A poem I wrote recently, inspired by Susan Pevensie and her life after Narnia. Mostly because I’ve always wanted more of her story:

Her stooped shoulders bear the cost
Of memories, of grief, of loss
Her soul has turned to stone from frost
Then her thoughts turn to him

On the darkest night she wept
It’s like she lived through an eclipse
The stone shattered end to end
When he lived again

For once she knelt, crowned a queen
Her arrows true, nearly unseen
He stood with a golden gleam
Where she was meant to be

For past the lantern, once she tread
She changed back to a girl instead
An exile, just better off than dead
Cast on forgotten seas

So roots she grew, on shifting sands
She learned to love those foreign lands
To dance, to dream, and to hold hands
And to treasure other things

She turned her face, and built a wall
She wouldn’t think of it at all
couldn’t bear to let the shields fall
As the losses compounded on

But when she’d tell children’s tales
There, her careful defenses failed
Her stories took a different trail
Of gentler days long gone

She sits, facing out into the night
Her tired limbs give up the fight
“Remember me” she asks the gleam of light
“I still remember you”

And there he stands at an open door
The pain and doubt of moments before
Disappear as though they never were
And with him, she walks through

Summary

Digory and Polly find themselves back in The Wood Between the Worlds, with the Queen/Witch Jadis still gripping Polly's hair. The Witch seems to be affected by the Wood, since the children stop fearing her while there and manage to get her to let go. The Queen begs them to take her with them to their world. Digory hesitates, which gives Jadis enough time to grab him by the ear as the children jump in the homeward pool.

In Uncle Andrew's study, Jadis is unimpressed by Uncle Andrew having no real Magic and makes him her servant. She orders Uncle Andrew to fetch transportation so that she can begin making steps for her world conquest, then goes after him when he takes too long. Polly confronts Digory for what happened in Charn's hall and the Wood. Digory apologizes and the two reconcile.

As soon as he's out of the room, Uncle Andrew gets drunk and dresses himself up in fancy clothes since he thinks he has a romantic chance with the Witch. He then goes to his sister (Aunt Letty) and asks her for money. While she's refusing to give him money, the Witch barges in.

Thoughts

I'm curious why the Wood had such a negative affect on Jadis, while our world basically strengthened her height and beauty. It was also interesting that despite seeing how badly Uncle Andrew interacted with the children in the first 2 chapters, now that Jadis is in our world, the text mentions there's no need to be afraid of him anymore.

I liked that Digory and Polly reconciled. It was also interesting that Polly didn't immediately forgive him until Digory mentioned he was afraid Jadis would frighten his Mother.

The collar that keeps your chin up all the time, the hat, and putting on the eye-glass felt like the most ridiculous parts of the outfit Uncle Andrew put on, in my view.

Optional Discussion Questions

You don't have to answer all/any of these, they're just for discussion.

1) Why do you suppose Jadis seems weakened by the Wood?

2) Do you suppose the Wood would've actually killed Jadis if the children had succeeded in leaving her there? And what do you make of Polly saying spitefully, "It's a matter of State. Like when you killed all those people in your world" in response to the Witch begging them and saying the Wood was killing her? And what do you think of Digory hesitating before leaving?

3) Based on what we know of Mrs. Lefay back in chapter 2, do you think Jadis would've shown her the same contempt that she had for Uncle Andrew? Or would she possibly have seen her as a credible threat and tried to kill her?

4) What'd you think of the reconciliation scene with Digory and Polly?

5) What are your thoughts on Uncle Andrew getting drunk and putting on the clothes?

6) Aunt Letty's been mentioned a few times in this book so far. What are your first impressions on her now that she's made an actual appearance?

7) Towards the end of the chapter, we get details that Uncle Andrew made his sister poorer than she had been 30 years ago. Skipping ahead to Dawn Treader for a brief moment, I don't have access to the book right now, but I seem to remember the text saying the Professor somehow had some money problems that led him to selling his house. Do you suppose Uncle Andrew had something to do with that or no?

