The story of the Telmarines is told to Caspian by Dr. Cornelius during a late night astronomy lesson in the towers of Miraz's castle. Nine generations prior to Prince Caspian, King Caspian the I (Caspian the Conqueror) invaded Narnia and established rule. Over the course of generations, the details of the war are lost and Old Narnia is brushed off as folklore and old wives' tales. Prince Caspian himself does not know the history of his family but is inquisitive enough to ask questions about whom Caspian conquered. Caspian's forefathers had so shrouded the past that all of the ancient landmarks had been removed from memory - the Stone Table: covered with a natural looking mound and buried; the lamppost: overgrown by trees and fables created about haunted woods; Cair Paravel: separated from the Narnian mainland by a channel and overgrown by trees with the appropriate complement of stories of ghosts. Enter Miraz the usurper.
Miraz suffers an incredible guilt complex. His paranoia leads him to be the most adamant supporter of historical suppression. One may not even mention the history of Narnia. But as time passes, Miraz is forced to confront the past, literally, in battle to preserve his rule. Miraz brings a force of thousands of Telmarines who were completely ignorant of the foe against whom they were to contend. They may have known what they were to fight, probably having been informed en route, but why they were to fight was a mystery. With the onslaught of the dryads and hamadryads, the Telmarines are completely confused, lost, and terrified and flee in the face of their adversary, seeking shelter in a small town like puppies hiding from a lightning storm.
The Old Narnians knew what the fight was about - self preservation, restoration of their rightful claim to Narnia, a return to the way things were supposed to be. The Telmarines had no such benefit and were thus defeated in spite of their superior forces. Miraz had been able to prevent common knowledge of the past, much like the Nazi and Communist regimes in Germany and Russia had been able to remove the art, literature, and music of their countries to control them. In all cases, the population lost control over what they had known and were forced to accept what they were given.
What is perhaps most frightening about the loss of a heritage is the very fact that it is slowly happening before our eyes. American society is now so far removed from its history that the patriotic spirit is becoming a scarcity. Frightfully, there are those who are residents of the United States who cannot name the writer of the Declaration of Independence, the person who said "Give me liberty or give me death", nor name the first, second or third presidents of this country. Fewer than ever, it seems, are those who are able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the First stanza of The Star Spangled Banner, or the preamble to the Constitution. Perhaps most tearfully, there are even those adults among us who could not name the country from which the United States declared independence. These facts are appalling but are in fact evident of the national spirit of complacency that has pervaded society.
To preserve the spirit of the nation, we must refuse to allow the removal of the ancient landmarks set before us by our forefathers. This country was founded on Judeo-Christian values, regardless of what our government has led us to believe. This is the benchmark that must be reestablished by the people of this nation. When a child can name more TV characters than Bible characters, the country is in turmoil. If they could sooner tell you what events transpired on late night trash TV then about the crucifixion, the nation will fall.
History is doomed to be repeated if we are foolish enough to allow ourselves to repeat it. Like a dog to its own vomit, so does a fool return to his folly. Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, and Kruschev all repeated the same act - they robbed a people of their heritage and the people fell. This country is undergoing the same rape, only with us it is happening much more slowly. It is the people who must stand and say that we refuse to lose our Godly heritage. After nine generations of suppression, the Narnian's finally prevailed - their Godly heritage was restored. Let us engage in spiritual battle before we must suffer the same lengthy restoration. It has been 36 years, one generation, since prayer was removed from schools. Unless God intervenes, only 8 more generations to go. But let us not forget - our time passes much more slowly than Narnian time.