Owls have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak, and usually a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk. Although owls have binocular vision, their large eyes are fixed in their sockets, and they must turn their entire head to change views.
Owls are far-sighted, and are unable to clearly see anything within a few inches of their eyes. Their far vision, particularly in low light, is incredibly good.
Many owls can also hunt by sound in total darkness. Different species of owls make different sounds, one of which is the widely recognizable, drawn-out "hoo" sound. The facial disc helps to funnel the sound of rodents to their ears, which are widely spaced. In some species, they are placed asymmetrically, for better directional location.
Despite their appearance, owls are more closely related to the nightjars (Caprimulgiformes) than to the diurnal predators in the order Falconiformes. Some taxonomists place the nightjars in the same order as owls, as in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.
Behavior
Owls' powerful clawed feet and sharp beak enable them tear their prey to pieces before eating, although most items are swallowed whole. Their muffled wings and dull feathers allow them to fly almost silently and unseen.
Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by their habit of disgorging the indigestible parts of their prey (bones, scales, fur, etc.) in the form of pellets. These "owl pellets" are often sold by companies to schools to be dissected by students as a lesson in biology and ecology, because they are plentiful and easy to interpret.
Owl eggs are white and almost spherical, and range in number from a few to a dozen dependent on species. Their nests are crudely built and may be in trees, underground burrows or barns and caves.
Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy
Most owls are nocturnal, but several, including the pygmy owls (Glaucidium), are crepuscular, or twilight active, hunting mainly at dawn and dusk. A few owls, such as the Burrowing Owl (Speotyto cunicularia) and the Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus), are also active during the day.
The smallest owls include the pygmy owls, some of which are only 13 cm (5.1 in) long, have a 32-cm (12.6-in) wingspan, and weigh only 50 g (1.76 oz). The largest owls are the eagle owls, the Eurasian Eagle OwlBubo bubo and Verreaux's Eagle OwlB. lacteus, which may reach 71 cm (28 in) long, have a wingspan of just over 2 m (6.6 ft), and weigh about 4 kg (almost 9 lb).
- ORDER STRIGIFORMES
- Family Tytonidae: barn owls, 12 to 18 species
- Family Strigidae: typical owls, about 195 species.
- Proposed family Phodilidae: one or two species (currently included in Tytonidae)
Myth and lore
Phodilidae
In the Western world, owls are traditionally associated with wisdom and knowledge and with the Greek goddess Athena. That's because Athena was a bird goddess and assumed often the form of an owl. Athena was not only the goddess of wisdom, but was also the goddess of arts and skills. With this association, owls became also the symbol of teaching and of institutions of learning, being present in the crest of arms of many universities.
The Ancient Egyptians made a representation of an owl into their hieroglyph for 'm', although they would often draw this hieroglyph with its legs broken to keep the bird of prey from coming to life and attacking. Another goddess possibly associated with owls is Akkadian Lilitu.
In Japanese culture, the bird is a symbol of death and seeing one is considered a bad omen (though in recent times, they are sometimes considered as a bird of luck). The same is true in Italian and Romanian culture, where the mournful call of an owl predicts the death of somebody living in the neighbourhood.
The Romans also considered owls to be funerary birds, for their nocturnal activity and having their nests in inaccessible places, therefore, seeing an owl at daytime was considered a bad omen. Their vampiric strix was in part based on the owl.
Taboo surrounds owls in the culture of the Native AmericanHopi nation, they are regarded as a dirty and ominous creature.
External links
- [http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=all Owl species of the World]
- [http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/chordata/aves/strigiformes.html Animal Diversity Web Page: Owls]
- [http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/owl.html Smithsonian Snowy Owl Info]
- [http://home.mira.net/~areadman/owls.htm Australian Owls and Frogmouths]
- [http://nature.org/initiatives/programs/birds/features/ Owls of the Harry Potter movies] - learn about the owls featured in the films, threats to the species, and conservation activities
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasynovels for children written by C.S. Lewis. They present the adventures of children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the realm of Narnia, a place where some animals talk, magic is common, and good is fighting evil.
For more information regarding the fictional universe in which the story takes place, including lists of characters and locations, see Narnia.