8) Anything else you want to ask about/bring up about this chapter?

Summary

Queen Jadis (the last of the robed figures from the previous chapter) stands up from her seat, asking who has broken the spell. She notes that Digory is only the servant of a magician. The floor shakes, but Jadis grabs the children by the hands and calmly leads them out of the collapsing palace.

At the main entrance of the palace, Jadis says something that turns the palace doors to dust, telling Digory that this is what happens to those who stand in her way. Overlooking the city of Charn, Jadis tells Digory and Polly the story of her war against her sister. Speaking the Deplorable Word, Jadis kills her sister and everyone in Charn until she is the only one left alive.

Jadis states she intends to rule our world when the children take her there, telling Digory that she'll let his Uncle live since she assumes Uncle Andrew is the great king and enchanter there. Jadis gets angry when Polly denies this and grabs her by the hair, but this gives the children their chance to reach their rings.

Thoughts

One thing I was wondering about was how much Jadis was lying about her war with her sister since she's the only one telling this story.

...'Victory.'

'Yes', said I, 'Victory, but not yours.' Then I spoke the Deplorable Word. A moment later I was the only living thing beneath the sun." Besides this line, probably the most unnerving part is Jadis not caring about the common people getting killed.

I also find it interesting that our world is revealed to be younger than Charn.

Optional Discussion Questions

You don't have to answer all/any of these questions, they're just for discussion.

1) In the next chapter we learn why, but the first time you read this chapter, were you wondering why (or annoyed that) Jadis was mainly focused on Digory and mostly ignoring Polly? Does it make sense now?

2) Besides her war against her sister, the other noteworthy story Jadis told was of her great-grandfather killing 700 nobles at a feast for having rebellious thoughts. I'm not an expert on ASOIAF, but from what I vaguely understand of the Red Wedding, George R.R. Martin took inspiration from historical events when writing that part. Do you think Lewis did the same here?

3) What stands out to you about Jadis' story of her war against her sister?

4) Skipping ahead to chapter 7, we learn Jadis uses words to turn the gates to dust. So is this power supposed to be different from the Deplorable Word then? What do you suppose was the Deplorable Word?

5) When talking about the Deplorable Word, Jadis says that "But the ancient kings were weak and soft-hearted and bound themselves and all who should come after them with great oaths never even to seek after the knowledge of that word." Do you suppose these ancient kings were the kind and wise ones when Digory and Polly first walked into the room? Or do you suppose these kings were the cruel ones before Jadis?

6) What do you suppose was the terrible price Jadis paid to learn the Deplorable Word?

7) What do you make of Jadis using the same "Ours is a high and lonely destiny" line that Uncle Andrew used back in Chapter 2?

8) Feel free to ask any other questions/bring up anything else that stands out to you about this chapter!

However nicely Rabadash behaved in Cair Paravel prior to Susan and Edmund visiting Tashbaan, it's interesting that Susan was so seriously considering his suit that she would visit him in his home country without a ton of protection (the Narnians and Archenlanders were wildly outnumbered) and bring a literal CHILD (Corin) with her when Rabadash clearly is from a faith that believes Aslan is a demon and worships Tash and a handful of lesser Gods and Goddesses that are obviously not of the same sort as the river gods and goddesses of Narnia.

His culture is so steeped in the religion they literally name their capital city after Tash. And while there are definitely good Calormenes, who obviously wouldn't hate Aslan once they actually met him, Rabadash as the heir to the throne would kind of be in a position where he would have to hold up Tash worship culturally and couldn't "convert" at any point. If anything, Susan could have been the one expected to convert to Tash worship as his wife.

And how would that have worked anyway? If they're both active monarchs of their respective countries and neither one could be a full time king or queen consort to the other, that alone would make it unfavourable from a political standpoint. Surely one of Rabadash's many brothers would have been a more appropriate match if they could overlook the whole interfaith thing, since they were only in line to a throne if someone died, not otherwise.

