND THE STAG
Presently, however, two more practical people arrived in the little wood. One was a Red Dwarf whose name appeared to be Duffle. The other was a stag, a beautiful lordly creature with wide liquid eyes, dappled flanks and legs so thin and graceful that they looked as if you could break them with two fingers.
“Lion alive!” roared the Dwarf as soon as he had heard the news. “And if that’s so, why are we all standing still, chattering? Enemies at Anvard! News must be sent to Cair Paravel at once. The army must be called out. Narnia must go to the aid of King Lune.”
“Ah!” said the Hedgehog. “But you won’t find the High King at the Cair. He’s away to the North trouncing those giants. And talking of giants, neighbours, that puts me in mind -”
“Who’ll take our message?” interrupted the Dwarf. “Anyone here got more speed than me?”
“I’ve got speed,” said the Stag. “What’s my message? How many Calormenes?”
“Two hundred: under Prince Rabadash. And -” But the Stag was already away – all four legs off the ground at once, and in a moment its white stern had disappeared among the remoter trees. - from Chapter 12, “Shasta in Narnia,” The Horse and His Boy
From this quote, being practical means doing what must be done. Upon learning of the coming army of Prince Rabadash, the other creatures didn’t exactly jump into action, but dawdled around chatting about it. Only Duffle, who took control of the situation, and the stag, who rushed to inform the High King, did their part in averting the danger.
SUSAN
“That’s the trouble of it,” said Trumpkin, “when most of the beasts have gone enemy and gone dumb, but there are still some of the other kind left. You never know, and you daren’t wait to see.” …
Lucy shuddered and nodded. When they had sat down she said: “Such a horrible idea has come into my head, Su.”
“What’s that?”
“Wouldn’t it be dreadful if some day, in our own world, at home, men started going wild inside, like the animals here, and still looked like men, so that you’d never know which were which?”
”We’ve got enough to bother about here and now in Narnia,” said the practical Susan, “without imagining things like that.” – from Chapter 9, “What Lucy Saw,” Prince Caspian
From this quote, being practical means focusing on the problem on hand. Susan didn’t want to worry about ”imaginary” things – she only wanted to deal with those that are ”here and now.” Perhaps that became her problem later on – when she got back to England, she only wanted to deal with the “here and now” and convinced herself that Narnia was only imaginary.
EUSTACE
“Why is it called Aslan’s table?” asked Lucy presently.
“It is set here by his bidding,” said the girl, “for those who come so far. Some call this island the World’s End, for though you can sail further, this is the beginning of the end.”
“But how does the food keep?” asked the practical Eustace.
“It is eaten, and renewed every day,” said the girl. “This you will see.” – from Chapter 13, “The Three Sleepers,” The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
From this quote, being practical means asking questions about things that don’t seem to add up logically. Eustace never lost this trait until The Last Battle, which adds charm to his character.
There is a positive and a negative side to being practical. As long as we make sure we’re not like Jadis, Uncle Andrew or Arsheesh, then being practical should be okay.
DOUBLE LUCY QUOTES 19 August 2008
Posted by Renette in 2 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, 5 The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.add a comment
I was listening to the audiobook of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe today, and noticed that Lucy had two double quotes in LWW – meaning, she said a word twice (I didn’t count quotes like “Aslan, Aslan”). I also remember one double quote in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and since I have nothing better to do, I’m posting them here.
“I don’t care what you think, and I don’t care what you say. You can tell the Professor or you can write to Mother or you can do anything you like. I know I’ve met a Faun in there and – I wish I’d stayed there and you are all beasts, beasts.” (LWW, Chapter 5)
“Oh, how can they?” said Lucy, tears streaming down her cheeks. “The brutes, the brutes!” for now that the first shock was over the shorn face of Aslan looked to her braver, and more beautiful, and more patient than ever. (LWW, Chapter 14)
“Oh, the funnies, the funnies,” cried Lucy, bursting into laughter. “Did you make them like that?” (VDT, Chapter 11)
I have no idea if there are any more double quotes from Lucy, but I’ll be on the lookout from now on. In case you come across one, please let me know so that I can add it to my list.