Pauline Baynes illustrated the original books in the series.
The books: publication and reading order
The books of the series, in the order of their publication, are:
# The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
# Prince Caspian (1951)
# The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
# The Silver Chair (1953)
# The Horse and His Boy (1954)
# The Magician's Nephew (1955)
# The Last Battle (1956)
The first American publisher, Macmillan, put numbers on the books and used the publication order. When HarperCollins took over the series, the books were renumbered using the internal chronological order, as suggested by Lewis' stepson, Douglas Gresham.
# The Magician's Nephew (1955)
# The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
# The Horse and His Boy (1954)
# Prince Caspian (1951)
# The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
# The Silver Chair (1953)
# The Last Battle (1956)
Gresham quoted Lewis' reply to a letter from an American fan in 1957, who was having an argument with his mother about the order:
:"I think I agree with your order (i.e. chronological) for reading the books more than with your mother's. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more. Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn't think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found as I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them. I'm not even sure that all the others were written in the same order in which they were published."
Nevertheless, many fans of the series who appreciate the original order, which introduces important parts of the Narnia universe in the early part of the series and then provides explanation for them later in the prequels, in particular the creation story in The Magician's Nephew, take offense with the reordering. Other arguments for the publication order include that Prince Caspian is subtitled "The Return to Narnia", and that the following fragments of text from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe support it as being the first book in the series:
:"None of the children knew who Aslan was, any more than you do."
:"That is the very end of the adventure of the wardrobe. But if the Professor was right, it was only the beginning of the adventures of Narnia."
Another argument cited by proponents of the original order is that if the series is first read in the chronological order, the reader can never experience the original order without the knowledge of the prequels. On the other hand, the chronological order can still be enjoyed after first reading the original order.
Christian parallels
:Specific Christian parallels may be found in the entries for individual books and characters.
The Chronicles of Narnia contain many allusions to Christian ideas which are easily accessible to younger readers; however, the books are not weighty, and can be read for their adventure, colour, and mythological ideas alone. Because of this, The Chronicles of Narnia have become favourites with both children and adults, Christians and non-Christians.
Although he did not set out to do so, in the process of writing his fantasy works, Lewis (an adult convert to Christianity) found himself incorporating Christian theological concepts into his stories. As he wrote in Of Other Worlds:
:"Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument, then collected information about child psychology and decided what age group I'd write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out 'allegories' to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn't write in that way. It all began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn't anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord."
Lewis, an expert on the subject of allegory, himself maintained that the books were not allegory, and preferred to call the Christian aspects of them "suppositional". This is similar to what we would now call alternative history. As he wrote in a letter to a Mrs. Hook in December of 1958:
:"If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity in the same way in which Giant Despair represents despair, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality however he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, 'What might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?' This is not allegory at all."
With the release of the 2005 Disney movie there has been renewed interest in the Christian parallels found in the books. Some find them distasteful, while noting that they are easy to miss if you are not familiar with Christianity. Others see the chronicles as an excellent tools for Christian evangelism.
Criticism
CS Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia series have received various criticisms over the years, much of it by fellow authors. Allegations of sexism center around the decription of Susan Pevensie in The Last Battle. She is characterized as being "no longer a friend of Narnia" and interested "in nothing nowadays except lipstick, nylons and invitations".
J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has said:
:"There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become irreligious basically because she found sex, I have a big problem with that."
Philip Pullman author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, interprets it this way:
:"Susan, like Cinderella, is undergoing a transition from one phase of her life to another. Lewis didn't approve of that. He didn't like women in general, or sexuality at all, at least at the stage in his life when he wrote the Narnia books. He was frightened and appalled at the notion of wanting to grow up. [...] Death is better than life; boys are better than girls; light-coloured people are better than dark-coloured people; and so on. There is no shortage of such nauseating drivel in Narnia, if you can face it."
