Tag Archives: the magician’s nephew

Narnia: Explaining the Book Titles

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The Chronicles of Narnia is a collection of 7 novels written by C S Lewis, which tells the story of various events that happened in the fictional land of Narnia and beyond. For those who have no idea what the books are about or don’t exactly get the reason behind the titles, here’s a brief explanation and a few relevant quotes. Please note that there are a few spoilers here.


Book 1: The Magician’s Nephew (MN)

666ddda1584a358b467657687d2aa66bThe magician’s nephew refers to Digory, the main character in this book, who will become Professor Kirke in the next book.
Digory is the nephew of Uncle Andrew Ketterley, a minor magician, who was able to make rings that have the power to bring one to the magical world of Atlantis, which was actually the “wood between the worlds.” From this wood, the children – that is, Digory and his neighbor, Polly Plummer – were able to enter the world of Narnia.

[talking to Uncle Andrew] “But there’s one thing I jolly well mean to say first. I didn’t believe in magic till today. I see now it’s real. Well if it is, I suppose all the old fairy tales are more or less true. And you’re simply a wicked, cruel MAGICIAN like the ones in the stories. Well, I’ve never read a story in which people of that sort weren’t paid out in the end, and I bet you will be. And serve you right.” – Digory, from chapter 2 of MN

Book 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW)

wardrobe-baynesThe Lion in the title is of course, Aslan, who is the parallel of Jesus in that world. The witch is Jadis (whom we first meet in MN) who used to rule in the dead world of Charn. At the time of this story, Jadis has been known in all Narnia as the white witch, and represents all that is evil in the world. The wardrobe was the way in which the four Pevensies – Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy – were able to enter the world of Narnia.

And now a very curious thing happened… 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. – from chapter 7 of LWW

“The WHITE WITCH?” said Edmund. “Who’s she?”

“She is a perfectly terrible person,” said Lucy. “She calls herself the queen of Narnia though she has no right to be queen at all… And she can turn people into stone and do all kinds of horrible things. And she has made a magic so that it is always winter in Narnia – always winter, but it never gets to Christmas.” – from chapter 4 of LWW  

For when Digory was quite middle-aged…, there was a great storm all over the south of England which blew the tree down. He couldn’t bear to have it simply chopped up for firewood, so he had part of the timber made into a WARDROBE, which he put in his big house in the country. And though he himself did not discover the magic properties of that wardrobe, someone else did. That was the beginning of all the comings and goings between Narnia and our world, which you can read of in other books. – from chapter 15 of MN

Book 3: The Horse and His Boy (HHB)

71013-_24The horse in the title should get an award for the longest, most interesting name in all Narnia – Breeny-heeny-breeny-hoohy-ha, or Bree for short. He is a Talking Horse who was captured in his youth and was forced to live and work in the distant land of Calormen. Desiring to return to Narnia, he escaped with a boy named Shasta. The reason why the title is “The Horse and His Boy” instead of “The Boy and His Horse” is that Bree pointed out early on to the proud Aravis, the girl who joined them in their escape, that Talking Horses are free Narnians, and so do not belong to anybody.

“Why do you keep talking to my horse instead of to me?” asked the girl.
“Excuse me, tarkheena,” said Bree (with just the slightest backward tilt of his ears), “but that’s Calormene talk. We’re free Narnians, Hwin and I, and I suppose, if you’re running away to Narnia, you want to be one too. In that case Hwin isn’t your horse any longer. One might just as well say you’re her human.” – from chapter 2 of HHB

Book 4: Prince Caspian (PC)

1010860-_7This is the most obvious of all the titles, and needs the least explanation. The book tells of the adventures of Prince Caspian the Tenth, and how he became the rightful king of Narnia against his dangerous Uncle Miraz.

