Inside "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" Myths, Mysteries, and Magic from the Chronicles of Narnia

by Bell, James Stuart; Washington, Linda; Pyykkonen, Carrie

• ISBN13: 9780312347444
• ISBN10: 0312347448
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-11-01
• Publisher: Griffin

Summary

The Chronicles of Narnia are among some of the most beloved children's books of all time. Now, for the first time ever, comes an interactive guide for young readers. Take an in depth journey into to help them further explore The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This book answers many of the who, what, when, where, and why questions of the first Narnia book. For example: *Why is Aslan a lion? *What exactly is Turkish Delight? *How was C. S. Lewis inspired to write LWW ? *And many more facts, questions, and answers you may or may not want to know about!! The guide will also include, trivia, games, and fascinating facts abouta dictionary of Narnia terms. This practical guide will be the ultimate resource for readers who love The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Author Biography

James Stuart Bell is the owner of Whitestone Communications, a literary development agency. He was Director of Religious Publishing at Doubleday. He has authored and compiled more than forty books, including the bestselling Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Bible.
Carrie Pyykkonen has degrees in early childhood education and geography and became interested in Narnia as a young child.
Linda M. Washington, a freelance writer, has written several books for kids, including Just Plain Mel and Gotta Have God (with Jeanette Dall).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	xiii
Introduction: Stop Right There!	1	(6)
Four Kids and a War(Drobe)	7	(10)
Into the Twilight Zone	7	(2)
Early Inspirations	9	(1)
Operation Evacuation	10	(1)
His Home Was Their Home	11	(2)
And Now, a Word About Wardrobes	13	(1)
Rainy-Day Games	14	(2)
All About Lucy	16	(1)
Why the Egg was Brown and Other Questions You May or May Not Care About!	17	(9)
Inquisitiveness	17	(3)
Why is the egg brown?	17	(1)
Is a strange faun stranger if it is a stranger?	18	(1)
What do we know about Mr. Tumnus?	18	(2)
All About Mr. Tumnus	20	(6)
Is kidnapping really the answer?	20	(1)
46 Uses for Handkerchiefs and Other ``Faun'' Things	21	(3)
Why is Lucy called a Daughter of Eve?	24	(2)
Don't Get ``Carrie-D'' Away by a Sleigh	26	(11)
Good Advice	26	(7)
Advice for Lucy	27	(1)
Advice for Edmund	28	(5)
How Lucy and Edmund Rank at Taking Advice	33	(1)
Advice About Reindeer	34	(1)
Advice as Close as Your Daily Newspaper	35	(2)
Turkish Delight Fit for a Queen	37	(9)
Fit for a Queen	37	(1)
Quest to Rule Quiz	38	(3)
Turkish Delight	41	(1)
An Unofficial Survey: Turkish Delight Revealed	42	(1)
Edmund's Choices	43	(3)
Logically Speaking	46	(9)
Pinky and Your Brain	46	(1)
Knock, Knock . . . Who's There?	47	(2)
Logic About Narnia	49	(1)
All About Professor Kirke	50	(1)
Everyday Logic	51	(1)
Solve the Logic Puzzle	52	(3)
Imagine That!	55	(12)
A Defeat and a Decision	55	(2)
Bad News from a Friend	57	(1)
But There's Good News Too	58	(1)
The 411 on Fairy Tales	59	(1)
Sehnsucht	60	(1)
Home Sweet Home	61	(1)
This Old House	61	(1)
And Now, a Word About Armor	62	(5)
Coat of Arms	65	(2)
The Imaginers	67	(9)
Kenneth Grahame	67	(2)
George Macdonald	69	(1)
Edith Nesbit	70	(2)
Beatrix Potter	72	(1)
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien	73	(1)
The Inklings	74	(2)
Over the River and Through the Woods	76	(13)
Which Pevensie Are You Most Like?	77	(2)