Defenders of Lewis assert that the majority of criticism against Lewis' works comes from those who disagree with Christianity. One example is Pullman, who is an atheist. Some believe that the religious aspect of Lewis and his books makes it difficult for a truly objective analysis of Narnia simply as a children's story. Fans of Lewis uphold that applying intense scrutiny using modern ethical standards a childrens book written in another social context is unreasonable. If literary critics do not hold other classic works accountable to modern day social norms, they should therefore not make exceptions for Lewis. In regards to the role of women in his works, Lewis' apologists cite their positive roles in the series, like Lucy Pevensie and Aravis, who are main characters in the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Horse and His Boy, respectively. , ,
Hensher and Pullman have also implicated The Chronicles of Narnia series in fostering racism. This is based on a perceived negative representation of other races and religions, particularly the Calormenes, as enemies of Aslan and Narnia . The Calormenes are described as oily and dark-skinned people who wear turbans, pointy slippers and are armed with scimitars. This depiction has been cited as a blatant allegorical comparison to the traditional attire of Islam and Sikhism. Turbans are worn by Muslim clerics, and most adult Sikh males. Scimitars originated in the Middle East, and are highly symbolic of Islam. The Calormenes worship the "false god" Tash, portrayed as a stereotypical Satanic being who requires evil deeds and sacrifices from his followers.
Lewis's Calormen is contextually and historically similar to the Ottoman Empire and comparisons have been made depicting the Calormenes as saracens and the Narnians as medieval crusaders. Since the historical aftermath of the Crusades and Ottoman Empire are still being felt centuries later in the current Middle East Conflicts and by calls for jihad against the Western World, it is probably unavoidable that such criticisms would arise at this time.
Despite being Irish, it is evident that Lewis was a distinctly British author, as were his contemporaries J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and others. Therefore, his writings can be expected to a particularly British Victorian era flavour that may seem dated, old-fashioned or conservative to some. The ongoing popular of these authors suggests that people may well be interpreting any apparent bias as a consequence of these authors being a product of their times, and therefore not holding them accountable for what might look like bigotry to modern eyes.
Narnia in other media
Television
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was first turned into a television series in 1967. Unlike subsequent adaptations, it is currently unavailable to purchase for home viewing.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was turned into an animated television special in 1979. It was given an Emmy award for Outstanding Animated Program.
The Chronicles of Narnia were turned into a series of successful BBCtelevisionminiseries in 1988–1990. Only The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair were filmed. The Magician's Nephew, The Horse and His Boy, and The Last Battle were not filmed.
The four miniseries were later edited into three feature-length films (combining "Prince Caspian" and "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader") and released on DVD.
:Main article: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
A film version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, titled The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and produced by Walden Media, has been released. It was directed by Andrew Adamson. The screenplay was written by Ann Peacock. Principal photography for the film took place in the Czech Republic and New Zealand. The film was released in 2005 (on December 9 in the United States).
Narnia director Andrew Adamson has hinted that he is already planning on making a sequel. The New Zealander said: "I don’t like the ’franchise’ word, but if this film is successful I will make another." His thoughts were echoed by producer Mark Johnson. He said: "I think it would be cocky if we say we are going to make another film — but I would certainly like to. The next one we would make would be Prince Caspian because that is the only [other] one that has all four children in it. And if we don’t make it now we will never be able to make it because they will be too old. That Chronicle is set one year after this one is so it would allow for the kids to get a bit older. I would be perfectly happy to make all seven."
Influence on other works
A more recent British series of novels, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, has been seen as an "answer" to the Narnia books. Pullman's series favours science and reason over religion, wholly rejecting the themes of Christian theology which permeate the Narnia series, but has many of the same issues, subject matter, and types of characters (including talking animals) as the Chronicles of Narnia.
Author J.K. Rowling says that Lewis's sentimentality about children gets on her nerves, and that she has big problems with some aspects of the books to the point where she has not bothered to finish reading the series. However, Cedric Diggory may have been an homage to Digory AKA Prof. Kirke.
The Sandman graphic novel series written by Neil Gaiman, in its story arc entitled "A Game of You," features a Narnia-like "dream island" that can be accessed by the character Barbie. Incidentally, Neil Gaiman wrote a "sequel" short story of sorts, "The Problem of Susan." [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/13/movies/13narnia.html?ei=5090&en=49132a2956301464&ex=1289538000&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all]
Carlton Cuse, the executive producer of Lost, is a big fan of the Chronicles of Narnia, and those works have apparently influenced the direction of the show.
