Remember in the opening pages of VDT when Lu and Ed notice how Narnian the ship in the painting looks? Well this brings up a good question, just what did Narnian ships look like?
The Dawn Treader- Well we all know this one. Dragon head for a prow, the tail coming of the back (stern, right?) the wings along the sides. Purple sails.
The Splendour Hyaline- in the last page of Ch 8 in PC, this ship is described as having a swan's head at the prow, swan's wings along both sides. "great stern lanterns." In VDT I believe it's also said that the Dawn Treader isn't as majestic as the ships from the golden age, including this one.
So it appears as though animals and creatures are a basis in the design of Narnian ships.
Another question I have, did Caspian use the Dawn Treader in SC? Or was it a different ship altogether?
"The mountains are calling and I must go, and I will work on while I can, studying incessantly." -John Muir
"Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed." -Richard Adams, Watership Down
Topic starter
Posted : January 3, 2011 8:38 am
If we're to go off of the Pauline Baynes illustration, then we have to assume that it was a different ship entirely. The ship that Baynes gives us looks more like a ship that one would expect to see in a medieval navy, in that it is compact, practical, and sensible.
Member of Ye Olde NarniaWeb
Posted : January 3, 2011 9:01 am
I think all Narnian ships were based off of the same concept: winged animals at the prow with their wings along the side, and a large single sail with only one colour.
Posted : January 3, 2011 2:04 pm
SilverSea, I'm not so sure about single sail, in PC it says that the Splendour Hyaline had "silken sails." It uses sails plural not singular. I do think however that the ships during Caspian's reign were smaller, and therefore required less sails than those in the golden age. I could be wrong though.
"The mountains are calling and I must go, and I will work on while I can, studying incessantly." -John Muir
"Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed." -Richard Adams, Watership Down
Topic starter
Posted : January 3, 2011 2:42 pm
I agree with SilverSea (that rhymed) 
I assume it has something to do with the same concept of any animal.
Long Live King Caspian & Queen Liliandil Forever!
Jill+Tirian! Let there be Jilrian!
Posted : January 11, 2011 7:34 pm
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