I debated for a while about which spotlight to do for Year of the Horse. I haven’t been consistent at featuring each year of the Chinese zodiac—mostly citing Disney dragons, dogs, tigers in the years I remembered to do it. Instead of Disney horses, I’m going with a creature feature from one of my favorite fandoms: Narnia. I could have easily gone with Narnian horses as a whole (Phillip, Bree, Hwin, Jewel, etc) but I wanted to look at the first powerful steed in Narnia’s history.
Born to a cavalry horse, Fledge was called Strawberry by Frank, the cabby who owned him. Neither felt at home in the city and longed for the country life. So when Jadis commandeered the horse, it was providence that the pair was pulled into Narnia with Diggory, Polly, Uncle Andrew, and the Witch.
As the creation of Narnia proceeded, Strawberry was turned into a talking horse by Aslan. He held vague memories of his life as a dumb animal. At least enough to trust Frank and carry the kids to the Lion, his final task as “Strawberry”.
When Diggory was tasked with protecting the new land of Narnia from Jadis, Aslan turned Strawberry in the winged horse named Fledge. And as the newly christened steed, he bonded with Polly and Diggory as they retrieved the fruit that would help protect Narnia for hundreds of years.
I think it’s safe to assume that Fledge remained loyal to King Frank and Queen Helen as they reigned over Narnia. A majestic steed that was transformed by grandeur personified—or lion-ified.
Unlike my “Mistaken Identity” posts, Fledge is a story of transformation. Though born a dumb horse, Strawberry became the majestic Fledge. Aslan’s power changed him into something that Strawberry couldn’t have imagined on his own. Taken in a gospel light, it’s not unlike how Jesus Christ transforms us through the power and grace of His atoning sacrifice.
President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.” Just as Aslan turned Strawberry into the powerful and magical Fledge, Jesus Christ will turn each of us into miraculous and eternal beings as we turn our lives to Him.
More Content You Might Like:
- "Why Magician's Nephew Would Make a Poor Movie" by Spencer
- "For Narnia and For Aslan!" by Spencer
- "He Likes to Be Asked" by Spencer
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