It should be noted that the word 'aslan' is Turkic for 'lion' and while it is likely that most references to leonine things/beings named 'Aslan' or something similar refer to the one from Narnia, this may not necessarily be the case.
- In modern slang, to "go through the wardrobe" has acquired a similar meaning as to "go down the rabbit-hole".
- Steve Hackett's song "Narnia" on the album Please Don't Touch (1978) is based on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
- Neil Gaiman's 2004 short story "The Problem of Susan" tells the story of Susan Pevensie long after the conclusion of Lewis' series (available in Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy edited by Al Sarrantonio).
- In an episode of Friends, Chandler gets defensive about his "nubbin" when Ross asks "if it does anything", and replies: "Why yes Ross, pressing my third nipple opens the delivery entrance to the magical land of Narnia."
- In Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia, Leslie refers often to the Narnia books and lends them to Jesse to read so he can learn to act like a king.
- In the British comedy series, The Young Ones (episode FLOOD) - Vyvyan enters a wardrobe whilst playing hide and seek and enters Narnia. (As he does so a member of the studio audience can clearly be heard saying "it's Narnia!") There he is met by the White Witch and her dwarf sleigh-driver. She offers him Turkish Delight but is repulsed by his bad breath. He lets on that he is looking for one of his housemates who was earlier frightened by a Lion (a lion-tamer was using his bedroom). This worries her and the dwarf says "It's the prophecy." She threatens Vyvyan to stay but he leaves. Later in the same episode landlord Mr Balowski briefly enters Narnia looking for the boys.
- Mike Scott of The Waterboys draws from the world of Narnia and C.S. Lewis in a number of his songs. "Further Up, Further In" from the album "Room to Roam" is a direct quote from "The Last Battle". Appearing in italics in the text of the book, Aslan proclaims it as he enters the new world. The song "A Church not made with Hands" from an early Waterboys album A Pagan Place begins with the words "Bye bye Shadowlands, the term is over".
- A Dublin rock band called Aslan have a loyal local Irish following, although they have not made it on the international scene. Their most famous song is "Crazy World".
- In the television series Black Books, the character "Gus" (who is played by the actor who played the Witch's dwarf and Trumpkin in the BBC adaptations) asks for some Turkish Delight.
- In Roald Dahl's book Matilda, the character Matilda mentions that she loves the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
- An episode of South Park, "Here Comes the Neighborhood", includes scenes with a pride of lions. The leader of the lions is named Aslan, copying the voice intonation and general animated look from an earlier animated film, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
- In another South Park episode, "Chickenlover", Cartman pretends to have read the novel, and summarizes the plot, "a bunch of uh, hippies, walk around and paint stuff. They eat lunch, and then they find a magical... camel... which they have to eat to stay alive."
- Peter, from the animatedtelevision show Family Guy, briefly visited Narnia when he plunged into the clothes dryer in pursuit of a lost sock. Upon landing, he was greeted by a small creature, who introduces himself as Mr. Tumnus, and says, "Welcome to Narnia!" Peter responds with "Gimme back my sock, you goat-bastard!" Mr. Tumnus runs quickly away with his sock.
- In an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow has a nightmare in which she is dressed as a nerd and giving an oral book report on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to a very uninterested class.
- In a Season 6 episode of Gilmore Girls, when pressed about her religious affiliation, Rory replies "I read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe."
- Also in Season 6 of Gilmore Girls, episode 10, Christopher shows up to tell Lorelai that he has inherited a vast sum of money and can buy them anything like a castle: ""Doesn't have to be in Ireland. It can be in Germany, Czech Republic, Scotland...Narnia."
- The second installment of the Simon the Sorcerer series, called "Simon the Sorcerer 2: The Lion, The Wizard and the Wardrobe" contains several references to the original history. In it, the main character (Simon) is sent to a magical land where Calypso the Wizard, an old friend, lives. Simon falls into a trap which involves an enchanted wardrobe which appears right into his bedroom. Once the trap is set, he has to escape from his enemy, the evil Sordid the Sorcerer.
- A song by the band Phish is titled "Prince Caspian" and features what may be "the sound of horse's hooves galloping under water" and the repeating lyric, "Oh to be Prince Caspian, afloat upon the waves... with nothing to return to but the demons in their caves."