A Few Good Flowers and Trees	79	(5)
Birds in Narnia and Other Places	84	(3)
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!	87	(2)
Busy as a Beaver	89	(13)
A Bit About Beavers	89	(1)
Novice Quiz	90	(1)
Intermediate Quiz	91	(3)
Home Sweet Home	94	(2)
Enemies at the Gate	96	(1)
But What About Friends?	96	(1)
A Day in the Life of . . .	97	(1)
So, What Do Beavers Eat?	98	(1)
Sew What?	98	(1)
All About Mr. and Mrs. Beaver	99	(3)
We Wondered as We Wandered	102	(11)
No Ordinary Lion	102	(1)
The Lion of Judah	103	(2)
To Be an Allegory or Not to Be an Allegory: That Is the Question	105	(1)
Facts About the Future	105	(2)
Not Safe? What Does That Mean?	107	(1)
Awe of Aslan	107	(1)
All About Aslan	108	(1)
The Stone Age	109	(4)
Into the Dark Side	113	(10)
A Boy Behaving Badly	113	(3)
Story 1: A Secret Meeting	113	(2)
Story 2: A Cold Place	115	(1)
Home Dank Home	116	(1)
A Dark Time for C. S. Lewis	117	(2)
Dwarfs(ves) in Mythology	119	(3)
All About Edmund	122	(1)
A Place for Father Christmas	123	(10)
Ho-Ho No No?	123	(1)
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas?	124	(2)
Father Christmas and Santa	126	(1)
Armed for Battle	126	(1)
The Gift of a Sword	127	(2)
Christmas in Great Britain	129	(4)
The Fast and the Furious (and We're Not Crying Wolf)	133	(9)
Hungry Like the Wolf?	133	(1)
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?	134	(1)
So, What's the Real Story?	135	(1)
Band on the Run	136	(1)
A Few Good Wolves	137	(1)
All About Maugrim	138	(1)
A New Beginning	139	(1)
Satyrs	140	(1)
Narnians You Wouldn't Want to Meet in a Dark Alley	141	(1)
A Knight's Tale	142	(10)
The Peck of Perils Peter Pevensie Picked	142	(2)
From Zero to Hero	142	(1)
Spur Winning	143	(1)
St. George and C. S. Lewis	144	(4)
The Promised Land	148	(1)
The Stones of the UK	149	(1)
All About Peter	150	(2)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly	152	(12)
Monster Mash	152	(10)
The Good	153	(2)
The Bad	155	(4)
The Ugly	159	(3)
What's Deep Magic?	162	(2)
The Saddest Chapter Ever	164	(10)
It's Over Now?	164	(2)
Too Late?	166	(1)
Overconfident Villains	167	(1)
A Sad Battle in Britain's History	167	(2)
And in This Corner . . .	169	(1)
All About the White Witch	170	(1)
Chillin' Like a Villain Quiz	171	(3)
The ``Mane'' Event	174	(10)
Eucatastrophe and You	174	(1)
A Big Event	175	(2)
He's Alive!	177	(1)
Run, Cat, Run!	178	(1)
What We Need Is . . . a Hero(ine) Quiz	179	(2)
All About Susan	181	(3)
A Fight to the Finish	184	(9)
The Great War	184	(1)
Why Go to War?	185	(1)
Jack-in-the-Box	186	(1)
The Final Showdown	187	(1)
Ding-Dong, the Witch Is Dead	188	(1)
The Breath of Life	189	(1)
Castles in the UK	190	(2)
All About Giant Rumblebuffin	192	(1)
All's Well That Ends Well	193	(13)
And They Lived Happily Ever After	193	(1)
What About the White Stag?	194	(1)
Return to Reality	195	(1)
Young Rulers	196	(2)
Let's Play Jeopardy!	198	(2)
Oscar Time	200	(6)
EPILOGUE: THE LAST WORD	206	(3)
The Show Must Go On	206	(3)
STUDY GUIDE: A BOOK WORTH DISCUSSING	209	(10)
YOUR VERY OWN NARNIA CELEBRATION	219	(6)
A Mr. Tumnus Tea Party	220	(2)
A Beaver Family Bash	222	(1)
A Royal Dinner Party	222	(1)
Planning Your Party	223	(2)
About the Authors	225

Excerpts

Chapter One

Four Kids and a War(drobe)

Into the Twilight Zone

In 1959--64 (aaaaaaaaages ago), a weekly half-hour TV show called The Twilight Zone, created by an innovative (an adjective meaning “capable of making something new”) man named Rod Serling, was in production. (Reruns are shown on the SciFi channel and are on DVD.) Wondering what that's got to do with LWW? Plenty. Sit tight and you'll find out.

