Secrets of “The Chronicles of Narnia”: clues to the mythology of the picture. Mythological Dictionary Ancient mythology in the Chronicles of Narnia lion witch

Content

I. Introduction. Relevance of the problem.

II. Main part.

1. Myth in modern literature.

3. Images of ancient mythology in the book by K.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. A lion. The Witch and the Wardrobe"

4. Myth and reality in Lewis’s book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

III. Conclusion.

IV. Used Books.

V. Appendix (Electronic presentation “Ancient mythology in the Chronicles of Narnia (“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”).

Introduction

Relevance of the problem.

Item my research work was the images of ancient mythology in the book by K.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Object of study : book by K.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Relevance The topic of the study is to show how, through ancient mythology, in the language of a fairy tale, the author touches on a huge number of quite serious things - and not just the topic of life and death, the moral growth of a person, but also what is beyond the line of death, in an accessible way for children perception of the presentation.

Novelty my work is to explore the role of images of ancient mythology on the plot and ideological levels of the artistic world of “The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

A series of seven fantasy books (fairy tales) in one number refer the reader to biblical themes; the books tell about the adventures of children in a magical land, where animals and trees can talk, magic is everyday life, and good fights evil.

Target project work consists in determining the role of the concepts of ancient mythology in the work.

The goal defines the followingtasks:

Identify which mythological images are presented in the bookK.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe";

Determine the artistic functions of ancient images in"The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"K.S. Lewis.

The practical significance of the work lies in the fact that the observations and conclusions obtained during the work can be used in literature lessons.

II . Main content.

1. The concept of myth in modern literature.

In the modern world, the concept of myth is interpreted as a “fairy tale,” fiction, fiction.” The most accurate definition of myth is given by the Literary Encyclopedic Dictionary: “Myths are creations of a common national imagination that reflect reality in the form of sensory-concrete personifications and animate creatures that are thought of as real.”

However, it should be taken into account that in primitive societies the concept of myth was interpreted as a genuine event and myths served as a subject for imitation. It is also noteworthy that for primitive societies myth was like religion. In ancient times, when initial attempts were made to interpret myths, i.e. scientists of ancient Greece interpreted Greek myths, they had already begun to lose their authenticity. At the same time, a point of view emerged that myths are fiction that performs one or another function. In modern literature, incl. in the works of K.S. Lewis's mythology serves as a model to follow. It is thanks to myth that a person discovers the rationality and interconnection of everything that happens in life.

2. Creativity of K.S. Lewis. The history of the creation of the book "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

By his main specialty, C.E. Lewis was a literary historian. For most of his life he taught the history of literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance at Oxford, and in the end he headed a department created especially for him at Cambridge. In addition to five scientific books and a huge number of articles, Lewis published eight books in the genre of Christian theology. During the Second World War, BBC programs on religion made him famous throughout Britain, Europe and the United States, a spiritual autobiography, three parables, three science fiction novels and two collections of poetry. The books for children that brought Lewis world fame were far from the most important things he wrote.

Lewis liked to say that The Chronicles of Narnia began long before they were written. The image of a faun walking through a winter forest with an umbrella and bundles under his arm haunted him from the age of 16 and came in handy when Lewis for the first time - and not without some fear - came face to face with children with whom he did not know how to communicate. In 1939, his house near Oxford was home to several girls evacuated from London during the war. Lewis began to tell them fairy tales: this is how the images that lived in his head began to move, and after a few years he realized that the emerging story needed to be written down. The prototype of Lucy Pevensie is considered to be June Flewett, the daughter of a teacher of ancient languages ​​at St. Paul's School, who was evacuated from London in 1939 and ended up in Lewis's house.

Lewis did not invent the country of Narnia, but found it in the Atlas of the Ancient World when he was studying Latin in preparation for entering Oxford. Narnia is the Latin name for the city of Narni in Umbria. Blessed Lucia Brocadelli, or Lucia of Narnia, is considered the city's heavenly patroness.

