Here we have one of the most overlooked characters in The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe: the lamppost. The young lady portraying it clearly takes her job very seriously. She shows no emotion, as a pole made of metal and glass would, and should. Other members of the play’s cast might have danced and cavorted around her, wept and laughed, overacted; but she remains stiff and stoic, handling the role as an honor, even if she had been overlooked for the more plummy parts.
Calormen Outpost, by Gkaida
Cavaransies have existed for thousands of years along trading routes in India, the Middle East, and North Africa. They provided travelers a place to eat, rest, and restock their supplies. Usually they were set at intervals along the road, the spacing calculated by the time spent in a typical day’s travel. Many of them were built like forts, high walls keeping out bandits and such and an open interior to keep animals and warehouse goods. As some caravans could contain up to 500 camels, the size of these places was truly titanic.
Exterior of a large caravansery in India
There were no caravanseries in Calormen’s Great Desert. Lewis tells us there was only a single oasis between Tashbaan and the Archenland mountains, and that was too small to support a large army’s passing. That was why neither Archenland or Narnia were ever invaded by land. But other parts of Calormen were connected by trading roads and the Tisroc likely sponsored traveler’s rests there. One is hinted at in The Horse and His Boy: the city of Azim Balda, situated at a crossroads, where messengers rode out. (Courier services were also a feature of caravanseries.)
In that vein, here’s some caravansary stops with evocative names.
| Pool of Flying Feathers
Chamna Cistern Nine Palms Oasis Caverns of Ishaq El-Tahyal Caravansery Spring of the Faithful Virgin Tashrani Salt Pans Tower of the Sparrow The Jeweled Oasis Ruins of Saam-Hur Fort Chemandz Lost Lake |
Like the Seven Isles, not much is known about Archenland. In the books it serves as Narnia’s steadfast ally, a typical Medieval European country ruled by humans that lacks the magic ** and the Talking Beasts of Narnia. It figures most prominently in The Horse and His Boy. Lewis gives it a few quirky details, like brothers having short first names which in the younger one is extended by a syllable (see Twins of Archenland) but other than that it isn’t explicitly fleshed out.
However, we can infer quite a lot about it from what is there. It is a mountainous country, and some of those mountains are high enough to be snowed in at winter and act as a protective barrier to Narnia. It is likely landlocked because no Archenlandian navy is mentioned. It is a rural place and its people are neither traders or warriors, and as country it has existed for a very long time without any major disruptions, ones that we know of anyway.
All of these factors make me think of it as a kind of Switzerland, leaning mostly on the Germanic side, and in that vein I came up with some unique dishes for it.
| High Summer Roast: Wild boar doused with thickened dark ale, then spit-toasted over a fruitwood fire. Wood from an apple tree is best.
Ironcake: A rye flatbread baked on a flat river stone that has been heated in a fire. Delicious when topped with pork cracklings or served with Moonmelt. Moonmelt: There is a legend in Archenland that the moon is made of cheese. This dish is similar to a Swiss fondue in that several types of cheese are combined in a copper pot in which pieces of bread or other food items are dipped. Dundlefiskel: Smoked fish served with sweet pickles as an appetizer. Kingsmash: Well-boiled potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and carrots mashed together with butter and goat cheese curds. The wet mixture is poured in a deep casserole dish and topped with bread crumbs and parsley, then baked in the oven until the top is crispy. Archenlandian mulled wine: Served at the Yule holidays. Spruce resin is one of the many spices that give it a distinct flavor. Gleisten: A pale cider made from late apples and pears flavored with alpine herbs. Applehoney Pie: Said to have created by Queen Aravis who missed the honey-flavored desserts of her native Calormen. Honey is used liberally in this pie instead of sugar and the crust is exceptionally sweet and flaky. |
** There is the magic pool of The Hermit of the Southern Marches, but it’s not clear if he’s within the borders of Archenland or not.
Design for a book cover with the kids and the witch, who, with her golden halo, looks like an evil saint. I like how the artist caught aspects of the kids’ personalities here and gave them the correct hair colors that were in the book.
An angry witch who appears to screaming “Hand over that traitor right NOW!”
The witch on her throne surrounded by petrified creatures. She looks a bit petrified herself.
An epic, mature White Witch by artist Denver Balbaboco who might have stepped out of an Wagnerian opera.
