Jadis

Jadis was the last Queen of Charn and the most infamous Queen of Narnia. Originally from the World of Charn, she was accidentally brought to the World of Narnia, and although banished to the North by the great lion Aslan, she returned 900 Narnian-years later when she usurped power from the royal family of Narnia. As a curse upon her Narnian subjects, she began the Long Winter, thus earning her the title, the "White Witch" She magically forced Narnia into a hundred-year state of frozen snow and ice during her reign. Her cruelty eventually evoked the Narnians into an triumphant uprising known as the Winter Revolution.

Charn
Jadis was born half-Jinn, half-Giant in the world of Charn. Very little is known about her childhood or early adult life. It is known, however, that she begun to practice witchcraft in her own world and delved into dark magic, beyond what was considered proper. She apparently discovered a magic spell that her ancestors had hidden long before, strong enough to destroy all living things. This was known as the Deplorable Word, and was Jadis' greatest weapon.

As a member of the royal family, she became engaged in a global power struggle with her own sister as the two fought to become queen of their worldwide empire. At the beginning of this war, there was a clear agreement made to prohibit the use of magic though, according to Jadis herself, her sister broke this promise. The final battle of the conflict lasted three days during which Jadis' forces were slaughtered completely by those of her sister until Jadis stood alone within her palace. As her sister climbed the palace terrace toward her, Jadis, rather than surrender, suddenly spoke the Deplorable Word. Charn instantly became a desolate world where all living organisms perished instantly. By default, Jadis became queen.

With no living creatures left to rule over, Jadis placed a spell on herself that would preserve herself seated statuesquely beside the images of other nobles in her palace's Hall of Images. This spell would last until the an occasion that someone rang the small bell located in the Hall. In this state she remained for unknown centuries until the bell was struck by two human children who had accidentally arrived in her world. Upon being awoken, she demanded the name of the magician who had sent for her. The boy who had woken her, Digory Kirke, told her that Andrew Ketterley, his uncle, was a magician from Earth. He and his companion, Polly Plummer, were then forced to take Jadis with them back to their own world, by a combination of physical force and Jadis's charms, which she used to manipulate Digory.

Journey to Earth
On their journey they traveled through the Wood between the Worlds. There Jadis strangely appeared much uglier and even paler and had difficulty breathing the air, seeming suddenly weakened. The three passed on again. They all landed in Earth back at the house of Digory's uncle, Andrew Ketterley in England (in Earth-year 1900). Jadis seemed revitalised and, upon meeting him, realised that Andrew was only a very minor magician, and his abilities nothing compared to hers. Andrew succumbed to her wishes in fright and acted as her slave. Jadis began plotting her takeover of Earth, only to discover that much of her magic would not work in another world. Nonetheless, she began causig mayhem by mere force and intimidation, causing Andrew's sister Letty, in confusion, to contact the local police.

Jadis, meanwhile had attacked several people, robbed a jewelery store, and announced her intentions of world domination to the people of London, causing tumult. She had also stolen a cab and cabhorse, which she mounted after crashing the cab, using it as a chariot. As police closed in, Jadis pulled an iron bar off of a lamppost and began striking out with it. The fight went on for several minutes until young Digory and Polly, by use of Andrew's magic, managed to drag her back into the Wood Between the Worlds. In the process, they inadvertently dragged the cabhorse, the cabdriver, and Uncle Andrew with them.

By another accident, all six were removed from the Wood and carried not back into Charn, but into yet another new world: the unborn world of Narnia.

Early Narnia
This new world was completely dark when they arrived. Then a voice began to sing and light appeared along with the Great Lion, Aslan, marking the beginning of Narnian-year 1. The lion's song created life all around them including grass, trees, and flowers growing abruptly from the ground. Jadis, understanding of and disturbed by the sight of the dawning of life on a new planet, approached Aslan and hurled the lantern piece at him; he seemed unaffected as it struck him, the bar landing in the ground and thus growing into a fresh new lamp-post as if it were a blossoming new tree. Jadis, unable to manipulate the situation any longer, and realising she had arrived in a world which did not yet contain evil, fled, leaving her companions behind in the new world.

