Our Favorite Narnians

I recently finished re-reading (and rewatching) The Chronicle of Narnia. It's been one of my favorites for about fifteen years now, since I was first shown Prince Caspian at a college movie night. They're always good movies and books that I could watch and read on repeat to boost my mood. So for this post I asked some of our team to pick their favorite Narnian (which unfortunately rules out my favorite protagonist, Shasta/Cor). With such an inspiring series, I hope you're able to glean some inspiration from our favorites.

--Spencer

Aslan 

I couldn't decide between Aslan and Edmund for they are the best characters in the series. However, without Aslan, Edmund's redemption would be meaningless. Therefore, in this post I will highlight why Aslan is the best character. 

As any fan of Narnia knows Aslan is symbolic of Jesus Christ. They share striking parallels that underscore their roles as symbols of divine intervention, sacrifice, and redemption in their respective narratives. Both figures are depicted as powerful yet benevolent leaders who offer profound guidance and protection to their followers. Aslan, like Jesus, embodies the ultimate moral authority, representing the highest virtues of courage, wisdom, and selflessness. His actions in The Chronicles of Narnia, such as his sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection, echo Jesus's life.

The symbolism surrounding Aslan is deeply rooted in Christian theology. Aslan’s death in Edmund’s place and his resurrection are direct allegories to Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection, signifying themes of atonement and the triumph of good over evil. Through these similarities, Aslan serves not only as a central figure in Narnia’s lore but also as a literary reflection of the profound spiritual and moral teachings of Christianity. The reason I believe that The Chronicles of Narnia is successful is thanks to Aslan similitude to Jesus Christ.

--Michael

Reepicheep is my favorite because he is an embodiment of “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” Despite being small in stature, he used his talents to fight for Aslan and always kept his eyes on the goal of one day entering Aslan’s country. I loved the interaction between Reepicheep and Aslan in the film version of Prince Caspian when it almost appears that Aslan will not be giving Reepicheep back his tail. At the sight of Reepicheep’s squadron of mice willing to cut their own tails off, Aslan restores Reepicheep’s own tail. It is sweet to see Reepicheep’s own loyalty to Aslan and see his desire fulfilled in being allowed to enter Aslan’s country, no longer needing his rapier, and the subsequently greet the seven friends of Narnia into that same country. He is loyal, he is fearless, he is a talented fighter and chess player, what more could you hope to find in a mouse!

--Russell

It's a struggle to decide on my favorite Narnian. Depending on the day it could shift between Reepicheep, Eustace, and Lucy (especially the movie versions) but for today I landed on Puddleglum. He's probably the biggest reason I'm still upset that The Silver Chair never got adapted for the movies. While the kids frequently described him as a "wet blanket", he stated multiple times that he was more optimistic than most Marshwiggles. Despite his apparent pessimism and his perceived negativity, I relate to Puddleglum a lot.

He came across as a pessimist compared to Eustace and Jill, but he never faltered in his commitment to see the quest through and find Prince Rilian. Imperfect as he was, Puddleglum tried to follow Aslan's signs despite the grievances of his traveling companions. True he made some mistakes, like going to the giants' castle, but he demonstrated faith in Aslan's words despite his mistakes and even though he didn't know the outcome. He readily accepted that following Aslan's direction didn't mean their journey would go smoothly, just that they'd get where they needed to be. In effect, he was willing to die on that quest if it meant listening to Aslan. And of course he was the one who finally stood up to the Lady of the Green Kirtle and put his fate in Aslan's paws regardless of the outcome. "I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia."

Honestly, I probably come across a lot like him. Sometimes I have to verbalize my anxieties in order to stay optimistic (my wife has noted this many times) and sometimes I can get pretty down despite my faith and my words. But I'm on Aslan's side too. 

Also, did I mention that he was portrayed by Tom Baker in the 1990 BBC adaptation of The Silver Chair? The Fourth Doctor himself! Legendary!

--Spencer

Pokemon Nicknames: Narnia (2)

As I work my way through another play through of the Pokémon games, I find myself stuck against Jasmine of Johto  so while I grind my fire Pokémon to a higher level, enjoy some more Pokémon nicknames based in Narnian fairytales (as Eustace described them).

Bibarel as Mr. Beaver (or Mrs. Beaver)

Serperior as Green Kirtle

Decidueye as Glimfeather

Lycanroc as Maugrim

Mudbray as Puzzle (or Rabadash)

Oranguru as Shift

Solgaleo as Aslan

Skwovet as Pattertwig

Pokemon Nicknames: Narnia

Like with her older sister before her, I've been making a point of reading from The Chronicles of Narnia to my unborn daughter. As I'm reading and watching/playing Pokemon, I've had some thoughts pop into my mind about another series of Pokemon nicknames. This time, we're going through the Poke-Wardrobe to see what we've got in Poke-Narnia.

Raticate as Reepicheep

Rapidash as Bree (or Hwin)

Dragonite as Eustace

Murkrow as Sallowpad

Ursaring as Bulgy Bear

Linoone as Trufflehunter

Lombre as Puddleglum

Gardevoir as Jadis

Jirachi as Ramandu

The Mountain of Aslan's Country

I wrote previously about how the move to Texas affected my mental health. Thankfully things have improved for me emotionally since I wrote that post, but I still take Anna’s words to heart, “Stumbling toward the light.” One place I have found that light and peace: the temple. 

Living in Utah for twelve years, I got accustomed to living near temples. Even when COVID hit and I couldn’t attend the temple, it was still possible to visit the grounds. Now living in Texas, I have to be very intentional to make time to drive into Dallas for the temple. 

Sometime after a particular temple trip last year, I was driving to work, listening to my audiobooks. I came across a portion of The Silver Chair that struck me:

“Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the signs. Nothing else matters.”

It’s interesting that CS Lewis would use the mountain of Aslan’s Country as the setting for Aslan to give instructions to Jill Pole, who has stumbled into Narnia for the first time. In the church, we use “mountain of the Lord” synonymously with the temple. That’s literally what we’re looking at here in The Silver Chair!

Once we leave the temple, life gets complicated again and it’s instantly harder to stay focused on the covenants and impressions from the temple. Just like Aslan’s signs, if we don’t keep the gospel and the Celestial perspective in our minds, we will lose our focus and forget. The moment Jill stopped reciting the signs and keeping them forefront in her mind, they started being forgotten. 

In the temple, we can find “strength beyond [our] own” as we meditate and ponder on the experiences there. It’s so much easier to feel the “quiet and calm in my heart” with the outside world shut out. We can “feel heaven here” as we serve in the temple. And as we keep our covenants in focus, we can bring that feeling of heaven into the world as well. (lyrics from "Strength Beyond My Own" and "I Feel Heaven Here")

And if you can believe it, Aslan’s Country in The Silver Chair was even a poor representation of the final Aslan’s Country in The Last Battle. So if the temple is heaven on Earth, imagine the peace of real heaven!

If you live in the Washington DC area, check out the temple open house between now and June 11

Check out the virtual tour of the Washington DC temple by Elder Renlund and Elder Stevenson

List to "Follow Him" by John Bytheway and Hank Smith for their recent podcast episode (episode 19) about the Biblical Israelite temple/tabernacle