- The Swedish Christian progressive metal band, Narnia [http://www.narniaworld.com/], is named after the series.
- The Discworld series of humorous fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett contain occasional references to wardrobes that lead to magical lands, although none of the wardrobes encountered thus far in the series are known to do so.
- In The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic vol. 2, #1, reference is made in a text fragment to the apple tree from The Magician's Nephew. A text piece in #2 refers to the possibility of making a wardrobe from it.
- In Fables comic vol. 1, it's mentioned that one of the worlds that fell to the Adversary was a land ruled by a lion whom the Fables residents considered to be a bit "holier-than-thou".
- The expression "so far back in the closet they're in Narnia" is used humorously to describe a gay person who is deeply closeted, often to the extent of not realizing their own sexual orientation, or not admitting it to themselves. Such people are also sometimes referred to as "Narnians".
- [http://www.aslan.fi/ Aslan ry] is a FinnishChristianfundamentalist group which advocates reparative therapy for homosexuals, complete with a lionhead as their logo.
- One of the time portals in the Chrono Triggerconsole role-playing game is a wardrobe.
- Narnia is used as the theme of a ballet in Come a Stranger [Dicey's Song perspective of Mina], part of the Tillerman Cycle, by Cynthia Voigt.
- The singer Aselin Debison is named after Aslan the Lion. Though spelled differently, the two names are pronounced the same way.
- In the graphic novel Associated Student Bodies, Jesus is depicted as an anthropomorphic lion.
- The Travellerrole-playing game contains a leonine race known as the Aslan.
- Marcy Playground produced a song called The Ballad of Aslan for their record Zog Bog Bean.
- An episode of X-Men: Evolution was titled The Toad, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - An episode of Sabrina The Teenage Witch was titled "The Lyin', the Witch and the Wardrobe".
- A song by Spanish Christian musician Marcos Vidal is called "Aslan" [Nada Especial - Vida Music, 1993]. It talks about God's love, using the image of a lion and its roar.
- On the ABC series Lost, one of the books in the hatch is The Magician's Nephew - In the final issue of Books of Magick: Life During Wartime Hunter travels from Fairie to Earth via Wardrobe.
Further reading
- Duriez,Colin. A Field Guide to Narnia. InterVarsity Press, 2004.
- Ford, Paul. Companion to Narnia, Revised Edition. HarperSanFrancisco, revised edition 2005.
- Ditchfield, Christin. A Family Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C.S. Lewis's the Chronicles of Narnia. Crossway Books, 2003.
- Bruner, Kurt & Ware, Jim. Finding God in the Land of Narnia. Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.
- Williams, Thomas. The Heart of the Chronicles of Narnia: Knowing God Here by Finding Him There. W Publishing Group, 2005.
- Wagner, Richard. C.S. Lewis & Narnia For Dummies. For Dummies, 2005.
- A Guide for Using The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the Classroom. Teacher Created Resources, 2000.
- The Lion, Witch & Wardrobe Study Guide. Progeny Press, 1993.
- The Magician's Nephew Study Guide. Progeny Press, 1997.
- Prince Caspian Study Guide. Progeny Press, 2003.
External links
-
- [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1903338,00.html Narnia's lion really is about Jesus]
- [http://www.slate.com/id/2131908/nav/tap1/ The Lion King: C.S. Lewis' Narnia isn't simply a Christian allegory.], Meghan O'Rourke, Slate magazine, 9 December2005 - [http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/lewis/cs-lewis.htm RapidNet.com — C. S. Lewis FAQ]
- [http://www.pineapple-girl.com/narnia.htm The Proper Order of The Chronicles of Narnia: A Case for Publication Order]
- [http://www.narnia.com/movie/index.htm Narnia.com — Disney Narnia movie official website]
- [http://www.narniafans.com/ NarniaFans.com — Dedicated to the Chronicles of Narnia]
- [http://www.narniaweb.com/ Narniaweb.com — In-depth news and discussion of the Narnia books and films]
- C. S. Lewis on Wikiquote.