Jadis was indeed the first evil to enter Narnia, and her corruption would impact it for years to come. She became aware shortly afterwards that Aslan intended to plant a powerful tree in Narnia which would keep her away forever. She also learned that Digory was the one chosen to plant the tree. An intrigued Jadis made her own way to the garden containing the tree. There, she plucked and greedily ate a silver apple of the Tree of Youth, thus becoming immortal. Upon Digory's arrival, she tried to persuade him to not plant the tree that would lead to her banishment: first, by encouraging him to eat the fruit himself, telling him that it would make him alive and young forever, and they could control Narnia together. Second, to give the fruit to his dying mother instead, assuring him that it would cure her of her illness. Digory was able to resist both temptations, and even rebuffed her angrily. After his refusal, Jadis immedately set out toward the north, far from Narnia and the Tree of Protection.

For 900 years, Jadis lived in the Wild Lands of the North, biding her time and gathering her forces for a great attack on Narnia. During this time, she devised a new magic wand, which would give her the power to turn anyone into stone. Jadis is known to have worked at other magical spells and inventions during this time as well.

After the Tree of Protection died, Jadis at last returned to the Kingdom of Narnia and in year 900; she conquered the land and named herself Queen of Narnia. She immediately put her centuries of magical study to work, fabricating a perpetual climate of snow and ice throughout the Kingdom, which not only oppressed the Narnian citizens but also ensured that no more silver apple trees could be grown.

The Hundred Year Winter
For one hundred years of Jadis's reign, the seasons of spring, summer, and autumn were extinct during this Long Winter; she also famously banned the celebration of Christmas. Jadis became known among the Narnians as the White Witch and quickly secured an absolutist control over the nation, establishing the first Narnian Secret Police and building herself a palace. She abolished any judicial system, merely punishing all of her political enemies by turning them into stone and decorating their statuesque figures in her palace courtyard. The Witch also banned any humans from Narnia. This was done in retaliation to the Golden Age Prophecy, which stated that she would someday be overthrown by four human boys and girls.

In year 1000, Jadis happened upon a young human in Narnia. After inviting him to sit with her, Jadis learned that he was, indeed, one of the children foretold in the prophecy, though he did not yet know it. His name, he said, was Edmund Pevensie, and he was the third of four children from the world of Earth. Edmund also informed her that his sister Lucy had previously visited Narnia. Jadis learnt that one of her own spies, called Tumnus, had been harboring the human. Jadis used her magic to exploit Edmund's weakness and persuade him to come and see her again, bringing all of his siblings.

Soon after, Tumnus was arrested by the secret police and turned into stone for his treachery against the Witch. Edmund and his siblings returned to Narnia, but once young Lucy and her elders, Peter and Susan, discovered that he was gone, they became very cautious, and instead of going with Edmund to see Jadis, they stopped with a Beaver couple to discuss the fate of the Faun Tumnus. Edmund then left them to see Jadis and tell her that he had brought his siblings and she had only to come and see them.

With all her potential victims in place, Jadis took Edmund prisoner and moved to arrest the other three humans. The Beavers and other members of the Narnian Resistance, however, had warned them and fled.

At this same time, word began to travel that Aslan, the Great Lion, had returned to Narnia, signaling the end of Jadis' days. The ecstatic Narnians, mostly comprising talking beasts, inspired by the return of their lord and the leadership of the Pevensies, rose into rebellion in the Winter Revolution. With no other choice left to her, Jadis prepared to go to war.

Winter Rebellion
The War began, thus, in Spring of the year 1000. Jadis' power weakened with the return of Aslan and of spring. Growing desperate, she chose to cut her losses and execute Edmund herself, thus preventing the fateful prophecy from coming completely true. She was interrupted, however, when Narnian soldiers stormed her encampment, following her own soldiers back from their retreat at the the Battle of Aslan's Camp. Jadis and her personal dwarf escaped by magic, but Aslan's forces still made off with Edmund.

Jadis immediately switched tack to prepare for battle. Having already summoned all her soldiers, she launched a twofold plan; on the one hand, to prepare for an all-out military conflict, and on the other, to negotiate to weaken her enemies before the war. She had one powerful weapon which could be used to the second end; her legal claim over Edmund Pevensie's life.