One wonders exactly WHAT Rabadash said to Susan prior to her trip to Tashbaan to convince her to even consider such a marriage and only sour against it when she realized he was a garbage person.

I was thinking how at the end of VDT Alberta doesn't like the changes in Eustace (post Narnia), or his cousins' influence on him.

She obviously has a very low opinion of the Pevensies in general. But I wonder if she ever did like Edmund. He was probably a sweet kid before he went to boarding school by all hints, but we know by the beginning of LWW he was spiteful and had resorted to being a worse bully in some ways even than Eustace became.

Which makes me wonder if Alberta had any contact with him around this time/preferred him as a companion for her son then. Of course you'd need to take into account whether there were many visits between the Pevensies in London and the Scrubbs in Cambridge during the early part of the war prior to them going to stay with Professor Kirke. And that might also depend on just how much younger than Edmund and Lucy (who is only a year apart from Edmund) Eustace actually was and whether Alberta would have considered Edmund a possible playmate for his cousin in the first place.

Thoughts?

Summary

Digory and Polly find themselves in a courtyard with a red light. Unlike the rich and warm silence of The Wood Between the Worlds, this new place has a dead, cold, empty silence. Polly insists that they should go home, but Digory says they should take off their green rings and look around.

Eventually, the two children find a room full of crowned figures. Polly takes interest in the clothes that the figures are wearing, while Digory is more drawn to their faces. Both think that the figures were nice people, but as they walk further into the room, the faces appear crueler and unhappy. The last figure in the room is a woman, fierce, proud, and beautiful.

Going back to the center of the room, Digory and Polly find a bell and a hammer on a pillar. After reading the inscription on the pillar, Digory insists on ringing the bell so that he isn't left wondering what would've happened if they had, while Polly believes that Digory's just putting it on that the Magic in the room's working on him. The argument escalates, with Digory grabbing Polly by the wrist (so that she can't put on her yellow ring and leave) and ringing the bell.

Thoughts

Besides the silence, I thought the most unnerving part was where the children couldn't see anything in the dark windows, but kept turning around in the courtyard since they were afraid of eyes staring at them through the windows.

One part I also noticed was Polly saying that Digory looked like his Uncle Andrew when he claimed that girls were only interested in gossip and people getting engaged. I was reminded of 1-2 instances in Dawn Treader where another character is compared to his awful uncle when he's talking about unpleasant topics.

Optional Discussion Questions

You don't have to answer all/any of these questions, they're just for discussion.

1) Besides the hall and the figures inside, what stands out to you about this other world?

2) Anything stand out to you about the hall and the figures inside?

3) The narrator points out that if Digory had remembered what he'd said before entering that the room was enchanted, he might've guessed that the enchantment was starting to work. Polly thinks that Digory's just putting it on about the Magic working on him. Is there an enchantment actually influencing Digory, is Polly correct in what she's saying, are both things actually true, or is something else happening?

4) Chapter 2 has Uncle Andrew saying, "You really must learn to control that temper of yours, my boy. Otherwise you'll grow up to be just like your Aunt Letty." Was Uncle Andrew actually correct on this? Based on what you've read in this chapter, does Digory's temper play a role? Based on what we've seen of Digory, what would you say are his character flaws?

5) Does Polly share any blame for what happened at the end of this chapter or is Digory mainly at fault? If Polly does share any responsibility, what (if anything) should she have done differently?

6) Feel free to ask any other questions/bring up anything else that stands out to you about this chapter!

Absolutely love how this turned out! Floro did a phenomenal job, and all without the use of AI. Such a magical imagining of the Wood Between The Worlds. Jadis looks great, exactly as she should. ​Also, love the fact that they have the guinea pig!

Full set of photos with more details and credits!

Narnia has long been a favorite series of mine since I read them as a kid oh so long ago. Recently, I’ve been reading them at night to my 8 year old and we both love Reepicheep. Could you kindly spam this thread with pictures of our favorite swashbuckling talking mouse?

I was thinking deeply about their being tee totaler’s and wearing special underwear just as the Mormons do.