- [http://s13.invisionfree.com/EnterNarnia/ The Lion's Wardrobe — A Narnia RPG and Discussion forum]
- [http://narniaconfidential.com/ Narnia Confidential — A wiki devoted to The Chronicles of Narnia]
Caspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, also called Caspian the Seafarer and Caspian the Navigator (born 2290–died 2356, Narnian Time) is a fictional character in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. He is featured predominately in three books in the series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. He also makes an appearance at the end of The Last Battle.
According to author Paul Ford, Caspian's story is "one of the most complete that Lewis tells in the Chronicles and his is the best developed character of all the Narnians."
Prince Caspian
When Lewis first introduces Caspian in this book, he is the thirteen-year-old nephew and heir to King Miraz of Narnia. By this time, talking animals apparently no longer exist in Narnia, having been driven into hiding by Caspian's ancestors, the Telmarines. In fact, the talking beasts are thought of as nothing more than myth. Caspian is fascinated by these stories, but the nurse who told him these stories is dismissed by his uncle.
His next teacher Doctor Cornelius in reality has human and dwarfish blood. He teaches Caspian the sciences and history that his uncle wants as well as the stories of Narnia's true past. He also discovers that Miraz had killed his father in order to take the throne for himself. Eventually, Miraz's wife gives birth to a son, and Caspian has to flee for his life, taking with him Susan's magic horn, which Doctor Cornelius gives him; this horn will bring help to the person who blows it. He eventually meets the creatures that he once though were myth; most of them agree to accept him as their king. When Miraz attacks this group, Caspian blows the horn, and summons the old kings and queens back to Narnia. With Aslan's help, they defeat Miraz in what Lewis called the 'War of Deliverance', and restore old Narnia with Caspian becoming King Caspian X in 2303.
Early Achievements
One year after the events of Prince Caspian in 2304, King Caspian X wages war upon the Giants of the North , and successfully defeats them in several decisive victories, the likes of which were not seen since the days of High King Peter. In his own words King Caspian 'gave those troublesome giants on the frontier such a good beating last summer that they pay us tribute now.' (Voyage of the Dawn Treader, p. 19)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
This novel is set three years after the events in Prince Caspian and lasts from 2306–7. Order has been reestablished in Narnia, and Caspian has constructed the ship The Dawn Treader to search for seven lords that had been loyal to his father but sent away by Miraz. On the way to the Lone Island, the ship discovers Edmund, Lucy, and their cousin Eustace in the water; they have been magically transported back to the Narnian world. The ship and its crew do uncover the fate of the missing lords and discover several new lands. One member of the crew, the mouse Reepicheep (who had fought to liberate Narnia in the novel Prince Caspian) even travels to the end of the world into Aslan's country. During this voyage, Caspian meets the daughter of Ramandu whom he eventually marries.
Later Life
In 2310 Caspian and Ramandu's daughter marry. Fifteen years later Caspian's wife gives birth to Prince Rilian, the heir apparent to the Narnian Throne.
The Silver Chair
By the time of the Silver Chair, Caspian is in his mid-sixties and is depressed about the death of his wife and disappearance of his son Rilian. He sails east to seek Aslan's advice and has a vision to return to Narnia where Eustace and Jill have rescued Rilian from the underworld. Caspian returns to Narnia long enough to embrace his son before he dies. Caspian is revived in Aslan's country and helps Eustace and Jill deal with the gang of bullies at their school. Then Caspian goes off to eternal life in Aslan's country.
The Last Battle
Caspian makes a very brief appearance at the end of The Last Battle. He is present with all the other major characters at the end of the Narnian world.
References
- Companion to Narnia by Paul F. Ford published by Harper & Row in 1983 ISBN 0062503413
- [http://www.virtualnarnia.com/history/timeline.cfm?menu_parent_id=79&menu_item_id=13 Narnian Timeline]
Caspian X (Prince Caspian)Category:Fictional kings
We meet Eustace at the beginning of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He is the only child of what Lewis describes as progressive parents, who send him to a progressive mixed school. Eustace calls his parents by their first names; his parents are vegetarians, nonsmokers, teetotallers, and wear a special kind of underclothes. At his school, the bullies are supported by the administration, and all the pupils address each other by surname only.