Jadis traveled to Aslan's camp to present her claim and to retake Edmund. Aslan, acknowledging her right, chose to negotiate with her. Unbeknownst to anyone in his own forces, Aslan chose to offer his own life in return. Jadis accepted, and a battle date was set for the following morning. That night, Jadis and her armies took possession of the high ground at the Stone Table, where she was to sacrifice Aslan.

Aslan appeared, as planned, and after allowing her forces to humiliate and torture him, Jadis spoke a few words to him in private, reminding him that without his power, the four new kings and queens would never survive. After stabbing him in the heart, she and her armies left to return to camp and arm up.

The following morning, Jadis engaged in combat against the newly made Prince Peter in the First Battle of Beruna. Her wand made her almost invincible, though the Narnians fought well against her. At the height of the conflict, the boy Edmund, now a prince, smashed through several of her guards and destroyed the wand, gravely wounding himself in the process. Shortly thereafter, Jadis engaged in a direct combat with Peter himeself. In the midst of their duel, Aslan arrived with reinforcements, having come back to life by his own magic.

Upon arriving, Aslan leapt on Jadis. She was presumably killed at once.

Right to Rule
The White Witch made two false claims which, if true, would have given her authority to rule over Narnia. The first was that she was human. At the beginning of Narnia Aslan gave "sons of Adam and daughters of Eve" dominion over all the beasts (nontalking or talking) and magical creatures of Narnia. (Even though they can and do reproduce with humans, Narnian dwarfs are not considered to be human; they are referred to as "Sons of Earth".) Although the White Witch appears human (despite her unnatural skin color and above average height), she is actually descended from Adam's first wife, Lilith, and was one of the Jinn, and on the other side was half giant. She killed her younger sister to get the Throne of Charn. Her second claim was that she was a servant of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea and ruled by his and Aslan's blessing. Because she was the first to rebel in Narnia, by the workings of the Deep Magic, she was given ownership and the right to kill all traitors and all those who willingly would follow her. She was in essence the Emperor's hangman and carried out her executions on the stone table. In this way she could represent a Satanic figure, much more so in fact, than Narnia's other Satanic figure, Tash.

Physical appearence
A seven foot tall, strikingly beautiful and Amazonian woman, the Witch was depicted with long black hair in the books, but ash blonde in the Disney films. Actress Tilda Swinton stated that in the films director, Andrew Adamson, conceived Jadis as an Aryan figure or white supremacist. Jadis had an excellent sense of style and always dressed in an extravagant manner that showed off her power and status. In The Magician's Nephew she was depicted in long, flowing Romanesque robes, while in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe she wore furs. In the film she has a varied wardobe, ranging from a glittering blue gown with a white fur cloak to a tight-fitting dress that she wore in battle. In both the books and the film, Jadis wears a crown but whereas in the books it is described as gold, in the film it is made of ice. During the Battle of Beruna in the film, she wears Aslan's mane as a headdress to show her superiority, whereas in the book, this was absent.

After eating the apple from the tree of life in The Magician's Nephew, her skin was turned white as paper and remained so in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Powers and abilities
Jadis was an incredibly powerful magician (magic running in the royal blood of Charn) but found her power largely useless in other worlds. In Charn she had the ability to blast down doors, read minds, cast frightening spells on those who annoyed her and could also employ the terrifying power of the Deplorable Word. She also had superhuman strength that she retained on earth and in Narnia.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe her powers have dramatically increased, to the point that she is able to keep Narnia bound in winter for a hundred years, but she uses her impressive powers more sparingly. One of her signature abilities is to transform living beings into stone statues. However, she needs a magic wand to cast spells, whereas in Charn she could cast spells with a mere word.

In addition to her magical abilities, Jadis has been shown to be an incredibly skilled warrior, and even after Edmund destroyed her wand in the final battle, she very nearly killed him and toyed with his older brother, Peter, before overwhelming him in an impressive display of swordplay just before she was slain by Aslan.

It is mentioned by a hag in Prince Caspian that witches, notably the White Witch, can never really die: they possess a form of immortality and can always be brought back through a dark ritual.

