- "But, darling, only think! Three palaces, and one of them that beautiful one down on the lake at Ilkeen. Positively ropes of pearls, I'm told. Baths of asses' milk. And you'd see a lot more of me."
"He can keep his pearls and palaces as far as I'm concerned."
"You always were a queer girl, Aravis. What more do you want?" - ―Lasaraleen and Aravis (Chapter 7) [src]
Lasaraleen was a Calormene Tarkheena, or noblewoman, during the Golden Age of Narnia. She was the wife of a wealthy Calormene Tarkaan, a reverent member of the Tisroc's court, a socialite, and an acquaintance of Aravis.
Biography[]
Lasaraleen grew up in Calormen, and was a rather rich and spoiled young woman. She and Aravis knew each other quite well, as they were both from powerful families, and had often stayed in the same houses and been to the same parties together.
At a young age (probably thirteen or fourteen), she was married off to a wealthy Tarkaan and went to live in the capital city of Tashbaan. Here she mixed with the very highest levels of society, socializing with nobles and royals alike.
Lasaraleen and Aravis.
In 1014, Tashbaan was visited by a Narnian embassy, whom Lasaraleen was able to meet. She didn't think much of Queen Susan, but thought that some of the Narnian men were lovely. Lasaraleen found her friend Aravis on the street and invited the girl to stay at her mansion temporarily. Her husband was away at the time. Aravis accepted, revealing that she was running away from her own arranged marriage.
Lasaraleen agreed to help her escape the city by taking her through an abandoned palace to a water-door, by which one could get out of Tashbaan without being seen by night.
While in the palace, the two girls stumbled upon a secret meeting of the Tisroc, his son Prince Rabadash, and the Grand Vizier, Ahoshta_(books) Tarkaan (Aravis' betrothed). She was horribly afraid of the Tisroc, and Aravis had to force her to go on. Eventually, Lasaraleen and Aravis got to the water-door safely, and (presumably) Lasaraleen got home safely.
Her later life is unknown, though it is likely that she remained comfortably married and satisfied with her life.
Character[]
Lasaraleen was a sheltered but elegant lady. She embraced the role society expected her to play: hosting and attending parties and not bothering about political issues. Aravis remembered her as a "terrible giggler", always gossiping about weddings, engagements, parties, and scandals. Despite being prone to hysteria and cowardice when facing any difficulty, she assisted Aravis during her escape from Calormen by hiding her and smuggling her out of Tashbaan. She could be a caring friend, but she never thought deeply about anything.
Name Etymology[]
Lasaraleen's name may come from the Scottish lasar "leisure", and een, the Gaelic feminine diminutive. Thus, 'she of leisure,' a reference to Lasaraleen's pampered life.
Appearances[]
- The Horse and His Boy (book appearance)
References[]
Paul F. Ford, The Companion to Narnia (San Francisco, 1994)