LIKE EDMUND 14 August 2008
Posted by Renette in 2 The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.add a comment
Among the four Pevensies, I’ve always liked Edmund the most because it is very easy to relate to his story. He started out rough, but was changed forever after Aslan saved his life and showed him mercy. While listening to the Harper-Collins audiobook of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe this morning, I noticed three things about Edmund’s experience that rings true for most of us. These quotes are from Chapter 9, “In the Witch’s House.”
He had eaten his share of the dinner, but he hadn’t really enjoyed it because he was thinking all the time about Turkish Delight – and there’s nothing that spoils the taste of good ordinary food half so much as the memory of bad magic food.
How often do we not enjoy doing the right things like going to church or reading the Bible simply because we are doing something wrong? How often do we have the “vague, though uneasy, feeling that [we haven't] been doing very well lately” (quote from The Screwtape Letters by C S Lewis) that actually leads us to avoid any mention of God?
As for what the Witch would do with the others, he didn’t want her to be particularly nice to them – certainly not to put them on the same level as himself; but he managed to believe, or to pretend he believed, that she wouldn’t do anything very bad to them, “Because,” he said to himself, “all these people who say nasty things about her are her enemies and probably half of it isn’t true. She was jolly nice to me, anyway, much nicer than they are. I expect she is the rightful Queen really. Anyway, she’ll be better than that awful Aslan!” At least, that was the excuse he made in his own mind for what he was doing. It wasn’t a very good excuse, however, for deep down inside him he really knew that the White Witch was bad and cruel.
How often do we rationalize, thinking up of reasons to justify or excuse ourselves, when we know deep down that what we’re doing is wrong? This is because God has given everyone a conscience, and speaks to us in a still, small voice. However, if we don’t feed our conscience with the Word of God and continuously bombard our senses with things that are not good for us, our conscience can be dulled and de-sensitized in time.
“Even as it was, he got wet through for he had to stoop under branches and great loads of snow came sliding off on to his back. And every time this happened he thought more and more how he hated Peter – just as if all this had been Peter’s fault.”
How often do we blame someone else for everything that’s happening to our life, even if we know deep down that it is really nobody’s fault? We just need someone to fix the blame on to make us feel better about ourselves.
These quotes only show how much like Edmund we all can be. We’re also like him in another respect – we are all sinners who deserve to die. Thank goodness there’s One who died for us.
A KNIGHT’S TALE FROM ARCHENLAND 30 July 2008
Posted by Renette in 3 The Horse and His Boy, By Terb, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.add a comment
Here is my story, said a knight with a snort,
About what once happened in King Lune’s court.
From out of the blue came two hundred horses -
It was that silly Prince Rabadash’s forces.
But we knew of this Calormene threat beforehand,
We were ready to fight for our dear Archenland.
We had help from our Narnian friends in the battle;
T’was over quickly. And when the dust settled,
A laughter arose – oh what could it be?
The Prince Rabadash, as neat as could be
Got caught in a hook! And now he was screaming
In anger and spite, with his lanky arms flailing.
They took him down, and pondered his fate.
They wanted to free him, but that reprobate
Still shouted at them, full of malice and fury -
Till the Lion showed up and made him a donkey.
DISCLAIMER: This is my first feeble attempt at Narnian poetry, and I wrote this while driving to the office this morning. I guess sometimes traffic is a good thing.
WHEN THE LION TELLS YOU TO DRINK 28 July 2008
Posted by Renette in 6 The Silver Chair, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.3 comments
“If I run away, it’ll be after me in a moment,” thought Jill. “And if I go on, I shall run straight into its mouth.” Anyway, she couldn’t have moved if she had tried, and she couldn’t take her eyes off it. How long this lasted, she could not be sure; it seemed like hours. And the thirst became so bad that she almost felt she would not mind being eaten by the lion if only she could be sure of getting a mouthful of water first.
“If you’re thirsty, you may drink.”