In each Twilight Zone episode, various characters would find themselves in strange worlds or in situations extremely different from the reality they were used to (unless they were used to being chased by maniacal talking dolls or zombielike neighbors). Whenever they discovered something out of the ordinary, the narrator of the show, Rod Serling, would suddenly pop up and announce that the character had “crossed over into the twilight zone.” (This was another strange occurrence. After all, when was the last time a narrator popped up in your living room and began discussing your life?) Then the eerie theme music would play (Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo).

If you've read LWW, you know that a girl named Lucy Pevensie was the first person in her family to cross over into a “twilight zone” known as Narnia. (Check out “All About Lucy” at the end of the chapter.) How did she get there? Through a wardrobe. (Give yourself minus 50 points if you said an airplane or any other form of transportation.)

Imagine opening your closet door and discovering a completely different world beyond your clothes. (Have you checked what's beyond your closet lately? Go on. Give it a try. We dare you.)

If you're back from checking out your closet, let's get back to the fictional Lucy. We first meet Lucy and her siblings Peter, Susan, and Edmund as they arrive at the country home of Professor Kirke (a man curiously like C. S. Lewis) during World War II, having traveled all the way from London.

Lucy, Peter, Susan, and Edmund didn't have much choice about living with the Professor. They had to live there. Imagine having to live with total strangers---strangers who were told they had to take you in. How would you feel? This is the situation Lucy and her siblings found themselves in. Little did they know that the Professor's home would be the key to some of the greatest adventures of their lives! It all began when they decided to explore the many rooms of the Professor's country house. (For exploration ideas or tips on what to do for a rainy day, see the games at the end of the chapter.) That's when Lucy discovered the wardrobe in a spare room. (Wondering what a wardrobe is? Look for “And Now, a Word About Wardrobes” later in the chapter. No need to thank us.)

Operation Evacuation

Like the Pevensies, many kinds in real life (about 2 million) were sent out of London before and after German forces bombed the city during World War II. This attack was known as the Blitz and was part of a planned invasion of Britain by Nazi forces (“Operation Sea Lion”). Pretty soon, there was a full-scale air battle called the Battle of Britain.

Check out this handy time line of some of the events of WWII:

World War II Time Line

September 1, 1939
Invasion of Poland by the Nazis

September 3, 1939
Britain joins France, New Zealand, and Australia in declaring war on Germany. Parents begin sending their children out of London

January 8, 1940
The British begin rationing

July 10, 1940
The beginning of the Battle of Britain

August 15, 1940
Air raids over Britain begin

The bombing of London began in 1940 and continued through 1941. Imagine how scared the people of London were during that time. (If you happened to live in New York during the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, you have some idea of how scary and horrible a time it was.)

With the constant threat of air raids (attacks by enemy aircrafts), many parents knew that their kids wouldn't be safe in the city. So, they sent them away by train to live with families in the country. If you lived in London during this time, your mom or dad might have done the same thing.

The evacuations began in September 1939, just as the German forces invaded Poland. Signs were posted all over London, alerting people as to when and where the evacuations would take place.

Many kids were evacuated through their schools. Most traveled light, bringing only a gas mask, a toothbrush, and ID card, and a change of underwear. (Since the gas masks were red and blue, they were called “Mickey Mouse” masks. Wanna guess why?)

After arriving at a town or village station, the kids would be divided among the families in the area, who were under orders to provide homes for them. (When a person is under orders to report to a place, you would say that he or she is billeted to that location. Amaze your friends with your keen vocabulary.)

