Aravis Tarkheena
is an underrated character in Narnia lore. While all the Narnia characters are
nuanced, I love Aravis for being a brown, Indian/Arab princess who fights! She also
has a interracial relationship with Cor, the Archenland Prince. Calormen is
based off India and ancient Turkey. It has a polytheistic religion. Honestly pretty progressive for the time! I love how
all the Narnia books have nuance and I didn’t realize until I was older just
how multi-cultural the series actually is.
My other love for the series is through the Pevensie
children who earned their titles. Lucy, the youngest, is known for sword
fighting and dagger throwing and regularly accompanies her brothers into battles.
Unlike Susan, who waits at home and earned the name Gentle. Lucy earned
the name Valiant, meaning she had to do some extortionary feats to have
that title. The Pevensie sibling relationship is unmatched only by the love of the Bridgerton siblings with each other.
The other characters like Eustace who is a crotchety, insufferable
boy turns into a great asset for Narnia and really changes his perspective.
Foiled with Edmund, a Judas-like character, who completely sells out his family
for power; Edmund guides Eustace and their cousinship is really underrated.
The various dynamics and timelines and crossovers make
Narnia so appealing and it is something I have not found in more modern fantasy
novels. Professor Kirke who was there when Narnia was created, is an old man
when LWW takes place and his very wardrobe created from a Narnian tree, takes
the Pevensies to Narnia where they defeat Jadis. Jadis, who originates from a parallel
world and in Magician’s Nephew, Narnia is just one world, and there are many
worlds all connected. The lore is amazing and just vague enough for perfect
fanfics.
The characters in Narnia are full of hope and struggle. Many
like Susan and Edmund go through loss and grief. Eustace struggles with being
brave and understanding a completely foreign world. Caspian struggles with the legacy of his ancestors. The characters are great
examples for kids who may struggle at trying new things. I like it when authors
create books where each character gets fleshed out and yet they all coalesce
and meet. The world building reflects everyone, young, old, and redeemed. The
religious systems are interesting as well but that can be a different article!😆