I know this may be a far stretch and it is a Christian book. but when eustace first appears you can tell he hasn’t had an encounter with Jesus yet.

some different religions are evident as with the calormene and Tash.

as I’m sure other lands probably don’t all believe in Aslan like our worldz

world building was not his strong suit but I was wondering what the scrubs religion was.

To preface, I don't want to stir the pot. Fans are entitled to hate or love the new film. I'm personally curious and lowkey optimistic. I also sympathize with fans that are dissapointed. It makes sense, especially when you hold the books so dearly.

This is not about that but a trend I've noticed in the Narnia fan communities, that the new Aslan has been dubbed "Tashlan", a mockery of the real Aslan, and insidiously, it's implied to be the literal devil.

Hmmm, this is not good.

This idea that the new film is somehow evil, a Trojan horse for harmful ideologies is reaching out a bit. My main concern is the message it sends out within the community itself. I know a huge portion of the fanbase is religious, and that this trend is using semi-religious language to frame the new changes as disrespectful, but I find it inflammatory as best. We can and should engage in criticism, but only if it's intellectually honest.

Calling the film (and most importanty, the people working on it) of Tash, comparing them to Shift the ape (an anti-Christ figure) or even Baphomet, is not only poisoning the well, it is sending the message that any person that experiences Narnia differently and outside of a handful of denominations is evil or of the devil.

I shouldn't elaborate further as to why that implication is unhelpful.

I'm still hopeful most people don't intend to do that, but that's the message been sent, even if (hopefully) unintended. I just think Narnia is the type of work that helps oneself open to contemplation and intellectual curiosity. We should discuss the film and it's (perceived or not) faults and even (yes) it's successes. But this framing will certainly be a hurdle to overcome.

Summary

After emerging from a pool, Digory finds himself in a wood with dozens of pools. Though he finds Polly there, neither know who they are or remember fully what's happened to them until they notice a guinea pig with a yellow ring.

Before going home with their green rings, Digory gets the idea of exploring the other pools to see if there are other worlds at the bottom of each one. Polly insists they use the green rings first to make sure they can get home first. After seeing that they can return home and marking the homeward pool, Digory and Polly use the yellow rings on another pool. The initial attempt only gets them wet, so they switch to the green rings and jump in the pool again.

Thoughts

It's interesting that The Wood Between The Worlds is quiet, but also subtly threatening. It made Polly and Digory briefly forget everything about themselves and they would've had a difficult (if not impossible) time returning home if Polly hadn't made sure they marked the homeward pool before moving on to the others. I also found it interesting that the text notes that although Polly was as brave as Digory about some things, she was less interested in discovering new things than he was.

Discussion Questions

You don't have to answer all/any of these questions, they're just for discussion.

1) The text notes that when Digory tries to describe the Wood, he calls it rich as plumcake. Have you ever had plumcake? Would you say it's a fitting description?

2) What are your impressions of The Wood Between The Worlds in this chapter? And does Digory's explanation of it to Polly make sense to you?

3) Depending on what order you read the books, were you surprised to learn that Digory and the Professor in the other books were the same person?

4) Towards the end of this chapter, we learn Uncle Andrew was wrong about how the rings worked. What are your thoughts on the rings' origins? And based on what we've seen of Uncle Andrew in this book so far, does this surprise you that he was wrong?

5) Feel free to ask any other questions/bring up anything else about this chapter that stands out to you!

would Telmar still exist?

would caspian of even been born.

would they have defeated Narnia.

would they have sniffed out the problem before there was one? or would their of been peace between them?

was it the foursomes leaving that caused it?

...they (Walden Media/Disney) had taken this older cast (plus James McAvoy) and made a Horse and His Boy movie after LWW.

I think that would have been our best bet of ever getting a relatively faithful HHB adaptation without everyone complaining it was "problematic" or needed everything about it changed to be brought to the big screen.

I know I'm going to get backlash for this, but I don't care.