The geographical prototype that inspired Lewis is most likely located in Ireland. Lewis loved northern County Down from childhood and traveled there more than once with his mother. He said that "heaven is Oxford transported to the middle of County Down." Lewis even named the exact place that became the image of Narnia for him - the village of Rostrevor in the south of County Down, more precisely the slopes of the Mourne Mountains, overlooking the glacial fjord of Carlingford Lough.

3. Images of ancient mythology in the book by K.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Book "Lev. The Witch and the Wardrobe" is not just filled with characters from ancient mythology - fauns, centaurs, dryads and maenads. K.S. Lewis, who was well versed in ancient mythology, does not just show us ancient mythological heroes, “purified” of everything rough and cruel, but tries not to transfer them to modern reality, despite the fantasy genre.

The episode of the first meeting between Lucy and Mr. Tumnus is interesting.“A few more seconds passed, and a very strange thing appeared from behind the tree.creature. It was a little talltaller than Lucy and holding an umbrella, white with snow, over her head. Top parthis body was human, andlegs,covered with black shiny hair, they were goat-like, with hooves below. He also had a tail, hewas neatthrown over the hand - the one in whichthis creature was holding an umbrella to prevent its tail from draggingin the snow. AroundA thick red scarf was wrapped around his neck, matching the color of his reddish skin. He had a strangebut a very nice face with a short pointed beard andcurly hair. On both sides of the forehead made of hairhorns were peeking out."

In ancient mythology Faun(Pan)- spirit or deity of forests and groves, god of shepherds and fishermen in Greek mythology. This is a cheerful god and companion Dionysus, always surrounded forest nymphs, dances with them and plays the pipe for them. It is believed that Pan had the gift of prophecy and endowed Apollo with this gift. He loved to scare travelers with his bizarre whispers and rustles, and sometimes he could confuse a person and not show him the way home. There was another role that the faun played with success. These are various fortune-telling and predictions that he whispered with his chosen rustle of leaves of sacred trees. The god of forests inherited the prophetic gift from his father, the ancient deity Peak, the patron saint of hunters and farmers. If anyone wanted to receive a prediction, he had to come on a certain day to a sacred grove, lie down on the fleece of a sacrificed sheep and receive the prophecy in his dream. The faun was considered a crafty spirit who stole children.

So in the case of Lucy, Mr. Tumnus wanted to steal her to take her to the White Witch, but as a true, well-mannered English gentleman, Mr. Tumnus quickly repented of what he had done and offered to take Lucy back to the lamppost so that she could get home sooner.

In addition to the faun Tumnus, the book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” contains a large number of other ancientmythological characters:

Centaur – in ancient mythology, the embodiment of rural savagery and anger, but “the fairest of centaurs,” was the mentor of Achilles, whom he taught the arts of music, warfare, and even medicine and surgery. The centaurs in The Chronicles of Narnia, creatures with the head and torso of a man on the body of a horse, were a brave and kind hero who fought on the side of Aslan (good).

Faun (Pan) - the spirit or deity of forests and groves, the god of shepherds and fishermen in Greek mythology. This is a cheerful god and companion of Dionysus, always surrounded by forest nymphs, dancing with them and playing the flute for them. In The Chronicles of Narnia, Mr. Tumnus the Faun has a “strange but pleasant face,” curly hair, horns on his forehead, and a long tail (good).

Minotaur in ancient Greek mythology, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, who lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete. In The Chronicles of Narnia, the Minotaur was the same as in ancient mythology, and he fought on the side of the White Witch (evil).

Nymphs in ancient Greek mythology, the personification of living elemental forces in the form of girls, noticed in the murmur of a stream, in the growth of trees, in the wild beauty of mountains and forests. And in the Chronicles of Narnia, the nymphs were exactly the same as in ancient mythology. They were on the side of good, they served Aslan and watched everything that happened in the forest. (pre-juro)

Unicorn - a mythical creature that symbolizes chastity. He is usually represented in the form of a horse with one horn coming out of his forehead. In The Chronicles of Narnia, the hero Peter rode on a white unicorn (good)

