Cor

"When he was sitting out of doors mending the nets, and all alone, he would often look eagerly to the north."

- Chapter One

Cor, also known as Shasta, was the Prince and later King of Archenland.

The son of King Lune, Cor was kidnapped while still an infant, and stolen away to Calormen. Years later, he returned and saved Archenland from the greatest danger it had ever faced.

He eventually married his one-time travelling companion, Aravis, with whom he ruled once King Lune died. Cor and Aravis also had a son who would later rule as King Ram the Great.

Biography
Cor (later known as Shasta) was born in Archenland as the elder twin brother of Corin; they were sons of King Lune. As a baby, Cor, along with his brother, was brought into Narnia by his parents to be blessed by a wise old centaur. The centaur predicted that Cor would one day save Archenland from the deadliest danger it which ever she lay. One of King Lune's nobles, Lord Bar, who was working as an agent of the Tisroc of Calormen, kidnapped Cor. Bar rode away down the Winding Arrow to the coast. He'd had everything prepared and there was a ship manned with his own followers lying ready for him, and he put out to sea.

King Lune pursued the kidnappers out to sea, but when the treacherous Lord Bar knew that his ship would be caught on the seventh day, he sent Cor away in a boat with a knight, and was killed when his ship was caught. The knight gave all the food he had to Cor, and died of starvation, but the boat was eventually pushed ashore by Aslan.

Cor was found by a Calormen fisherman named Arsheesh, who named him "Shasta," and raised him as little more than a slave. Growing up, Shasta always called Arsheesh "Father," assuming that Arsheesh had sired him.

One day, Arsheesh and Shasta were visited by a Tarkaan and his horse. While Arsheesh and the Tarkaan talked, Shasta heard about how he had been found. He also found out the horse, named Bree, could talk. Bree told him about the lands of the North, and the two decided to escape Calormen and make for those lands.

If Shasta had not escaped, he would have been sold to the Tarkaan, who Bree told him was harsher and crueler than Arsheesh.

Return Home


"Oh hurrah! Then we'll go North. I've been longing to go to the North all my life."

- Chapter One

Some time later, Bree and Shasta met with two other travelers, Aravis and her horse Hwin. After some initial disagreements between the humans in the group, the four decided to continue on their journey together. They traveled without much difficulty, until they came to the Calormen capital of Tashbaan.

They were separated when Cor was mistaken for Prince Corin, who was staying with Queen Susan and King Edmund of Narnia on a diplomatic mission, and who had become separated from the Narnians due to fighting a boy who had insulted Susan. Cor was taken back to the House the Narnians were staying in.

Rabadash, the prince of Calormen, had been courting Susan, but she had seen his true character in Tashbaan, and the group planned to leave secretly so that she could avoid being forced to marry him. From Sallowpad the raven, Shasta heard of a narrow valley with a river in the desert between Calormen and Archenland. Shasta was able to escape following the arrival of his twin brother Corin (neither knew of their relation at the time).

Shasta waited at the Tombs, where he was forced to spend the night; Aslan protected him from jackals and took the form of a cat to comfort him. The next day he reunited with Bree, Hwin, and Aravis. Aravis, while in the city, had heard of Rabadash's plan to invade Archenland, to use it as a staging ground to invade Narnia and abduct Queen Susan.

The group then set out across the desert to warn King Lune of the impending invasion, and on the way, Aslan chased them so they could get to King Lune in time. Aslan began to tear into Aravis' back with his claws, and although Bree was running mad with terror, Shasta hurled himself off the horse and ran back to help Aravis, shouting at the lion to stop. To his utter shock, the lion did stop. The four travelers reached the dwelling of the Hermit of the Southern March, where Aravis stayed to recover. Shasta was given directions by the Hermit and continued on foot, until at last he came across King Lune's party in a wide glad and warned them about the attack. The king raced back to Anvard to prepare his defenses, though Shasta was left behind, as he was unable to ride the horse he had been given properly, being used to riding the Narnian horse Bree.

That night, Shasta met with Aslan, who explained how Shasta had arrived in Calormen and came to be raised by the fisherman. Aslan made sure Shasta found his way to Narnia, enabling him to tell the Narnians of the attack on Archenland. Chervy the Stag delivered the news to Cair Paravel, and Shasta then rested at the house of three dwarfs. Soon after this, he ran into the approaching Narnian army, of which Corin was a part. Corin wanted to fight in the battle, but was disallowed, and so he convinced Shasta to join him in donning a disguise and riding in the army. The battle was observed by the Hermit through his magical pool, and he saw that Shasta had no idea how to use his sword and shield; he was soon disarmed and knocked off his horse. Fortunately, Shasta was largely unhurt, though his left hand needed to be bandaged.

Thus, thanks to his early warning, Shasta was responsible for Rabadash's capture and the destruction of the Calormene army, fulfilling the prophecy that had been made about him so many years ago. After the battle, King Lune revealed that Shasta was really his long-lost son Cor, and officially introduced him to his people, asking if any of them had any doubts concerning Cor's identity. None did.

Cor later invited Aravis to live with him and his family in Anvard, which she accepted. He also learned, to his dismay, that since he had returned to his homeland, he was once again King Lune's heir, and would become king upon his father's death. He asked his father if there were any way he could change this, but was told even the king must obey the law.

Later life
In his later life, Cor became an expert swordsman, but he could never match Corin in terms of fist-fighting. He also married Aravis, and they became the rulers of Archenland after King Lune's death. Their son Ram, also known as Ram the Great, was the most famous of all Archenland's kings.

Afterlife
Cor was taken to Aslan's Country after he died, and he was among those who welcomed everyone there after Narnia was destroyed.

Trivia

 * Cor is the name of a giant in English folklore.
 * "Shasta" is the name of an extinct Native American language.

Cor Cor