Magic in Narnia
By Duncan Rize

Narnia and its magical landscape is one of the most appealing aspects in the writings of C. S. Lewis. His work is a deft combination of Christian Allegory, English childhood, mythologies, chivalry, knight errantry and fairy stories. From the moment that Lucy steps through the wardrobe to the culmination of the story in The Last Battle, we are inundated with a feast for the imagination.

C. S. Lewis sets the “real world” in the Narnia books as rural England, in the house of a stuffy professor, probably humorously modeled on how a child might perceive him. He also inserts the prosaic warning that “Lucy knew it was very foolish to shut oneself in any wardrobe.” This grounds the scene in the real world and also prevents any “real live” children from getting trapped in closets while they seek out Narnia. It is also probably a very common childhood nature to want to escape the prosaic world of chores, rules and homework to a place where there are wonderful creatures and adventure. Narnia is also a place where children have real power. What child would not want to be a ruler of a magical kingdom?

Lewis always aspired to write the kind of books that he wanted to read himself. The Narnia creations seemed to develop a life of its own and great attention was paid to the minute details of this imaginary land. J. R. R. Tolkien who created lands in a similar way, dubbed this process “sub-creation.” As a child, Lewis loved “fairy tales” so Narnia has the “feel” of a typical fairy tale. However, there are many levels of “magic” in The Chronicles of Narnia. A magical sense prevails. There is also the “deep magic” and “deeper magic” with a profound meaning. The magic of Narnia represents God’s mysterious and unseen ways that He continues works through the lives of humans.

The Deep Magic was a set of laws placed into Narnia by the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea at the time of its creation. It was written on a table of stone. This law stated that the White Witch was entitled to the blood of a traitor and a son of Adam to do as she wished. If someone denied her this right then all of Narnia would be destroyed. With her sense of power through this, she had set herself up as Queen of Narnia.

The Deeper Magic that existed before the Deep Magic was brought forth and was unknown know to Jadis because her knowledge went back only to the dawn of time. Her powers were only rooted in the ordinary realm. This magic stated that if any innocent being sacrificed themselves in the place of a traitor, that the Stone Table would crack and the death of the innocent person would be reversed. This is a clear metaphor for the sacrifice of Christ and his crucifixion. Christ traded his life so the sins of humans could be forgiven and all people have access to deeper spiritual forces.

Magic has other purposes. Narnia is populated with talking animals that are of a higher status than ordinary wordless animals. This anthropomorphic magic allows Lewis to reflect human personalities and characteristics through his choice of animals. Aslan, the leader and Christ figure, is a lion, the animal viewed as “king of the beasts.” Reepicheep, the feisty mouse, represents brash courage that is not always a function of size or strength. Bree the horse is stalwart yet skeptical. Horses are loyal, but nervous of new situations. The Beaver family is industrious, domestic, and the creators of a cozy home.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edmund is tempted into a meal of Turkish delight, and becomes addicted because of the powers of the White Witch. Through this, he becomes her thrall. This magic may represent the “bad magic” of temptation and the sin of gluttony. Later, Edmund rejects the simple fare provided by the Beaver family, because “bad magical food” ruins good ordinary food.

Aslan goes through many transformations throughout the Chronicles, which serves to illustrate the many facets of God and the many roles Christ played in his life – healer, leader, teacher, and an angry figure at some points as seen in his reaction to the money changers in the Temple. Aslan appears more distant and more elusive to find, like the Christ nature in the world. He appears as a lamb and an albatross. We are constantly reminded that he is not a tame “lion”. He is harsh and unyielding with Jill when he blocks her from reaching a stream. He warns that he has eaten little girls, and wants her to overcome her fears and come to the stream to drink. This demonstrates that fear is not a reason to avoid God. When she fails his instructions, he appears to her in a dream. “I will not always be scolding,” he says. This is a reminder that any stern measures with face from God are enacted out of His love.

In Narnia magic is not for humans, and good people do not attempt it without permission. In Narnia, the only humans who use magic are Uncle Andrew in The Magician’s Nephew and Lucy in The Voyage of the “Dawn Treader. Lucy is admonished by Aslan when she uses a magic book to spy on a friend. Uncle Andrew brings evil to Narnia using magic rings. This implies that there are no shortcuts to the realm of God’s world. One must follow the moral and ethical steps, and keep the faith in order to eventually move into the realm of Aslan.

So, the Chronicles are moral and magical tales. On one level, there is the delight of traveling in realm of wonderful imagination. The other magic is the deeper sort that comes out of faith, obedience and love of God and acceptance of Christ’s wonderful sacrifice. Narnia takes us beautifully through that journey.






Duncan Rize loves the writings of C.S. Lewis and works with the marketing group at www.LearningByGrace.org. Learning by Grace manages of a number of internationally known online K-12 academies including www.TheGraceAcademy.org, www.TheJubileeAcademy.org, www.TheMorningStarAcademy.org and www.TheNarniaAcademy.org . This article is © 2005 ELRN, Inc. and may be quoted in whole or part as long as the author (Duncan Rize) and source (www.TheNarniaAcademy.org) are credited.