Ginger

Ginger was an orange-coloured tomcat with green eyes who was a close member in the Ape Shift's council at the Stable Hill. He was described as having a silky voice.

After Puzzle the Donkey, had been freed by Jill Pole from his forced hiding in the stable, Shift took to drinking, and the plot was mostly carried on by Ginger and Rishda Tarkaan, the Calormene captain. Both Ginger and Rishda were tired of the Ape, and called him a "stupid, greedy brute". But they went along with Shift's schemes and made use of him because many Narnians already believed he was Aslan's mouthpiece.

Ginger did not believe in Aslan nor Tash. He understood the meaning of Rishda Tarkaan saying that Aslan meant no more than Tash, meaning to say that neither of them existed. He continued to pretend to believe in "Tashlan," as it furthered his and Rishda's evil plot. Ginger came up with the idea to frame Tirian and his group for the False Aslan Affair by saying a False Aslan was running around and the real Aslan, really a Calormene sentry, was inside the stable, Shift announced this lie to the other talking animals the following night. When Shift offered anyone to go inside the stable, Ginger volunteered, knowing he'd be safe, but things turned out different than he and Rishda expected. Ginger ran out disheveled and shrieking in terror, as he had seen the real Tash in the stable. The experience turned him into a dumb beast, which shocked the Narnian Talking Beasts, thinking that Aslan took back the gift of speech. He disappeared up a tree and was never seen again. What happened with Ginger emboldened Emeth to enter the stable.

Trivia
Letters to an American Lady, 22 Feb 1958, mentions that one of Lewis' cats was "a huge Tom called Ginger".

Rosso