What makes Narnia, Narnia?

Narnia – the land of talking beasts; the land formed from the song of the Lion; the land beyond the Wardrobe and the Wood between the Worlds; A land that I have been to. 

My name is Dominic. All my life I have been acquainted with the tales of Narnia and its stories have always allowed me to reconnect with my childhood. I have been privileged to spend the past five years of my life in New Zealand and basking in the magnificence and grandeur of the Southern Alps. Imagine towering snow-capped mountains that reach for the sky, meandering rivers flowing into an expanse of ocean, and places that seem so surreal and magical that you would believe you had stepped out of this world into another – exactly like how the children did in the Narnia tales. Among the many places I have been to in this country, there was one in particular where I believed I had crossed the threshold of this realm into that of Narnia. Ever since that day, I could not stop reminiscing to the beauty and serenity of that place and how being there allowed me to be in touch with my youth innocence while feeling like I was in heaven itself. For indeed, that nostalgic feeling of magic and serenity never stopped me hoping that I would one day return to the real Narnia for good. Of course, I was not alone during my adventures in that place as I was in the company of three other friends of mine. “Two, three, four, four?!, exclaimed the White Witch”. Well, coincidence or not, call us the four Pevensies, if you would. And I shall mention now that it was in fact their company and friendship that contributed towards the magic of Narnia. We are the Blessed Four and nothing can change that.

Before I get into the heart of this reflection, allow me to say that many have been asking me why I treat this particular place with such reverence and awe when after all there are other places that can offer similar or even better sceneries and experiences. It is no wonder that others make such an inquiry, for after all, that place like any other is but a wilderness of rock, earth, and grass. Though there is an explanation, I shall however not delve into this for now since the answer concerns aspects of my personal life that are complicatedly intertwined with the Narnia tales. The main focus of this reflection is on the Narnia spoken about in the books and how the characters and stories ultimately give rise to the Narnia-ness of Narnia.

Narnia as its land and people: I

The question is asked: What makes Narnia, Narnia? Is it the land that Aslan created - “…all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea”; is Narnia the lonely islands, the vast underworld, the Wild Woods of the West; and everything under the great northern sky? Or is Narnia considered a home to its many inhabitants across time such as King Frank and Queen Helen; the four Pevensies; the White Witch; Puddleglum and the parliament of Owls; and Ramandu at the edge of the World? When all is said and done, there is no certainty if Narnia is made Narnia from firstly the land since Narnian land has been constantly changing – it has evolved from a pristine Eden to a world bound under ice and snow, then only to be destroyed in The Last Battle. Shall we then say that the meaning behind Narnia is lost if it is only found in its transient land? 

Narnia also cannot be given its meaning from any single inhabitant since every creature and person mentioned in its tales has had its comings and goings - the Pevensies were succeeded by Miraz and the Telmarines; Lucy learnt of the passing of the Beavers and Mr. Tumnus upon her second return; and Reepicheep departed to Aslan’s country never to return. The only being in existence throughout all of Narnian time was Aslan (but we cannot count him since He existed before Narnia was founded). It would therefore be right to conclude that neither geographical feature nor single creature or person in Narnia counts as sufficient for giving Narnia its meaning and magic. There must therefore be something else that transcends all of these and one that ultimately forms the very essence of Narnia. Therefore, the question still remains: If it isn’t any one creature or the land itself that constitutes Narnia, then what makes Narnia, Narnia?

To answer this, let me pose a simple question: Why, for example, is the Beavers’ Dam called The Beavers’ Dam? The countless twigs and branches cannot be the answer since we have concluded before that no physical aspect of Narnia accounts for its essence. Asked another way: what would become of the dam if Mr. and Mrs. Beaver did not exist? Well, it would just be a plain dam like any other found along the river, void of any meaning and soon to be washed away by the tide. I believe the thing that allows the Beaver’s Dam to be called what it is and more importantly, to be what it is are Mr. and Mrs. Beaver themselves. It is they who give meaning to this small place in Narnia by the nature of their own existence. They are after all the beaver’s of the Beaver’s Dam and therefore the meaning behind the dam itself. Using another example, when one speaks of the White Witch’s castle, he is in fact not referring the stone walls and towers (at least not them alone), but is in fact referring to the entity that allows the castle to be associated with the Witch – the White Witch herself.

It is my strong belief that Narnia is always, and must be associated with an entity, be it creature or human in order for it to be given its meaning. After all, who among us when speaking of the Wood between the Worlds, for example, can think of these Woods and only these Woods? It is impossible. The Wood between the Worlds will always be associated with the entities of Digory and Polly and their part of the tale there – of how they discovered Narnia through the numerous pools; Uncle Andrew’s magic rings; Queen Jadis from Charn etc. Essentially, Narnia is given its meaning not solely through its places, but through its people – those who play a part in the chronicles of Narnia for better or for worse. It is such that Ramandu’s Island would not be Ramandu’s Island if not for him; the Dawn Treader would not be The Dawn Treader without its crew from Caspian to Reepicheep; and Aslan’s country would not be Aslan’s country without Aslan himself.