His Home Was Their Home

Even C. S. Lewis had wartime guests, probably starting in September 1939.1 His home had enough room for four kids. A group of girls from London stayed at his country home on the outskirts of Oxford. They didn't all arrive at once. They were sent to his home in stages. Some of the girls stayed for more than a year.

While two of the girls (Patricia Boshell and Marie Bose) arrived, Lewis was busy in the garden. Since he wore dirty gardening clothes, one of them assumed he was the gardener! At least he could laugh about it.

At this point, Lewis taught at Oxford University and shared a home (“the Kilns”) with his brother, Warren, and Janie and Maureen Moore---the mother and sister of his friend Paddy, who had been killed during World War I (more on that in chapter 16). Mrs. Moore (whose nickname was Minto, but not like Mentos the mints) lived there until she was placed in a nursing home in 1950.

Because of the air raids (or threat of them), blackouts took place, even in the country. Everyone was told to hang black fabric against the windows each night. With everything dark, Nazi bombers would have a harder time finding targets.

Keep in mind that food, gas, clothes, and coal were rationed then. Officials feared that food supplied would run out, so everyone was allotted a certain amount of food (a ration). Ration books were handed out so that everyone could keep track of food items like eggs, butter, and sugar. Even kids had ration books. Perhaps the Pevensies brought theirs to the Professor's house. C. S. Lewis's boarders would have each had one. (Try to imagine what rationing would be like now. How would you feel if a limit was placed on the amount of food you could eat each week?

At this point in his life, Lewis had little experience with kids. Although he thought his guests were nice and all (as he told his brother in a letter), their presence was a challenge for a busy professor, especially since they kept asking for advice on what to do.2 (Maybe that's why he made the Pevensies able to entertain themselves at the Professor's house. They're like you in that regard, right?) Still, he liked having them around.

His wartime boarders gave him good material for a story. At first, he thought about writing a story about four kids (Rose, Peter, Martin, and Ann) who were sent to the home of an old professor. (Sounds familiar.) But the land of Narnia you know and love was still to be developed. (More on that in chapter 5b. You can wait that long, right? Unless you want to skip ahead and read it right now. We won't tell.)

But it all started with a wardrobe.

And Now, a Word About Wardrobes

Some rooms in old houses like Professor Kirke's didn't have closets. Wardrobes---big, wooden cabinets really---were used for storing clothes.

C. S. Lewis may have been inspired to write about a wardrobe by one that his grandfather made (pictured below), which occupied a space in his childhood home, Little Lea, back in Belfast. The wardrobe (Lucy Pevensie not included) currently resides at Marion E. Wade Center in Wheaton, Illinois.

Another source of inspiration for LWW came from one of the girls evacuated from London who asked Lewis what was in an old wardrobe. Could she explore it? Her question undoubtedly stayed in Lewis's mind (kind of like a song that just won't leave your head).

In Chapter 1 of LWW, Lucy did just what Lewis's wartime boarder did---she explored a wardrobe. There she discovered more than just a bunch of old fur coats and other clothes. Like Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, she found a new world to explore---a world quite different from the one she just left. This was Narnia.

The first creature she met in Narnia was a faun: Mr. Tumnus. (You don't see fauns every day . . . or ever!) Meeting Mr. Tumnus sets up the conflict (the central problem) of the story. In chapter 2 of this book, you'll read more about fauns and handkerchiefs than you probably ever thought you would.

Ta-Duh!

Lucy and C. S. Lewis

If you read the letter on the dedication page of LWW, you already know that there was a girl named Lucy in C. S. Lewis's life. But did you know that she was the daughter of Owen Barfield, a friend from his days as a student at Oxford University? Barfield was an author, philosopher, and a member of the “Inklings” writers' group to which C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings) belonged. And no, the real Lucy didn't discover Narnia, except through the pages of C. S. Lewis's book.

Early Inspirations

Another girl went through a wardrobe in a spare room and found herself in a strange place. Her name was Amabel (that's right---Amabel, not Anabel or Annabelle) and she's the main character in “The Aunt and Amabel,” one of the short stories in The Magic World by E. Nesbit (published in 1912). (For more on E. Nesbit, see chapter 5c.)