A manga White Witch. This is the scene where she offers Edmund (who is inexplicably kneeling in the snow) the Turkish Delight, but she’s a bit too wholesome and cheery for my taste. Edmund’s nighttime getup is copied from the movie, the witch’s bubble grown from this Leo and Diane Dillon rendition.
This White Witch, from a stage production, is so vain she has her own face carved into the back of her “throne” (a fabric-draped wicker peacock chair, once a Pier One specialty.) Her majorette hat, combined with her wimple and kimono-like gown, is inspired, despite the cheap-looking Maugrim who’s wearing a Halloween werewolf mask on his head.
THIS is how you do a White Witch / Edmund Halloween costume couple!
A mournful White Witch print by artist Jonathan Bean, who did a whole series of alternate Chronicles covers available as signed, limited-edition prints.
Say WHAT?
Artwork by Lara Carson
Here’s a number of interesting White Witches that I found over the course of a year. The above one is of Jadis in her… chariot! She kept it stored in her garage in case the snow melted. In the Walden movie it was pulled by polar bears.
Another unusual one is this fiber arts White Witch — based on a still from the Walden movie — with embellishments of embroidery, faux pearls, silver chains, and sequins. It was an Etsy offering.
Jadis, by Jade Alexandria
Jadis past, in her first life as Queen of Charn, and Jadis present, as the White Witch.
Jadis tempts Edmund, but he’s skeptical. The colored pencil works well with the storybook, childlike style.
Artwork by Don Sparrow
A simple sketch that conveys the witch’s cunning and evil.
Jadis, Queen of Narnia, by enjay_dee_deyzoh9
The witch wears a featherlike (or scaled?) gown here with a gold crown, as is correct. “How do you like my manicure, dearies?”
Artwork by Ellen Walker
A mop-top Edmund shivers with pleading eyes and Jadis reacts in fear? Surprise? It might be the moment where Edmund tells her he has brothers and sisters and she realizes the prophecy may be fulfilled.
A different take on the White Witch — ripped! AI art.
In part two of this series I’m going to concentrate on more… aspirational Maugrims.
For example, who says Maugrim has to be male?
None of these were from a Narnia production, as far as I know, but I’m including them to show the variation when costuming a wolf character.
Now, imagine the impact on stage of a whole pack of wolves.
These characters are from the world of dance where they know a thing or two about creating effective costumes. Ballet companies have larger budgets than many amateur theater groups and their costumes are made to last through many performances. Often they’re warehoused until the time comes when that production is on the season bill again.
Here’s a Narnia Maugrim dressed in plate armor, a different take on costuming him. But how does he speak with those fangs in his mouth?
Want to try a wolf makeup on yourself?
AI image
After all this time I’ve realized I’ve never described the Narniaworld water park.
The water amusement area was intended to be an integral adjunct to the greater park and was built at the same time. It is themed around the book The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. There is a separate admission fee or one can buy a combination ticket for both the water park and the main park. The latter is the option most visitors opt for.
The water park lies below the main (north) entrance to the park on a large terrace overlooking the bay. It is accessed by a curving ramp through thick woods, which effectively hide it from the view of the main park. Lockers are available to rent and there are male and female changing rooms.
The park is arrayed around a large lagoon known as Glasswater. There is an island in the middle, Dragon Isle, with a statue of Eustace in his dragoned state. One “bay” of the lagoon serves as a shallow splash pool for small children. Opposite this is a replica of The Dawn Treader ship with water guns, showers, and slides where older children can play and climb on the riggings. Off its stern are two water slides.
There are well-kept, soft grass lawns around the pool where visitors can spread their towels or lie on one of the beach loungers. The Wild Sea Serpent Shanty snack bar offers things to eat as well as amenities like suntan lotion.
Lately Narniaworld has realized the limitations of this model, which is designed more for families with small children than adults. New concepts are being researched for a more exciting and immersive experience.
Artwork by M. S. Corley
I was so sure this edition of the Chronicles was real! That is, they were once for sale in a bookstore and over the decades eventually scanned and uploaded to the internet.
Alas, they are not. These designs are the work of graphic artist M. S. Corley and were created in 2009, a date decades past the 1960s-70s style they’re a magnificent pastiche of. And by golly I do mean magnificent: the artist has managed to capture everything dull and unappealing about book design of that era yet made them work. They’re both low budget and highbrow, like the cheap, utilitarian classic lit paperbacks intended for college students to read in English Lit, available in the campus bookstore for a buck or two. In 1971 that is.
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