“This is CASPIAN, sir,” he said. And Caspian knelt and kissed the Lion’s paw.
“Welcome, PRINCE,” said Aslan. “Do you feel yourself sufficient to take up the kingship of Narnia?”
“I – I don’t think I do, sir,” said Caspian. “I’m only a kid.”
“Good,” said Aslan. “If you had felt yourself sufficient, it would have been a proof that you were not. Therefore, under us and under the High King, you shall be king of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands. You and your heirs while your race lasts.” – from chapter 15 of PC

Book 5: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (VDT)

The title pertains to the adventures of the Dawn Treader, which was the name of the ship that King Caspian built in order to find the seven lords (his father’s friends) who sailed off to the east during the time of Miraz. This is a proper adventure story, with exciting things happening in each island.

       “Well,” said Caspian, “that’s rather a long story. Perhaps you remember that when I was a child my usurping Uncle Miraz got rid of seven friends of my father’s (who might have taken my part) by sending them off to explore the unknown eastern seas beyond the Lone Islands.”
       “Yes,” said Lucy, “and none of them ever came back.”
       “Right. Well, on, my coronation day, with Aslan’s approval, I swore an oath that, if once I established peace in Narnia, I would sail east myself for a year and a day to find my father’s friends or to learn of their deaths and avenge them if I could.” – from chapter 2 of VDT

Book 6: The Silver Chair (SC)

Puddleglum-the-MarshwiggleThe silver chair in the title pertains to the magical chair which was used by the Lady of the Green Kirtle, also called the Queen of the Underland or the Emerald Witch. She had the enchanted Prince Rilian, who was the son of King Caspian the Tenth, tied down on this chair during the hour when the enchantment was lifted and he returned to his right mind. This book introduces my all-time favorite literary character – a marshwiggle named Puddleglum.

       “The knight was seated in a curious SILVER CHAIR, to which he was bound by his ankles, his knees, his elbows, his wrists, and his waist. There was sweat on his forehead and his face was filled with anguish.” – from chapter 11 of SC

Book 7: The Last Battle (LB)

71299-_40The title pertains to the final battle in the history of Narnia, which was between the Calormene army and the Narnians who fought on the side of King Tirian. It is the darkest story in the series, but has the most beautiful ending.

There stood his heart’s desire, huge and real, the golden Lion, Aslan himself, and already the others were kneeling in a circle round his forepaws and burying their hands and faces in his mane as he stooped his great head to touch them with his tongue. Then he fixed his eyes upon Tirian, and Tirian came near, trembling, and flung himself at the Lion’s feet, and the Lion kissed him and said, “Well done, last of the kings of Narnia who stood firm at the darkest hour.” – fom chapter 13 of LB

Narnia Fan Fiction: Letters to Polly (Part 2)

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Here’s my second attempt at Narnian fan fiction. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go on with this, given that Swanwhite already did something quite similar before. However, I noticed that I have a bad habit of not finishing things that I’ve begun, so I decided to finish this off so that I can start my next project, which Lea suggested – a letter from Alberta Scrubb to her friend complaining about the changes she noticed in Eustace. (I guess you can tell I’m beginning to enjoy writing fan fiction).

Anyway, here’s Professor Kirke’s next letter to Polly after hearing about the adventures of the Pevensies in Narnia. If you haven’t read part 1, it would be a good idea to read it first here.

My dear friend Polly,

I told you that I had a feeling that the children would have more adventures in Narnia, and I was right. This morning, I heard a knock on my study door again. It wasn’t a timid knock, like the last time; it was more of a firm rat-tat-tat-tat. I hurriedly opened the door because I had a feeling that it would be the children, and it was. The four children stood quite straight and proper on the hallway, and said, “Good morning, Professor” rather formally. “Good morning, children,” I replied, and looked at each of them solemnly. They looked back at me without blinking, until I asked, “It was Jadis, wasn’t it? I sure hope you have dealt with her before leaving Narnia. It is only quite logical to do so.” They all looked at each other and burst out in laughter, then they bounded inside my study and pulled chairs for themselves.

