The Character of Aslan

This is the first of a series of blog postings I am planning to write about the Chronicles of Narnia series, by C. S. Lewis. I have read the series many times, and I reread it again last summer (2010). With the release of the film Voyage of the Dawn Treader, I decided I wanted to write about some of the key passages in the seven books. So here is the first one, as I go through the books in order.

From The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, Chapter 8, when the four Pevensie children are talking with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about Aslan:

"Is—is he a man?" asked Lucy.

"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion."

"Ooh!" said Susan, "I'd thought he was a man. "Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."

"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."

"I'm longing to see him," said Peter, "even if I feel frightened when it comes to the point."

Aslan is the character that Lewis uses throughout the Narnia books to represent Christ. And here we see some of the key feelings towards Aslan and ideas about him that the creatures of Narnia have, that the four children will end up having, and that Lewis intends for us to have by extension concerning Christ.

First, Aslan/Christ is not safe. He's not a tame teacher or leader who fits our preconceived ideas of what is right or what ought to be. He has his own agenda. He knows the world better than we do. He knows right and wrong better than we do. He knows us better than we know ourselves. And when one day we meet him, if we can appear before him without our knees knocking, then we are, as Lewis says, braver than most or else just silly.

Second, Aslan/Christ is not safe, but he's good. We can trust him to do what is right and fair, even when we don't understand why he does what he does. We can give our lives to his control and trust that they are in good hands. The children find this out again and again during their adventures in Narnia, and I have found it out again and again in my life, as have many others too many to count. He surprises us in the end with how he was right, and fair, all along. He is good.

Third, Aslan/Christ is the King. He's not just a friend or an advisor, though he is those things as well. In our times we don't like hierarchy, and we don't like bosses (we have "managers" instead at work). But nevertheless, he is the King. He is utterly in authority. And he has the right to be so, because he is so much greater and wiser than we are; he made us. And remember, he is good, even through the bad times. We have a King who is thoroughly good.

I love Peter's response at the end of this passage. "I'm longing to see him," said Peter, "even if I feel frightened when it comes to the point." That is how all those who know Christ feel about him. He is so good, so wonderful, so winsome, that we long to be with him. And as we read through the Narnia books, we find that that is what the Pevensie children long for too. Unlike in the movies, they do not long for the restoration of their ability to be kings and queens again. No, what they long for is Aslan. He is not safe, but he is good.