They were the first words she had heard since Scrubb had spoken to her on the edge of the cliff. For a second she stared here and there, wondering who had spoken. Then the voice said again, “If you are thirsty, come and drink,” and of course she remembered what Scrubb had said about animals talking in that other world, and realized that it was the lion speaking. Anyway, she had seen its lips move this time, and the voice was not like a man’s. It was deeper, wilder, and stronger; a sort of heavy, golden voice. It did not make her any less frightened than she had been before, but it made her frightened in rather a different way.
“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.
“I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill.
“Then drink,” said the Lion.
I mentioned before that THE SILVER CHAIR is my favorite book in The Chronicles of Narnia, not only because of the character of Puddleglum, but also because of its theme of obedience and faith. It also contains a lot of passages which can be interpreted in the light of Scriptures, such as the excerpt I quoted above, which is from Chapter 2, “Jill Is Given a Task.”
In the story, Jill and Eustace had just stumbled into Aslan’s Country, a rich forest where “huge trees, rather like cedars but bigger, grew in every direction” and where there was “not a breath of wind in that cool, bright air.” While Eustace was trying to keep Jill from falling off a very high cliff, he lost his balance and fell himself, only to be saved by the Great Lion, Aslan, who blew him all the way to Narnia.
After crying a lot by herself in horror of what happened (the Lion had left her after blowing Eustace off), Jill started feeling very thirsty. She looked around and finally saw a stream, which was “bright as glass,” instantly making her feel even thirstier than before. Before she could stoop for a drink though, she noticed the figure of the Lion lying by the stream.
While she was debating to herself whether to run or drink, the Lion spoke. “If you’re thirsty, you may drink.” He is obviously giving her permission to approach and drink from the stream.
While Jill was still standing, uncertain of what to do and unsure of who said the words, the Lion spoke again. “If you are thirsty, come and drink.” This is now more than giving permission, he is actually giving her an invitation to drink and quench her thirst.
Jill finally realized that it was the Lion who was speaking to her, and it frightened her. “Are you not thirsty?” the Lion asked her. After replying in the affirmative, he said, “Then drink.” This is not only an invitation, but an outright instruction or directive to approach Him and drink from the stream.
But what is it about the water that is so important that he not only needed to permit Jill to drink it, but he had to invite and even order her to do so when she hesitated?
Aslan knew that the water will quench Jill’s thirst. He understood how thirsty Jill was, and knew that she needed a drink of water to clear her head and prepare her for the task he was about to give her.
In the same way, Jesus understands our thirst – be it physical (like thirst for water), mental (like thirst for knowledge) or emotional (like thirst for love). In His own time and in His own way, He provides the things that would quench this thirst.
But there’s one more thirst that we all have, and which Jesus alone can meet. It’s our inherent thirst for God. As it says in Psalm 42:1-2: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God.” But how do we quench this thirst?
There was one interesting occasion when Jesus offered water to someone too. In John 4, He told the Samaritan woman, “… those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” The water He is referring to, the Living Water, is Himself. And He permits, invites and instructs all of us to quench our thirst for God through Him.
And when the Lion – or Jesus, the Lion of Judah – tells you to drink, the best thing you can do is to do as Jill did. “She went forward to the stream, knelt down, and began scooping up water in her hand. It was the coldest, most refreshing water she had ever tasted.”
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A KING 20 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 1 The Magician's Nephew, 3 The Horse and His Boy, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.add a comment
Obviously, not everyone is of a royal line, but if you think about it, we can all act like kings (or queens). And I don’t mean that we should act like royal pains in the neck. What I mean is that we can always act with the nobility of character that is expected from royalty.
So what does it take to be a king? Here is an excerpt from chapter 11 of THE MAGICIAN’S NEPHEW, which is the first in the chronicles of Narnia series. Aslan is talking to a kind-hearted London cabby named frank, who will soon become the first king of Narnia. During this conversation, he will give a kind of checklist on the qualities that a king should have.
“My children,” said Aslan, fixing his eyes on both of them, “you are to be the first king and queen of Narnia.”
The cabby opened his mouth in astonishment, and his wife turned very red.