The entire story tumbled out, with each of the children finishing the other’s sentence. Indeed, the White Witch was our old acquaintance Jadis, just as I feared. I forgot to ask them how she came to be in Narnia in the first place – I mean, what about the Tree of Protection? I must ask Peter tomorrow. Also, hundreds and hundreds of years have already passed since the beginning of Narnia, and there were many kings of Narnia after King Frank. I knew time passed differently there, but I didn’t expect how fast it was compared to ours. 

Anyway, it seems that Edmund did something really bad when they first got there. The other children skirted over the topic and wouldn’t go into details, out of consideration for poor Edmund. I must ask Peter about it in private tomorrow. The result was that Edmund was supposed to die in the hands of Jadis. I asked them what happened, since Edmund was very much alive in front of me and I doubt if Jadis would willingly let him go. There was an awkward silence, until Edmund himself begun to talk in a quiet voice. Did you know what happened next? Aslan himself took Edmund’s place and was killed by the White Witch. Imagine that! I couldn’t believe it at first – remember how Aslan didn’t even flinch when Jadis threw an iron bar at him? How could she hurt him this time, and hurt him enough to kill him? I asked them repeatedly if they were certain that he actually died, but Susan assured me of this point. She is not a liar and is not given to exaggerations, nor is she mad. So I must conclude that what she says is true. There are things about this that I don’t fully understand yet; I really must ask Peter for more details tomorrow.

While I was busy trying to grasp the concept of Aslan dying, Lucy excitedly broke into my thoughts by saying that Aslan did not stay dead – he rose again! She described the scene of his resurrection breathlessly, and I could almost imagine the magic in the air and the music in the winds when it happened. Oh, what I would give to be there with him at that moment! I suddenly remember how he looked at me with tears in his eyes and told me that we must be good to each other, for only we knew what grief was. Perhaps he was thinking forward to the moment when he would have to die for a son of Adam, in order to save all of Narnia.

Aslan (and his army) proceeded to kill the White Witch and defeat her minions, and the four Pevensie children became kings and queens of Narnia. They were there for more than twenty years, until they found themselves back through the wardrobe at the spare room.

At that point, Peter looked sheepish and told me that they were very sorry, but they “borrowed” four coats from the wardrobe since it was very cold on their first day together in Narnia, but they did not know where to find those now. I told them not to worry, and gave them a lot of sage advice which they would do well to remember. I do hope you can come and visit when the opportunity comes, so that you can meet them and hear the story for yourself.

Ever your friend,

Digory Kirke

Photo grabbed from Pinterest at this link.

Narnia Fan Fiction: Letters to Polly (Part 1)

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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. You can find part 2 here.

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

Photo grabbed from Pinterest at this link.

Narnia: Quotes from The Magician’s Nephew (Part 1)

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Here are my favorite quotes from chapters 1-5 of The Magician’s Nephew.

Quotes from CHAPTER 1 – THE WRONG DOOR

“It’s all rot to say a house would be empty all those years unless there was some mystery.”

“Daddy thought it must be the drains,” said Polly.

“Pooh! Grown-ups are always thinking of uninteresting explanations,” said Digory.

“It’s not every day that I see a little girl in my dingy old study; especially, if I may say so, such a very attractive young lady as yourself.”

Polly began to think he might not really be mad after all.

Quotes from CHAPTER 2 – DIGORY AND HIS UNCLE

“None of that!” he hissed in Digory’s ear. “If you start making a noise your Mother’ll hear it. And you know what a fright might do to her.”

As Digory said afterwards, the horrible meanness of getting at a chap in that way, almost made him sick. But of course he didn’t scream again.

It was not at all a nice face, Digory thought, though of course with those early photographs one could never really tell.

“That promise I did not keep.”

“Well, then, it was jolly rotten of you,” said Digory

“You mean that little boys ought to keep their promises. Very true: most right and proper, I’m sure, and I’m very glad you have been taught to do it. But of course you must understand that rules of that sort, however excellent they may be for little boys – and servants – and women – and even people in general, can’t possibly be expected to apply to profound students and great thinkers and sages. No, Digory. Men like me, who possess hidden wisdom, are freed from common rules just as we are cut off from common pleasures. Ours, my boy, is a high and lonely destiny.”