Griffins - mythical winged creatures with the body of a lion, the head of an eagle or a lion. They have sharp claws and snow-white or golden wings. Griffins are contradictory creatures that simultaneously unite Heaven and Earth, Good and Evil. In The Chronicles of Narnia they were exactly the same. They fought on Aslan's side (good)

4. Myth and reality in Lewis's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

When reading"The Chronicles of Narnia. A lion. The Witch and the Wardrobe"One regularity attracts attention: transitions from the real world to the fantasy world and back are made, firstly, without any effort on the part of the characters, and secondly, very quickly, literally in a split second, and therefore unnoticed by the children themselves. But as soon as the guys enter the space of other existence, everything immediately changes. To explain this pattern, let’s try to understand what the writer sees as the meaning of traveling to Narnia.

In my opinion, this meaning in all cases, without exception, is associated with the fulfillment of a higher purpose, with the accomplishment of a feat. The “sons of Adam” and “daughters of Eve” are called upon in order to, acting in accordance with the will of Aslan, fulfill the Creator’s plan for the world and man. The fight against the forces of evil takes place on another level, namely, in the soul of each of the characters. The journey to Narnia should lead all characters to spiritual transformation. But in order for the heroes to achieve this goal, it turns out that it is not enough to simply “transfer” them to the Other World, because the spiritual state of a person, in addition to purely external circumstances, is also influenced by something much more important. Therefore, it is not enough to find yourself in different, albeit better, conditions - it is necessary to go through a series of serious tests, involving work, fidelity to duty, self-sacrifice and, ultimately, the moral degeneration of the individual.

To be able to grow morally, the heroes need three things: 1) their own understanding of how the moral world “works” (the story of how the White Witch turned Mr. Tumnus into a statue because he refused to tell her about his meeting with Lucy); 2) role models (you can learn kindness and hospitality from Beavers); 3) “skills” that need to be developed in order to do the right thing, even when it is difficult or dangerous (a walk with Aslan before the meeting at the Stone Table with the White Witch). When all the necessary lessons are learned, the moral growth of the heroes occurs, and they again return to the starting point of their wanderings for the possibility of new moral growth - all to the same mysterious doors of the wardrobe.

III. Conclusion.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the book by K.S. Lewis“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is an amazing and beautiful story in which love and kindness rule, and good always triumphs over evil. This book teaches the reader not only how to grow morally, above oneself or life circumstances, but also that in real life there is always a place for miracles and magic. And this applies not only to children, because, as the author wrote, “But someday you will grow up to the day when you start reading fairy tales again.”

IV. Used Books.

K.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narinia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", "Eksmo" 2016- 192 p.

Literaryencyclopedic dictionary/Under general. ed. V. M. Kozhevnikova, P. A. Nikolaeva. Editorial team: L. G. Andreev, N. I. Balashov, A. G. Bocharov et al.-M.: Sov. encyclopedia, 1987.-752 p.

Legends and myths of Ancient Greece Kun N.A., Veche, 2010, -464 p.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation BOU of Omsk “Gymnasium No. 85” Ancient mythology in the Chronicles of Narnia “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
Performed by: Alina Isabekova, Safarova
Milena
5th -1st grade student
BOU "Gymnasium No. 85"
5-1 class
Supervisor:
Nogina L.V., Russian language teacher and
literature

Introduction

The relevance of the topic: the research is that the problem of mythology in the Chronicles
Lewis's Narnia has not yet become the subject of comprehensive systematic study in
domestic science, despite the significant popularity of the creative heritage of this
British writer.
The novelty of the work lies in the interdisciplinary approach, which consists in studying
the problem posed in literary, linguistic and philosophical aspects, and
also in the study of the role of myth at the plot, character and ideological levels
artistic world of The Chronicles of Narnia.

The purpose of the project work is to compare mythical and fictional characters.

Tasks:
- determine in what way mythological
stories from K.S. Lewis are converted to
artistic;

This is a myth...

