Portal:Narnia/Selected article January 2007

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[edit] Aslan

Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the lion of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books.

He is a talking lion, King of the Beasts, son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea; a wise, compassionate, magical authority (both temporal and spiritual); mysterious and beloved guide to the human children who visit; guardian and saviour of Narnia; and ultimately revealed as its creator and destroyer. To many readers, Aslan represents Christ in one way or another.

Throughout the series, it is often repeated that Aslan is "not a tame lion", since, despite his gentle and loving nature, he is powerful and can be dangerous. He has many followers, which include a plethora of Talking Beasts, Centaurs, Fauns, Dryads, Dwarfs, Satyrs, Naiads, Hamadryads, Silvans, Unicorns, and Winged Horses. Lewis often capitalises the word Lion, to convey the reverence the characters feel towards him.