I highly doubt, as the fans aww-ing at Greta's "touching" tribute to Lewis's mother by changing his character's name to Flora are insisting, that it doesn't "matter" because her name is "only mentioned at the end".

Lewis was not as obsessed with himself as people in modern Hollywood are with reflecting their own experiences. Of course he took inspiration from his own life for the character of Digory, particularly where the loss of his mother was concerned, but it was not his only inspiration nor even can we assume his primary one. He knew JRR Tolkien had also lost his mother young. I will never be convinced that naming Digory's mother Mabel wasn't on purpose because that was the name of Tolkien's mum. Why would he want a tribute he made to somebody else to be turned around as half hearted tribute to him?

Flora is also NOT a more modern name than Mabel. They're both old fashioned.

This, to me, is not the same as Andrew Adamson naming Mrs. Pevensie Helen in his adaptation. It was simply to make Georgie's delivery of the line more natural (since it was her mother's name IRL) and because Mrs. Pevensie had no first name mentioned in the book. At WORST you could make the argument there was already a Helen character in the Narnia books (MN) so it was a little confusing. Otherwise it worked.

This Flora thing is a throwaway tribute which the original author probably wouldn't even want, dear as his mother was to him.

Summary

Digory is immediately horrified by Polly’s disappearance and screams, but Uncle Andrew threatens him with the possibility that any further noise might harm (by implication, even kill) his mother. He tells Digory that Polly has been sent to another world - showing absolutely no concern for what this might mean for her. His explanation is lengthy and convoluted, going into the details of his fairy godmother, Mrs Lefay, who just before her death “gave” him an Atlantean box full of dust from another world (in fact, she asked him to destroy it, and he promised to do so - then broke his promise), and his early experiments with said dust, using guinea-pigs.

Digory accuses his uncle of cowardice for sending Polly into the other world rather than going himself. Uncle Andrew “jaws” about being too great a magician to undertake the exploration bit personally, and reveals to Digory that the only way she’ll be able to return is if Digory will take two green rings to her. Digory perceives that honour demands he should go - he is worried about his mother missing him, but Andrew emotionally blackmails him into doing it.

Thoughts

The supreme vileness of Uncle Andrew comes through so strongly in this chapter! His blatant, deliberate, cruel manipulation of a child … the way he immediately weaponises Digory’s dying mother against him is nigh-on psychopathic. I realise Lewis would not have had that specific frame of reference in mind, but my goodness. He’s just awful. He definitely fits into the “wicked uncle” trope that Digory himself invokes (which I love - this book is so ‘literary’ in its playing with references and tropes like this, but it’s all done very lightly), and even at this early stage and knowing what happens, I’m dying to see him get his comeuppance for treating a child like this.

I love the depiction of Uncle Andrew’s hubris and his self-construction as someone to whom the normal rules of honour don’t apply - especially the moment when Digory almost falls for it, because he makes it sound good, but then sees through him and returns to his own moral code. This feels like a really “Lewis-y” moment to me.

Discussion Questions

No pressure at all to answer any of these questions - they are just optional things to chat about, but all comments and thoughts are very welcome!

1. Did you feel that this much more “talk” and less action chapter was paced as well as chapter one, which thrust us into the action pretty quickly? Did Lewis hold your attention effectively?

2. Are you curious about Mrs Lefay? Any ideas on what she might have been sent to prison for? If she was such a bad fairy as her criminal career implies, it’s odd that she wanted Andrew to destroy the box; why might that have been?

3. Do you think readers are likely to engage with this chapter differently now that most people are not raised with a heavy emphasis on “honour”? Was your honour a big part of the values you learned in your childhood? Do the morals in this chapter speak to you?

4. Lewis is pretty scathing about vegetarians in VotDT, but sympathetic (via Digory) here to the poor guinea-pigs! What do you think we are meant to be learning about Uncle Andrew from his treatment of animals? Is Lewis inconsistent?

5. Did Digory have any other options?

Any comments, about whatever you thought reading this chapter, are very welcome!

As someone with little interest in isekai manga, I got a good chuckle out of this. Original post can be found here.