Ancient times:
- similar to religion;
- interpreted as a genuine event;
- served as a subject for imitation.
In our time:
-interpreted as a “fairy tale”, fiction, invention;
- fiction that performs one or another function;
- thanks to myth, a person discovers
rationality and interconnection of everything that happens in
life

The works of C.S. Lewis. The history of the creation of the book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”

The Chronicles of Narnia began long before they were written.
The image of a faun walking in the winter forest with an umbrella and
bundles under his arm, had been stalking Lewis since he was 16 years old.
The prototype of Lucy Pevensie is considered to be June Flewett, daughter
teacher of ancient languages ​​at St. Paul's School.

Lewis did not invent the country of Narnia, but found it in the Atlas
The ancient world, when I learned Latin, preparing
for admission to Oxford. Narnia - Latin name
city ​​of Narni in Umbria.
The geographical prototype that inspired Lewis
most likely located in Ireland, in a village
Rostrevor in the south of County Down.

Images of ancient mythology in the book by C.S. Lewis “The Chronicles of Narnia. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"

Faun Tumnus - British gentleman
Has a "weird but nice"
face", curly hair, brown
eyes, short beard, horns
forehead, protruding ears,
reddish skin covered
black hair goat legs,
cloven hooves, long
tail, and height only a little
taller than Lucy Pevensie.
Despite winter and snow, he walks with
naked torso, although wearing a scarf and
umbrella.
In ancient mythology, Faun (Pan) is a spirit or
deity of forests and groves, god of shepherds and
fishermen in Greek mythology
This is a cheerful god and companion of Dionysus, always
surrounded by forest nymphs, dances with them and
plays the flute for them. It is believed that Pan
possessed the prophetic gift and endowed it
the gift of Apollo.

Centaur

Centaurs were in Aslan's army when
the peoples of Narnia fought against White
witches in the battle at the ford of Beruna.
Centaurs are very wise and knowledgeable
creatures. Very often they become
soothsayers, astrologers and
healers.
Centaurs have always been on the side
Aslan, and the kings respected them and often
turned to them for advice and help.
Inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets accompany
Dionysus and are distinguished by their violent temperament and
intemperance. Presumably
Centaurs were originally the embodiment
mountain rivers and stormy streams in heroic
in myths, only centaurs are
educators of heroes, others are hostile
them.

Dryads and Naiads

For Lewis, these are the spirits of the elements that keep
peace and harmony in Narnia. Coming out of the forest
at the first call of Aslan on the day of creation
Narnia. In Narnia, dryads, naiads and maenads
awaken when the earth itself decides
wake up - to take an active
participation in what is happening.
In ancient mythology, dryads are
ancient mythology forest nymphs,
patroness of trees. It was believed that
dryads are inseparable from the tree with which
bound and die when the tree dies.
Naiads are deities in Greek mythology,
were nymphs of water sources - rivers,
streams and lakes.

10. Giants (giants)

Lewis, the Giant Rumblebuffin, has a very
well-mannered and tactful, knowledgeable
social etiquette, from a family with traditions
Giants in ancient mythology are monstrous giants born of the goddess
the land of Gaea from drops of the blood of the sky god Uranus.
The Titans rebelled against the Olympian gods,
were defeated by them with the help of Hercules and
thrown into the depths of the earth.

11. Minotaurs

In the army of the White Witch
minotaurs were present. They
served the White Witch and came to
Stone table, responding to her
call. They witnessed death
Aslan, and then took part in the battle of
ford Beruna.
In ancient Greek mythology, the Minotaur is a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull,
living in a labyrinth on the island of Crete.
The Minotaur, whose real name was
Asterius, born of Pasiphae, wife of Minos.
His father was a bull that came out of the sea.

12. Other mythological creatures mentioned in the book

Sirens are sea creatures who personified
charming but cunning
sea ​​surface, under which
sharp cliffs and shallows are hidden,
half-woman, half-fish or half-bird.
Triton - ancient Greek god, messenger
depths, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, father
all newts
Unicorn creature symbolizes
chastity, in a broad sense spiritual
purity and quest. It is presented in the form
a horse with one horn coming out of its forehead.