Narnia as its land and people: II

It has been established how different places in Narnia attain their meaning through the people, creatures, and experiences associated with them, and how it is that single entities give single places their Narnia-ness. However, the question posed has not yet been fully answered. We can understand why Ettinsmoor, Mr. Tumuns’ cave, castle Cair Paravel etc. can be what they are individually, but we cannot see how these individual entities suffice for accounting for the entirety of Narnia’s essence. In fact, they do not. No single being or creature can account for the meaning behind all of Narnia (and here it still cannot solely be Aslan for reasons mentioned before).

Let us pose another question to arrive at the truth of the matter: What is the Chronicles of Narnia? Is it a story about four children who stumble upon a magical land in a wardrobe; or one of a Prince who unites the old and new Narnia after his uncle’s reign; or a tale of two children and a marshwiggle who travel to the underworld to find a lost prince? It is none of these (nor any of the other stories). The Chronicles of Narnia is not about these individual stories that occur in any particular Narnian time, but is in fact and should be an amalgamation of all these stories that come together as one big story to form the very soul of Narnia itself - to form the Chronicles of Narnia. Put another way, the story of Prince Caspian is really just a story about a prince claiming his rightful throne, while the adventures of the Dawn Treader is merely a tale of a voyage to the end of the world. However when all the individual tales of Narnia are brought together, they form a beautiful, intricate mosaic of tales that when looked at as a whole ultimately form the face of Narnia itself. It is in this unity and oneness of all the tales that gives Narnia its meaning and essence, and where the Narnia-ness of Narnia lies. Narnia is after all called the chronicles of Narnia because it encompasses all the tales and adventures from The Magician’s Nephew to The Last Battle.

Narnia is made Narnia when all the adventures and tales are looked at as one. This goes the same for all the characters that we encounter in all the stories. For throughout the chronicles of Narnia there exist different characters across different times and places. None are immortal and eventually pass out of the Narnian world just like Reepicheep and King Caspian.  Yet the metaphysical conglomeration of all the people and creatures is where the very essence of Narnia is found – Narnia is kept alive and manifests itself through its people in their rightful time and place.  Thus, Narnia is not its earth, sky, and water, and cannot be found in any single inhabitant, but is instead all of its inhabitants put together across Narnian time from its genesis to destruction. When one speaks of Narnia, he speaks of the Pevensies; he recalls the simplicity of marshwiggle Puddleglum; he talks of Prince Caspian the tenth; he admires the bravery of Reepicheep. Essentially, the heart and essence of Narnia is found in all of its people and creatures along with their unique experiences and adventures. Narnia is its people.

My New Zealand, My Narnia

After spending five glorious years in New Zealand and being assimilated with the mountains and countryside, I must soon leave this beautiful country with all its splendor and beauty. In a way it feels like I am leaving a part of myself behind and I shall miss all that this untouched wilderness has to offer. Or do I? Is it all these that I shall truly miss?

I have given this much thought, and after much consideration one may be surprised to know that, in truth, it is not the land and its beauty that I shall miss. You see, the main and sole purpose of me writing this reflection was to allow me to arrive at a catharsis and an understanding on my leaving and where my true treasures in life lie. I suppose my psyche has led me to conclude that the spirit of Narnia is found in its people and their experiences so as to allow me to translate this truth into my Narnia here on earth – New Zealand. Do you see where I am going? If New Zealand is my Narnia, and if the former statement is true, then it must be that what I shall truly miss when I return home is not the country and its beauty, but all the friends whom I have made with their unique personalities and inner beauty. For indeed, when I arrived to the same New Zealand five years ago I knew not a soul. I was lonely and sad and home felt so far away. Yet now after making so many close friends, the mountains and rivers seem to come alive and overflow and ooze with magic and memory. Have they suddenly become like this? No. It is because of my friends whom I have shared adventures in and who have brought home closer to me – it is because of them that everything seems so meaningful magical.

I confess that when I leave this place I shall truly miss my friends and all the adventures we have shared together. I wonder now how Mr. Tumnus felt when Lucy left Narnia, or how Puddleglum continued living when Eustace and Jill returned home, just as I now wonder how my friends and myself will feel when I leave for good. After getting intimate with the New Zealand countryside and after sharing experiences with my friends I must now say goodbye to all these. In some sense you could say that I too am leaving Narnia.  Perhaps now I can fully empathize with Lucy when she and Edmund were departing Narnia at the edge of the world. When speaking to Aslan, Lucy uttered something that so succinctly captures everything I have just mentioned and feel right now: “It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?” Indeed, the thing I shall miss most about New Zealand are my friends– friends who I have spent time with; friends who have seen me through thick and thin; friends who look past my faults and love me for who I am; friends who have ultimately become a part of my life. Truly, the experiences I have shared with them have given meaning to my life here for the past five years, and it is our bond that forms the very essence of New Zealand for me. It isn’t New Zealand, you know. It’s my friends. I shan’t meet them where I’m going. And how can I live, never meeting them? How can I live, never meeting you? It is you whom I shall miss, my dear friend.

You ask me: what makes my Narnia, Narnia? What makes my New Zealand, New Zealand?

You.