Aslan

"He's not a tame lion"

- A common Narnian expression meaning that despite Aslan's kind and loving nature, he was also powerful and could be dangerous.

Aslan (pronounced "AS-lan" or, from Turkish, Arabic, and Persian, "AH-slahn" ( ?- 2555), the Great Lion, is the creator and ruler of the World of Narnia. Aslan is the son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea.

Aslan's Divinity
Aslan was the first known living creature in Narnia. Aslan's creation of this world "Narnia" was, in fact, merely a copy (or "shadow") of his own heavenly land, Aslan's Country.

Aslan was called the son of the Emperor-Over-The-Sea.

C.S. Lewis was a rather famous Christian proselyte, so Aslan's metaphorical resemblance to Jesus Christ is probably not an accident. Jesus is often referred to as "The Lamb" by Christians, is called King (of which the Lion is a traditional symbol), sacrificed himself for all people's sins, and then rose again. One important clue in this respect is Aslan's transformation into a lamb at the end of the Dawn Treader, followed by the explanation that he exists in our world too... "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason you were brought into Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you might know me better there."

Regarding Aslan's abilities within the Narnia universe, he indisputably wielded some very supernatural powers and was known to be able to change his physical appearance, taking other animal forms such as those of a lamb, a cat, and an albatross. He, unlike any other character in the series, appears in all seven chronicles.

Narnia's Creation
"Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters."

- Aslan at the creation of Narnia

When human children Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, a cab-driver named Frank, and his horse Strawberry emerged from our Earth into the unborn World of Narnia along with Jadis, a sinister witch from the World of Charn and Digory's uncle, Andrew Ketterley, they altogether witnessed the Creation of Narnia. Aslan was the only living thing on the dark landscape, singing and creating the Stars who joined him in his song to create the world around him to grow and begin the birth of life on the world. Beasts emerged from the ground along with plants, and other animals, both Earth-like and mythical.

Aslan gave power to certain dumb beasts in order to form the council of highly intelligent, talking beasts of Narnia (including Strawberry, who was renamed Fledge and grew wings). Frank became the first ruler of the Kingdom of Narnia. His second son became the first ruler of the neighboring country of Archenland, and the evil Jadis was ultimately banished to the north by Aslan.

White Witch's Usurpation


900 Narnian-years after Narnia's creation, Jadis somehow returned to Narnia, seized power, and ruled for one hundred years, magically placing a seemingly endless Age of Winter upon them for a complete century.

However, the Narnian creatures and people barely lost faith in their lord Aslan, always hoping he would return and defeat the "White Witch", which had become Jadis' new name.

However, Aslan summoned the Pevensie's, a family of four British children from Earth to save Narnia. They learned of Narnia's predicament and soon were leading Aslan's Army in the skirmish at the Stone Table, with Aslan's thankful return.

The Narnians were temporarily saddened when Aslan willingly surrendered himself to the Witch so that he be killed and that Edmund Pevensie could be spared. However, when the Witch executed him on the Stone Table with the Stone Knife, a "deeper magic" miraculously resurrected Aslan in his lion body. He almost immediately after led the Narnians to victory in the Battle of Beruna where he personally killed the Witch by leaping onto her, and mauling her.

Aslan's Missions
During all of the following stories of Narnia's history, from King Caspian X's struggle for power to the rescue of Prince Rilian, Aslan guided Narnian heroes and adventurers from Earth to protect the Narnian world and defend it from evil.

Family

 * The Great Emperor over the sea (Father)
 * His Creation (Children)
 * Possibly lions as a species as distant cousins, like the stone one.

Portrayals in Adaptations
In the 1988 BBC television adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan was voiced by Ronald Pickup.

In the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the 2008 film Prince Caspian, and the upcoming The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is voiced by Liam Neeson.

In the Focus on the Family Radio Plays, he is voiced by David Suchet.

Trivia



 * Lewis originally did not intend for Aslan to appear in any of the books, until the form of a lion appeared to him in a dream one night.
 * Lewis attempts to convey something of the ineffable mystery of the divine by frequently reminding his readers that "Aslan is not a tame lion."
 * The books also make reference to an Emperor-Over-The-Sea, whose son Aslan is said to be; this further highlights his Christ-like status. The Emperor-over-the-Sea is similar to Eru Ilúvatar of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, in His separation from His creation, or considerable equivalent to God.
 * The words "aslan" and "arslan" are Turkish for "lion", with the word later being adopted in Turkish; it was used as a title by a number of rulers, including the notorious Ali Pasha.
 * Aslan appears in all seven books of the Chronicles of Narnia, the only character to do so.
 * Aslan represents Jesus Christ, according to the author, C. S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis uses the analogy in the books that Aslan is the Lion and the Lamb, also said in the Bible about God.
 * Aslan is said to have nine names but not all of them are given in the series.
 * His might went hand in hand with his kindness because he was in essence the Father of Narnia.
 * In Aslan's Country in The Last Battle, Lucy finds Aslan no longer looks like a lion, but we are not told what he looks like. There have been suggestions that he takes the form of a human - Jesus - since in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Lucy and Edmund are told by Aslan that they must learn to recognize him in their world.
 * Lucy is the closest to Aslan and sees him most often.