The movie version of LWW includes the following quote, said by Aslan at the Pevensies’s coronation: “To the glistening eastern sea, I give you Queen Lucy the Valiant. To the great Western Woods, King Edmund the Just. To the radiant Southern Sun, Queen Susan the Gentle. And to the clear Northern Skies, I give you King Peter the Magnificent. Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia. May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens.” Personally, I like this quote and how it ties into the imagery of a compass. I think it works well in the movie (I see the movie adaptation and the book as two separate entities), although it may not be consistent with how Lewis portrays the Pevensies's joint leadership in the books.
I’d be interested to know from an authorial perspective if there were any specific reasons why the script writers chose to match those particular areas to their respective siblings. The Eastern Sea might be associated with Lucy because of her appearance in VDT and her apparent love for the sea (although this could be just the excitement for Narnia and adventure in general). Edmund’s association with the Western Woods is puzzling to me. What constitutes the Western Woods? I’ve looked at several versions of the Narnian map (both the one that Pauline Baynes drew and the one from the Walden merchandising) and can make neither head nor tail of it. (It also doesn’t help that they seem to contradict each other, but geography has never been one of my strengths). When I think of the Southern Sun, I think of Calormen, and in HHB, Susan is most strongly associated with Calormen and Rabadash. It might also hint at her later turning in the opposite direction of “true North” (although this is a bit of stretch). For Peter, the Northern Skies might have some correlation to the fact that he was mentioned fighting giants in the North (presumably Ettinsmoor) during HHB. It could also be tied to his position as the High King of Narnia, always striving to point to the “true North”--Aslan.
However, these are just my thoughts. I’m curious what others have to say on the subject. Also, how well do you think this dialogue would fit into the books? Could you see C.S. Lewis writing a quote similar to this?
"I am,” said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
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Posted : April 21, 2020 12:18 pm
If you have all the seven books to get ideas from, that's not too hard. But this was trying to fit into only one book, without The Horse & His Boy (HHB) the last part of LWW.
As far as I can see, it was just a rather sentimental idea that the writers put together to link each of the four children with Narnia.
It began in a different way, very pantheistic in its wording. I'm trying to remember it, and will edit when I have found it written down. When it was shown to a trial audience, there was a lot of concern that it gave quite a different idea from the book, so it was changed.
There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."
Posted : April 21, 2020 10:27 pm
If you have all the seven books to get ideas from, that's not too hard. But this was trying to fit into only one book, without The Horse & His Boy (HHB) the last part of LWW.
I still wonder about the possibility that someone on the writing staff was familiar with the entire series and slipped references/associations in as a sort of Easter egg or hint to who the Pevensies would become. Maybe I'm just thinking too deeply at this point though... 
"I am,” said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
Topic starter
Posted : April 22, 2020 8:25 am