Personality
Jadis is depicted as the ultimate personification of pure evil in the Narnian universe, a satanic temptress responsible for bringing evil into Narnia. She was sadistic, arrogant and narcissistic, viewing herself as above all rules of conduct. She was incapable of viewing anyone as her equal and saw others simply as tools to be used or obstacles to be demolished. With all these traits it may be accurate to describe her as a sociopath. Jadis's personality was marked by a total lack of conscience. She had no concept of loyalty and even after wiping out her entire species, showed a remorseless pride in her actions. A true megalomaniac, she was obsessed with power and filled with a desire to conquer and subjugate everyone and everything she came into contact with. Despite her vicious nature however, she could be charming when she needed to be. Jadis was also prone to violent mood swings, calm and calculating one minute and furious the next.

Jadis was shown to be extremely self-confident, almost to the point of rash impulsiveness but showed cowardice when around Aslan. She is possibly the only character in the series who possesses no redeeming traits however she is perhaps to be admired for her intellect, confidence and bravery (except in the presence of Aslan). In the 2005 Disney film she is also portrayed as having something of a dry, cynical wit.

Weapons
The Witch's primary weapon was her wand, a long, sceptre like device capable of turning anyone or anything (with the possible exception of Aslan) into stone. In the books, the wand was made of gold, like Jadis's crown and was capable of long range firing whereas in the film, like her crown it is made of ice and requires vicinity with its victim to work.

In both the books and the 2005 Disney film, she possesses a stone dagger which she uses to kill Aslan.

In the film, she is also shown to be a formidable swordfighter and employs the use of two swords in battle which she wields with deadly proficiency. In the book the swords are absent and she uses her dagger in battle, seemingly wearing her enemies down with pure belligerence rather than any especial skill.

In The Magician's Nephew, she temporarily uses a bar of metal that she snapped off a lamp-post as a weapon.

Trivia

 * The Witch is based on four characters in fiction: Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost, Ayesha from She by Rhyder J. Haggard, the Snow Queen from Hans Christian Anderson's fantasy story of the same name and the Queen of Babylon from the Story of the Amulet by Nesbit. The mythological character of Lilith was also an inspiration for her character and Jadis is said to be descended from her in the stories.
 * She has a tendency to walk back and forth, especially when unsure.
 * Jadis' name, coincidentally or not, is equivalent to a word in the French language signifying "a long time ago".

Deaths
The way the Witch dies is different in each adaptation of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe :
 * In the book, the only details given are that Aslan "flung himself upon the Witch" and that they "rolled over together but with the Witch underneath". When next we see her she is dead.


 * In the animated film, Aslan jumps from a high ledge and lands on the Witch, crushing her and completely destroying her.


 * In the BBC film, Aslan kills the Witch with his roar which causes her to lose her balance and fall off a cliff.


 * In the Disney film, Aslan pins the Witch down and then mauls her to death.

Resurrection Theories

 * During the events of the Disney version of Prince Caspian, Nikabrik, despairing of Aslan or the Pevensies arriving, brought in a hag and a werewolf who offered a way to revive the White Witch by using Jadis' wand to create a wall of ice between two pillars inside Aslan's How. However, Peter, Edmund, and Trumpkin arrived just in time to stop them. In the Disney film, she materialised as though entrapped behind the wall of ice. She tempted Caspian, who was pushed away by Peter, and then she charmed Peter, but the wall of ice was stabbed from behind by Edmund, shattering it into fragments with the Witch disappearing instantly. This was believed to be an attempt at resurrecting the Witch.
 * In the original literary version, Nikabrik also prepares to resurrect the Witch, but he and his two allies are slain before they can even begin the ritual.
 * There is another theory that the Witch later reappears in The Silver Chair as the Lady of the Green Kirtle, and that effectively, The Lady of the Green Kirtle is merely a resurrected form of Jadis. Later in the book, she transformed into a giant green serpent, but was killed by Rilian, thus dying for certain. There is little evidence to support this theory and the theory was mostly the result of the fact that the White Witch and the Green Witch were played by the same person in the BBC adaptations of the books and that in some versions of the books series that have character descriptions at the beginning, Jadis is said to appear in both The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, as well as in the Silver Chair. Glimfeather the owl called the Green Witch "One of the same crew," referring to the "Northern witches." This could not be possible if they were one and the same. Also, if they were the same person, C.S. Lewis would have probably confirmed such a theory.

Jadis