“You shall rule and name all these creatures, and do justice among them, and protect them from their enemies when enemies arise. And enemies will arise, for there is an evil witch in this world.”
The cabby swallowed hard two or three times and cleared his throat.
“Begging your pardon, sir,” he said, “and thanking you very much I’m sure (which my missus does the same) but I ain’t no sort of a chap for a job like that. I never ‘ad much eddycation, you see.”
“Well,” said Aslan, “Can you use a spade and a plough and raise food out of the earth?”
“Yes, sir, I could do a bit of that sort of work: being brought up to it, like.”
“Can you rule these creatures kindly and fairly, remembering that they are not slaves like the dumb beasts of the world you were born in, but talking beasts and free subjects?”
“I see that, sir,” replied the cabby. “I’d try to do the square thing by them all.”
“And would you bring up your children and grandchildren to do the same?”
“It’d be up to me to try, sir. I’d do my best: wouldn’t we, Nellie?”
“And you wouldn’t have favourites either among your own children or among the other creatures or let any hold another under or use it hardly?”
“I never could abide such goings on, sir, and that’s the truth. I’d give ‘em what for if I caught ‘em at it,” said the cabby. (All through this conversation his voice was growing slower and richer. more like the country voice he must have had as a boy and less like the sharp, quick voice of a cockney.)
“And if enemies came against the land (for enemies will arise) and there was war, would you be the first in the charge and the last in the retreat?”
“Well, sir,” said the cabby very slowly, “a chap don’t exactly know till he’s been tried. I dare say I might turn out ever such a soft ‘un. Never did no fighting except with my fists. I’d try – that is, I ‘ope I’d try – to do my bit.”
“Then,” said Aslan, “you will have done all that a king should do.”
I really love the idea that a king must be the “first in the charge and the last in the retreat.” a somewhat similar theme is discussed in chapter 15, THE HORSE AND HIS BOY, when Shasta, a boy who was kidnapped in his infancy and raised in the distant Calormen, found out that he was the son of the king and the rightful heir to the throne of Archenland, much to the delight of his flighty twin brother, who was younger than him.
“Hurrah! Hurrah!” said Corin. “I shan’t have to be king. I shan’t have to be king. I’ll always be a prince. It’s princes have all the fun.”
“And that’s truer than thy brother knows, Cor,” said King Lune. “For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat, and when there’s hunger in the land (as must be now and then in bad years) to wear finer clothes and laugh louder over a scantier meal than any man in your land.”
I guess being a king is harder than everyone thought it would be.
THE PROBLEM OF EMETH 12 June 2008
Posted by Renette in 7 The Last Battle, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve.6 comments
Today I decided to write about the most problematic portion of the entire chronicles of Narnia series, at least for me. The passage below is from Chapter 15 entitled “Further Up and Further In” from the final book in the series, THE LAST BATTLE.
“Know, O Warlike Kings,” said Emeth, “and you, O ladies whose beauty illuminates the universe, that I am Emeth the seventh son of Harpha Tarkaan of the city of Tehishbaan, Westward beyond the desert. I came lately into Narnia with nine and twenty others under the command of Rishda Tarkaan. Now when I first heard that we should march upon Narnia I rejoiced; for I had heard many things of your Land and desired greatly to meet you in battle. But when I found that we were to go in disguised as merchants (which is a shameful dress for a warrior and the son of a Tarkaan) and to work by lies and trickery, then my joy departed from me. And most of all when I found we must wait upon a Monkey, and when it began to be said that Tash and Aslan were one, then the world became dark in my eyes. For always since I was a boy I have served Tash and my great desire was to know more of him, if it might be, to look upon his face. But the name of Aslan was hateful to me.
“And, as you have seen, we were called together outside the straw-roofed hovel, night after night, and the fire was kindled, and the Ape brought forth out of the hovel something upon four legs that I could not well see. And the people and the Beasts bowed down and did honour to it. But I thought, the Tarkaan is deceived by the Ape: for this thing that comes out of the stable is neither Tash nor any other god. But when I watched the Tarkaan’s face, and marked every word that he said to the Monkey, then I changed my mind: for I saw that the Tarkaan did not believe in it himself. And then I understood that he did not believe in Tash at all: for if he had, how could he dare to mock him?