As he said this he sighed and looked so grave and noble and mysterious that for a second Digory really thought he was saying something rather fine. But then he remembered the ugly look he had seen on his Uncle’s face the moment before Polly had vanished: and all at once he saw through Uncle Andrew’s grand words. “All it means,” he said to himself, “Is that he thinks he can do anything he likes to get anything he wants.”

“Well why didn’t you go yourself then?”

Digory had hardly ever seen anyone so surprised and offended as his Uncle did at this simple question. “Me? Me?” he exclaimed. “The boy must be mad! A man at my time of life, and in my state of health, to risk the shock and the dangers of being flung suddenly into a different universe? I never heard anything so preposterous in my life! Do you realize what you’re saying? Think what Another World means – you might meet anything anything.”

“And I suppose you’ve sent Polly into it then,” said Digory. His cheeks were flaming with anger now. “And all I can say,” he added, “even if you are my Uncle – is that you’ve behaved like a coward, sending a girl to a place you’re afraid to go to yourself.”

“Silence, sir!” said Uncle Andrew, bringing his hand down on the table. “I will not be talked to like that by a little, dirty, schoolboy. You don’t understand.”

“Very well. I’ll go. But there’s one thing I jolly well mean to say first. I didn’t believe in Magic till today. I see now it’s real. Well if it is, I suppose all the old fairy tales are more or less true. And you’re simply a wicked, cruel magician like the ones in the stories. Well, I’ve never read a story in which people of that sort weren’t paid out in the end, and I bet you will be. And serve you right.”

“Oh very well then. Just as you please. Go down and have your dinner. Leave the little girl to be eaten by wild animals or drowned or starved in Otherworld or lost there for good, if that’s what you prefer. It’s all one to me. Perhaps before tea time you’d better drop in on Mrs. Plummer and explain that she’ll never see her daughter again; because you were afraid to put on a ring.”

“By gum,” said Digory, “don’t I just wish I was big enough to punch your head!”

Then he buttoned up his coat, took a deep breath, and picked up the ring. And he thought then, as he always thought afterwards too, that he could not decently have done anything else.

Quotes from CHAPTER 3 – THE WOOD BETWEEN THE WORLDS

“It was a rich place: as rich as plumcake.”

“It’s a good thing one of us has some sense,” said Polly.

“Well don’t keep on gassing about it,” said Digory.

Quotes from CHAPTER 4 – THE BELL AND THE HAMMER

“There’s not much point in finding a magic ring that lets you into other worlds if you’re afraid to look at them when you’ve got there.”

These were very solemn faces. You felt you would have to mind your P’s and Q’s, if you ever met living people who looked like that.

Years afterwards when he was an old man, Digory said he had never in all his life known a woman so beautiful. It is only fair to add that Polly always said she couldn’t see anything specially beautiful about her.

“Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.”

“I expect anyone who’s come as far as this is bound to go on wondering till it sends him dotty. That’s the Magic of it, you see. I can feel it beginning to work on me already.”

“Well I don’t,” said Polly crossly. “And I don’t believe you do either. You’re just putting it on.”

“That’s all you know,” said Digory. “It’s because you’re a girl. Girls never want to know anything but gossip and rot about people getting engaged.”

“You looked exactly like your Uncle when you said that,” said Polly.

“Why can’t you keep to the point?” said Digory. “What we’re talking about is -“

“How exactly like a man!” said Polly in a very grownup voice; but she added hastily, in her real voice, “And don’t say I’m just like a woman, or you’ll be a beastly copy-cat.”

“I should never dream of calling a kid like you a woman,” said Digory loftily.

“Oh, I’m a kid, am I?” said Polly who was now in a real rage. “Well you needn’t be bothered by having a kid with you any longer then. I’m off. I’ve had enough of this place. And I’ve had enough of you too – you beastly, stuck-up, obstinate pig!”