If you haven't read “The Aunt and Amabel,” maybe you won't mind us telling you some of the plot. Eight-year-old Amabel performs an act she believes is thoughtful, but her aunt thinks otherwise. Result: punishment for Amabel. She winds up spending the day in a room with a large wardrobe. But that room is the site of a huge adventure, which begins with the discovery of a train timetable. On it she sees a curious station name: Bigwardrobeinspareroom. After climbing into the wardrobe, she winds up at a curious place called Whereyouwantogoto.

Although C. S. Lewis read this story years before writing LWW, it's doubtful that he had it in mind while writing his look.

Rainy-Day-Games

Being stuck inside on a rainy day during summer vacation can be quite a bummer if you haven't a clue what to do. It's especially hard to stay indoors when you have your heart set on such splendid activities as riding bikes or playing with friends.

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy found themselves in a similar situation. The children had their hearts set on exploring the grounds and neighboring woods and mountains, but instead found themselves indoors.

Rain can sometimes be quite a bothersome thing, but as in almost all situations that seem disappointing, there is the opportunity for something good to happen---even adventure. It took time for the Pevensie children to warm up to the idea of having fun indoors, but of course having a good time is a choice. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were ready to make something good happen even during a dreary day.

Sometimes adventure finds us in the most unlikely places. Adventure found Lucy through what looked like a plain old wardrobe. She became the first in her family to enter Narnia.

Even if you have lived in the same place for years, you may want to take a closer look at your surroundings. Have you noticed everything? There probably is something new and exciting to discover. Are you stuck indoors today? If so, try exploring or do one of the other rainy-day activities listed below.

Ideas from the Pevensies

¥ Read a book. Susan suggests reading books for entertainment while it is raining outside. Why not read one of the Narnia books or another favorite book of your choice?

¥ Exploring. Lucy discovers Narnia during an exploration of the Professor's house. What will you find in your house?

Other Ideas

¥ Story writing. Write a story and draw your own illustrations about what you would hope to find if you entered a wardrobe

¥ Scavenger hunt. Create a list of items using LWW as a guide. Split up into teams and see how many items you can find on the list. For instance, try to find an umbrella, a Bible, and a wireless (a radio).

¥ House building. Create a model of the Professor's house using household items such as cereal boxes and cans, don't forget about having many doors. When you're finished, try to imagine what would be behind each door.

All About Lucy

Age: Eight or nine

Birth Order: She's the youngest Pevensie

Nickname(s): Lu

Qualities: She's honest, loyal, helpful, perceptive, and fearful. Yet she's also adventurous. After all, she didn't back out of the wardrobe after finding out that it led to a different world. She also didn't say no to visiting a strange faun at his house (chapter 2). And she later insisted that her brothers and sister help the faun after learning of his arrest. Also, she was the only one besides Susan to follow Aslan when he surrendered himself to the witch (see chapters 14 and 15)

Claim to Fame: She was the first to enter Narnia and the one who encouraged her siblings to help Mr. Tumnus

Likes/Loves: Exploring old houses; the smell and feel of fur; the faun Mr. Tumnus; being truthful

Dislikes: Being called a liar

Gift from Father Christmas: A vial with a cordial; a dagger

Narnia title(s): Queen Lucy; Lucy the Valiant; Daughter of Eve

1. We found conflicting information on this fact. In the book of his letters---C. S. Lewis Collected Letters: Books, Broadcasts and War 1931--1949 Vol. 2, ed. Walter Hooper (New York: Harper Collins, 2004), some letters dated 1939 mentioned the arrival of the girls to Lewis's home. But another book listed their arrival starting in 1940.

2. Hello again from footnote land. Anyway, many of C. S. Lewis's biographies go into more depth about Lewis, the Moores, and Warren. Pick up one or two at your local library. We mentioned a couple in the footnotes in the Introduction.

Copyright © 2005 by James Stuart Bell

---

Excerpted from Inside the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Myths, Mysteries, and Magic from the Chronicles of Narnia by James Stuart Bell, Linda Washington, Carrie Pyykkonen
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.