The second Summer of Narnia is drawing to a close, so I’d like to share some more images of my fave magic-using evil Queen, Jadis. First is a B&W rendition by comic artist Sebastian Ericson. Long black hair, grasping, claw-like hands, evil sneer, spiky crown… yum.
Jadis, by Sebastien Ericson
A section of a video art project about The Magician’s Nephew showing Jadis seated on her throne in the Hall of Images. She looks very Whore of Babylon-y here with her wild black hair and dark red gown with its motif of stars and crescent moon. Her flamelike gold crown is inspired… and note she’s also “crowned with sun” as in Revelations, except it’s Charn’s giant red one.
Jadis Awaits, by theboo
The same subject gets a different treatment here: on finding Jadis, Digory and Polly are frightened to the point of tears. This version of Jadis is thin, almost skeletal save for her giant breasts, and she sits hunched with a sneer underneath her pert yet severely pointed nose. The artist references her later White Witch persona in the use of icicles and ice crown; she also seems to be floating, alone, on a small snow-covered planetoid.
Spot-on (and looking very Aubrey Beardsley) is this design for Jadis’s gown, cloak, and headpiece.
Two costumes depicting Jadis in her role as Queen of Charn. The one on the left is from a Canadian stage production of The Magician’s Nephew. It’s eye-catching, but feels too much like the costumer designer ran over their budget and so improvised the skirt from some rich-looking fabric scraps left over from other productions.
The right one is based on Pauline Baynes’ pen and ink drawings from the original edition of the book. The crown comes across well but I really doubt the real Jadis would have chosen to wear so sweet a shade of pink.
Jadis experiences weakness and disorientation in the Wood Between the Worlds. Her magic powers did not carry over to this realm, and neither did her urge for dominance. Stripped of these, she’s no longer herself and wants to die.
Jadis and Aslan confer, each carefully keeping their distance. Aslan is open and sincere, but the witch keeps her hand on her knife. The artist is very skilled but the purple of the gown looks out of place, as does her bustle and her pointed red cloth boot.
Edmund meets Jadis in her castle, Maugrim the wolf and the statue of Tumnus attending. The artist sticks to the text and also to Baynes’ original depiction, but adds a nice touch with all the leering gargoyle faces which foreshadow the evil creatures who attend Aslan’s sacrifice.
This Jadis goes with the blonde hair of the movie version, but she’s more angry and devious than Tilda Swinton’s depiction… you can almost hear her gnashing her teeth.
Jadis in her sleigh. Her face looks innocuous, but note that long arm and giant hand!
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