It can be gathered from Eustace's behavior, and the tone that Lewis used in describing his family and school, that Lewis thought such behavior silly and disliked it a great deal. In fact, at the beginning of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lucy and Edmund (heroes from earlier books) find Eustace unbearable and hate having to visit him and his parents.
The narrative of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader focuses a great deal on Eustace. Part of the story is told from extracts of his diary, mostly to show how skewed his point of view is. He describes the ship being in a perpetual storm, complains a great deal about how Lucy has been given Caspian's cabin, and spends time trying to convince members of the crew that by giving girls special treatment they are actually 'putting them down, and making them weaker.'
The change in Eustace starts after he is turned into a dragon by sleeping on the hoard of a recently deceased dragon, with "greedy, dragonish thoughts" in his head. When he returns to the crew, he is nearly attacked, but Lucy realizes that the dragon is Eustace.
The experience of being a dragon changes him; instead of being his usual sulky self, he uses his new abilities to be helpful. The problem comes when it is time to leave the island, as the ship will not hold a dragon, or enough food to feed a dragon.
During this period, Reepicheep, the talking mouse, is very kind to him, even though Eustace has been quite cruel to Reepicheep previously. Eustace is very grateful for this and becomes friends with Reepicheep for the rest of the voyage.
Eventually, Eustace has an encounter with Aslan during which he becomes human again. He returns to camp and tells the story to Edmund first; Edmund shares with Eustace his own redemption story, remarking that "you were only an ass, but I was a traitor." After this, Eustace improves, though he still retains some of his bad habits.
When Eustace returns to our world at the end of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, his parents notice the changes in him. His mother thinks he has become tiresome and commonplace, and blames it on the influence of his cousins. Eustace returns to his school, and at the beginning of The Silver Chair, we are informed that he no longer fits in there the way he used to.
As a result, he befriends fellow misfit Jill Pole, and their joint desire to be away from the school is what draws them into Narnia. In any event, Eustace displays considerable courage and responsibility in Silver Chair and upon his return to Narnia in The Last Battle.
Commentary
The narrator has a great deal of sympathy for Eustace, which is not surprising since Eustace very strongly resembles Lewis himself: a intellectual and skeptic who formerly enjoyed raking believers over his satirical coals, but is brought to a saving knowledge of Christ through a great personal crisis. Eustace's experience in this regard makes him the ideal person to reach out to others of his kind, as exemplified by his bringing Jill into the circle of "friends of Narnia".
In the context of the Christian themes of the Chronicles of Narnia, Eustace's story of repentance and change is a surprisingly literal illustration of 2 Corinthians 5:17 ("if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new"). It is also, of course, an "alternate take" on Edmund's experience. This also brings to mind Christ's admonition to the formerly lame man that he had healed: "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee." John 5:14.
Scrubb, Eustace
- Bergsmörblomma (R. montanus)
- Bukettranunkel (R. asiaticus)
- Knölsmörblomma (R. bulbosus)
- Sjöranunkel (R. lingua)
- Sköldmöja (R. peltatus subsp peltatus)
- Smörblomma (R. acris)
- Stormhattsranunkel (R. aconitifolius)
- Svalört (R. ficaria)
- Vattenmöja (R. aquatilis)
- Vitsippsranunkel (R. platanifolius)
Smörblommor (Ranunculus) är ett växtsläkte med omkring 400 arter från hela världen. De har en kort rhizom som bildar sidoknölar och bladen är oftast handflikiga. De flesta smörblommor är fleråriga örter med gula eller vita blommor. Några är ett- eller tvååriga och några få har orange eller röda blommor. Smörblommor är svagt giftiga.
kategori:Ranunkelväxter
Workers Association of Malmfälten
Workers Association of Malmfälten (in Swedish: Malmfältens Arbetarförening) was a political group in Gällivare, Sweden. MAF was founded in 1985, ahead of the municipal elections. It won one seat in the municipal council of Gällivare. MAF had launced a list with 21 LO membe
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Oestreicher
(German) One from Austria (Österreich)
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The surname sometimes occurs in other families from the Austrian region of Europe.
HISTORY
(Example: My Great Grandfather Leoplod came to America from Baded Bade