Quotes from CHAPTER 5 – THE DEPLORABLE WORD

Low down and near the horizon hung a great, red sun, far bigger than our sun. Digory felt at once that it was also older than ours: a sun near the end of its life, weary of looking down upon that world.

“I had forgotten that you are only a common boy. How should you understand reasons of State? You must learn, child, that what would be wrong for you or for any of the common people is not wrong in a great Queen such as I. The weight of the world is on our shoulders. We must be freed from all rules. Ours is a high and lonely destiny.”

Digory suddenly remembered that Uncle Andrew had used exactly the same words. But they sounded much grander when Queen Jadis said them; perhaps because Uncle Andrew was not seven feet tall and dazzlingly beautiful.

“You are lying,” said the Queen. “Does not Magic always go with the royal blood? Who ever heard of common people being Magicians? I can see the truth whether you speak it or not. Your Uncle is the great King and the great Enchanter of your world. And by his art he has seen the shadow of my face, in some magic mirror or some enchanted pool; and for the love of my beauty he has made a potent spell which shook your world to its foundations and sent you across the vast gulf between world and world to ask my favour and to bring me to him. Answer me: is that not how it was?”

“Well, not exactly,” said Digory.

“Not exactly,” shouted Polly. “Why, it’s absolute bosh from beginning to end.”

Listening to Narnia (Part 1)

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I recently bought The Chronicles of Narnia Unabridged Boxed Audiobook Set of HarperCollins for my birthday through Amazon.com, along with a new hardbound Narnia book. I got my package last 24 June (which was also my 40th month together with my boyfriend Sidney) and I’ve been listening to it whenever I’m driving alone (which isn’t actually that often).

This is my first time to listen to an audiobook and I wasn’t disappointed. At first, I thought there would be sound effects (like perhaps the sound of a river running or horses trotting) in the background, but it wasn’t like that at all. It was just one British voice reading the books out loud to you, changing the tone and accent of each character so that you’d distinctly know which was which.

I’ve already gone through the first four, and here are my comments:

The Magician’s Nephew – narrated by Kenneth Branagh

This is my definitely my favorite audiobook so far. There were two particular character voices I loved. The first is that of the cabby (who later became King Frank). In the book, it says he had a cockney accent, but since I’ve never heard of a cockney accent before, I had no idea how that would sound like. The audiobook really brought it to life for me, especially the part how his speech changed while Aslan was talking to him. The second was the Bulldog who kept arguing with the Elephant by saying, “I object to that remark very strongly.” The way he said it was so funny, I literally burst out laughing.

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – narrated by Michael York

I can’t actually remember much about this one. It was good, but not quite memorable. I liked the voice of Aslan, Peter and Jadis though.

The Horse and His Boy – narrated by Alex Jennings

This is my second favorite so far, mainly because the narrator was able to invent a distinctly Calormene accent for Rabadash, the Tisroc etc. I love how Rabadash said, “Oh my father and oh the delight of my eyes” in a drawling voice which really sounded as if the Tisroc was not the delight of his eyes. I just have one issue: how come Shasta and Aravis didn’t have the same accent, even though they both grew up in Calormen? Oh well.

Prince Caspian – narrated by Lynn Redgrave

I had apprehensions before listening to this one, because I didn’t know how all the predominantly male characters would be voiced in such a way as to distinguish one from another. You’d have to remember that nearly all the lead characters in Prince Caspian are male (e.g. Peter, Edmund, Caspian, Trumpkin, Dr. Cornelius, Miraz, Trufflehunter, etc). For all the other audiobooks, the narrators were male, and the female characters they had to do usually ranged from only one to three (e.g. Lucy, Susan, Polly, etc). But the narrator actually did a really good job, especially with Trumpkin. I just didn’t like her Aslan voice though.

You can read part 2 here.

What It Takes to Be a King (Narnia)

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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.