“When I understood this, a great rage fell upon me and I wondered that the true Tash did not strike down both the Monkey and the Tarkaan with fire from heaven. Nevertheless I hid my anger and held my tongue and waited to see how it would end. But last night, as some of you know, the Monkey brought not forth the yellow thing but said that all who desired to look upon Tashlan – for so they mixed the two words to pretend that they were all one – must pass one by one into the hovel. And I said to myself, Doubtless this is some other deception. But when the Cat had followed in and had come out again in a madness of terror, then I said to myself, Surely the true Tash, whom they called on without knowledge or belief, has now come among us, and will avenge himself. And though my heart was turned into water inside me because of the greatness and terror of Tash, yet my desire was stronger than my fear, and I put force upon my knees to stay them from trembling, and on my teeth that they should not chatter, and resolved to look upon the face of Tash though he should slay me. So I offered myself to go into the hovel; and the Tarkaan, though unwillingly, let me go.
“As soon as I had gone in at the door, the first wonder was that I found myself in this great sunlight (as we all are now) though the inside of the hovel had looked dark from outside. But I had no time to marvel at this, for immediately I was forced to fight for my head against one of our own men. As soon as I saw him I understood that the Monkey and the Tarkaan had set him there to slay any who came in if he were not in their secrets: so that this man also was a liar and a mocker and no true servant of Tash. I had the better will to fight him; and having slain the villain, I cast him out behind me through the door.
“Then I looked about me and saw the sky and the wide lands, and smelled the sweetness. And I said, By the Gods, this is a pleasant place: it may be that I am come into the country of Tash. And I began to journey into the strange country and to seek him.
“So I went over much grass and many flowers and among all kinds of wholesome and delectable trees till lo! In a narrow place between two rocks there came to meet me a great Lion. The speed of him was like the ostrich, and his size was an elephant’s; his hair was like pure gold and the brightness of his eyes like gold that is liquid in the furnace. He was more terrible than the Flaming Mountain of Lagour, and in beauty he surpassed all that is in the world even as the rose in bloom surpasses the dust of the desert. Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas, Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man does a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, thou knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek.
“Then he breathed upon me and took away the trembling from my limbs and caused me to stand upon my feet. And after that, he said not much, but that we should meet again, and I must go further up and further in. Then he turned him about in a storm and flurry of gold and was gone suddenly.
“And since then, O Kings and Ladies, I have been wandering to find him and my Happiness is so great that it even weakens me like a wound. And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me Beloved, me who am but as a dog -”
The story ends on a humorous note, with one of the Talking Dogs getting offended by the expression “who am but as a dog,” until another dog pointed out that they called misbehaving puppies “girls” or “boys.”
The Last Battle is the most controversial book in The Chronicles of Narnia series. I myself have a couple of questions about it, which I plan to write about one at a time. My first and biggest question is this: will God really accept the service and faith a person has offered to another god if it was done with a pure heart, as Emeth did with Tash?
I agree with the part that “no service which is vile can be done to [Aslan]” but I’m not so sure about “none which is not vile can be done to [Tash].” When we face Jesus at the gates of heaven, will He say: “all the service thou hast done to (insert name of god of your choice), I account as service done to Me”?
There’s the expression regarding faith in Christ that you can be sincere, but you can also be sincerely wrong. I really can’t wrap my head around this theological issue which C S Lewis raises in this portion. Did he mean to say that a person who has not believed in Jesus can enter heaven as long as that person has been sincere in seeking some other god? This directly contradicts what Jesus explicitly stated in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. NO ONE can come to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH Me.”
POSTSCRIPT (written on 15 August 2008)
I believe I got the solution to this problem. Interestingly, this came to me while I was taking a bath one morning.
Emeth has not died yet, meaning he still has a chance to repent. And that was what he did – the moment he saw Aslan, he turned to him and recognized that he is the true God and not Tash. Because of this, he was able to join the others in Aslan’s country.
