Get your own Free Home Page
Get your own Free Home Page
Aslan is the representation of the majestic, the glorious and the numinous. He is the very figure of the greatness of God. Light seems to come out from him so much so that all else pales in comparison. Aslan has a "soft roughness of golden fur," velvet paws in friendship and terrible paws in battle. His shaggy mane is silky golden and scented with a solemn, stengthening perfume. Aslan's golden face shows his regal personality in all aspects of emotion. He has "great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes" which radiate his full range of feelings. No one could stand in his surprisingly beautiful presence if it weren't for the calming effect of Aslan's voice.
In this book, we witness the creation of Narnia and all of its creatures that inhabit it. In this chronicle the author explains the necessity for human rulers and many other details such as the always-burning Lamp-post in Lantern Waste.
Near the end of Chapter 8, Aslan makes his entrance; "huge, shaggy, and bright." He is seen as the centre of creation. The author beautifully details how Aslan gives speech to the animals he just created. Aslan also names the land and for the first time 'talks' to the animals. Hearing Aslan speak for the very first time is quite a "lovely and terrible" shock to Frank, Digory and Polly.
Near the end of The Magician's Nephew, Alsan commands the children to bury the magic rings to prevent them from being used ever again. Near the end of the book Digory and Polly share a beautiful vision of Aslan that stays with them forever.
Aslan's main activities are: bringing spring to Narnia, dying in Edmunds place, restoring to life the creatures turned to stone by the White Witch, killing the White Witch, and comissioning the four Kings and Queens at Cair Paravel.
Aslan's chief activity in this Chronicle is to deliver Narnia for a second time. He does this first by getting Caspian to fight against his uncle, Miraz and secondly, by rekindling the joy of Narnia through miracles of revitalization. In both these plans Aslan still depends on the people or other beings to get the job done.
When the four children (Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy) are confused as to which route to take to Aslan's How, the Lion appears to Lucy to guide them. Only Edmund agreed to follow Lucy but then was later voted down. Later on in the book Aslan again appears to Lucy for even a longer time. During this meeting, Aslan calls Lucy by her name and has quite a challenge for her. When she starts to criticize her sibblings all Aslan has to do is growl to get her attention and make her realize that she is in the wrong with her thoughts. When all four children finally see Aslan they once again have a numinous experience. He gives them a majestic look. "My dear son" is the reply Peter gets from Aslan. "Well done" is what he says to Edmund. The Lion calls Susan by name and "child" to indicate he understands her fear in human life.
In the final scene, Aslan puts Narnia on a new course by putting Caspian on the throne as king over a restored land and by sending the Telmarines to earth.
to be continued . . .
This information was paraphrased from Companion to Narnia, by Paul F. Ford, HarperSanFrancisco, division of Harper/Collins Publishers.
to visit this page.
