Puddleglum

Puddleglum was a Marsh-wiggle living near the River Shribble in the Marshlands. He had a rather solemn demeanor, and was, as Jill Pole put it, a "wet blanket." He was distrustful of strangers, although his misgivings were not often wrongly placed. He would constantly be expecting the worst to happen, but always encouraged everyone to "put a bold face on it."

Biography
His origins are unknown, though it is likely he grew up in Marshes south of the river Shribble. He may have lived through the War of Deliverance in 2303.

Quest for Prince Rilian
In 2356 NY, Puddleglum was visited by two owls, who left behind them two human children called Eustace and Jill. Puddleglum was asked to join the two on their quest to find the lost prince of Narnia, Rilian. Puddleglum took the two children in and agreed, and thereafter set out as their helper and guide. During their journeys they traveled north in search of the Ruined City of the Giants.

Before they could find it, however, they met with a strange lady who gave them directions to the castle of Harfang, there to stay with the Gentle Giants.

Puddleglum denounced her pessimisitically and was reluctant to believe her, but at last went along with the children. Upon his arrival at Harfang, Puddleglum became very drunk and had to be taken away by a giant. He was later reunited with the children the next day, when they discovered that they had passed by the city Aslanhad instructed them to find. Not only that, but they were trapped inside Harfang by the giants. Devising a sceme to try and escape, Puddleglum and the children played along with the giants, acting as friends. That day, Puddleglum overheard two giants telling of how the venison they were eating had come from a talking stag. Horrified, he declared he would rather have killed himself than do such a thing. Later, the three stumbled upon a giant's cookbook, where they found recipes for cooking both men and marshwiggles, and realised too late that the giants intended to fatten and eat them. Puddleglum led the children away from Harfang and kept them calm as they attempted to escape. Once they were missed, however, he bade them run. Inside the Ruined City of the Ancient Giants, he found a hole and led the children underground until a rockslide sent them down into the core of the earth. They were found there by a troop of gnomes, who arrested them and took them to the Queen of Underland.

At Underland's capital city, Puddleglum, Jill, and Eustace met with the prince of Underland, in the queen's absence. They shared dinner and conversation, during which the three visitors deduced that the prince himself was a queer and malicious youth in love with the Queen, the very same lady who had directed them to Harfang. In time, however, he shared with them that he was under a spell and would soon turn into a serpent unless tied to a magical chair. He begged them to stay with him through his madness, to which they kindly agreed. Once he had been tied and begun to lose his mind, however, the Prince seemed to become a different person. He begged Puddleglum and the children to loose him, telling them that it was this hour alone that he was sane, and that if he could only get out of that enchanted chair, it would last: he would be a man again. During these pleadings, however, he apparently did not recognize Puddleglum as a Marshwiggle, or remember that he was the Prince of Narnia. He did, however, remember Aslan, for he besought the three in the name of Aslan to loose him. This gesture convinced Puddleglum and the children that he was telling the truth, and Puddleglum and Eustace freed him. Released from the enchantment, he destroyed the Chair, recognized PUddleglum, and introduced himself as Prince Rilian, the very man for whom they had been searching.

Before the four could make further plans, the Queen of Underworld arrived and found them there. She attempted for some time to replace the spell and enchant them all. Though they fought, they slowly, one by one, began to fall prey to her sorcery. When the spell was nearly complete, however, Puddleglum, in a fierce and brave gesture, roused himself and stomped out her magic fire, burning himself rather badly and ending the spell. In fury, the Queen turned herself into a serpent and attacked Rilian, but was quickly killed by the swords of Puddleglum, Eustace, and Rilian.

Afterwards, the four agreed to escape at once. Puddleglum captured one of the former Queen's gnomes and from him learned that the gnomes, too, had been under a spell and now, upon the Queen's death were freed with the intent of going back to their own country. Puddleglum and his companions rode through the tunnels of Underland to reach at last the only path leading to the aboveground lands. There they found themselves coming up in Narnia, where they were welcomed and Puddleglum was treated for his wounds.

His later life is unknown, although it is likely he remained friends with the new King Rilian. Later he was revealed to be present in Aslan's Country after the world had ended.

Appearance
Puddleglum is a tall, gangly, and weedy-looking fellow with greenish-gray tinted skin. His hair is described as looking like long, flat reeds. Though humanoid, the length of his arms and legs limbs in proportion to his short and narrow body belie any possibility of his being human. (His body is only the size of a dwarf's, but he stands rather taller than a human man.) Puddleglum (and by extension, all wiggles) is described as being frog-like creatures with human characteristics. He is known to wear a wide-brimmed pointed hat at most times.

Character
Puddleglum is described as an eternal cheerful pessimist. His frontmost trait is his habit for expecting distaster in nearly every situation and indeed assuming the worst in everyone. Humans may find this depressing and irritating, yet Puddleglum's fellow marsh-wiggles consider him to be 'flighty'. When disaster does strike, Puddleglum proves that he is not just a 'wet blanket', as Eustace calls him. He displays loyalty to Aslan and to the signs even after his companions all but abandon their quest. He also shows remarkable courage and resilience in the face of the Lady of the Green Kirtle and the Fall of Underland.

Puddleglum's weakness, it would seem, is strong drink, even bordering on alcoholism.

Dwelling
Puddleglum's house and home is very similar to old style hand-made haystacks, which you can still occasionally see (in season) in Wolvercote Village Oxon.



Trivia

 * Lewis said that his gardener Fred Paxford was inspiration for the loyal and pessimistic Puddleglum (Douglas Gresham recalls, "If you said good morning to him, he might reply, 'Ah! Looks like rain afore lunch, though; if'n it don't snow or hail, tha's.'")
 * He was played by Tom Baker in the BBC version of the Silver Chair

Trauerpfützler