13. Myth and reality in Lewis’s book “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”

Transitions from the real world to the fantasy world and back are made:
- without any effort on the part of the heroes
-very quickly, literally in a split second, and therefore unnoticed by the children themselves
Fulfilling a higher purpose, accomplishing a feat
Spiritual reincarnation

14. Conclusion

The book teaches the reader not only how
grow morally, above yourself or
life circumstances, and also
that in real life there is always a place for miracles and
magic. And this applies not only to children,
after all, as the author wrote “But someday you
you'll grow to the day when you start again
read fairy tales".

This time, Fox 2000 Pictures and Walden Media have joined forces to make the continuation of the film epic no less brilliant than its beginning - combining in it everything that is dear to the hearts of many fans of books and films. Having succumbed to the wave of pre-holiday mood, we decided to refresh our memory about the history of the origin of the great cinema saga, so beloved by Russian moviegoers.

After the release of the first part of the film series “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in 2005, the film immediately received high praise from world film critics and was awarded many film awards: the film received an Oscar for best makeup and was recognized as the best family film, and the most inspiring film of 2005 (Movieguide Faith & Values ​​Awards). The film was based on the first book from the Chronicles of Narnia series by Clive Lewis. Published from 1950 to 1956. Long considered one of the most beloved and powerful works of literature, Lewis's books have sold more than 100,000,000 copies in more than 50 different languages. In the story, a mother sends four children (Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy) from bombed London to the village, to an old professor - a family friend. In his house, the children discover a mysterious wardrobe, through which they find themselves in the fairy-tale land of Narnia, where talking animals and fantastic creatures live. Casting took a long time - the initial selection began in 2002, when the director of the film, Andrew Adamson, watched two thousand five hundred videos, listened to one thousand eight hundred children, conducted training sessions with four hundred, and only after long qualifying stages, finally met with four finalists for the main the roles of the Pevensie children. Filming took place in New Zealand, Poland and the Czech Republic and took just over 8 months.

In 2008, the second film was released: "", which became one of the most popular films of that year. In the story, Narnia was conquered by the cruel Telmarines, who drove the indigenous inhabitants into dense forests and inaccessible mountains. Prince Caspian, in front of whose eyes his uncle, the usurper Miraz, is committing atrocities, decides to blow the Magic Horn, thanks to which Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy - heroes of the distant past - once again find themselves in their former kingdom. They face a difficult task - to save Narnia. The director of the film, Andrew Adamson, decided to take on the adaptation of Lewis's books in the order of their publication. “Considering that the actors are growing up, we won’t have a chance to film this part,” the film’s director explained his choice. Prince Caspian is the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia series to be published and the fourth chronologically written by the author. The Horse and His Boy, completed in the spring of 1950 and published in 1954, is the first book that is not a direct continuation of the previous one. The novel is set during the Pevensie reign of Narnia, a period that begins and ends in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Published in 1952, The Voyage to the End of the World, a grand, epic adventure novel, was the third in the seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. The story takes place approximately three Narnian years after the events described in the previous novel, Prince Caspian. During the absence of the two eldest of the Pevensie children, the two youngest, Lucy and Edmund, along with their cousin, discover a painting in the house of their English relatives that depicts the Dawn Treader, a majestic ship that looks like a large dragon. Through this picture, the children again find themselves in Narnia, where great adventures await them.

From the second film, Ben Barnes will reprise his role as Caspian. British comedian Simon Pegg will voice Reepicheep, a brave and desperate mouse, and the all-powerful ruler of Narnia, Aslan the Lion, will again speak with the voice of Liam Neeson. Once again, in addition to humans, there will be a number of original creatures appearing on screen, including mysterious creatures called Oxlotops, created through a combination of live motion and computer animation, led by visual effects director Angus Bickerton (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons ").

Principal photography of the film “The Chronicles of Narnia. "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" began in Queensland, Australia on July 27, 2009, where the entire production process took 90 days. Studio filming took place on several sound stages at Warner Roadshow Studios in the Gold Coast. The film's title character, the majestic Dawn Treader, was created on the seaside headland of Cleveland Point. After filming outdoors, the 140-foot-tall, 125-ton structure was dismantled into more than fifty pieces and transported back to the studio to continue filming on the soundstage. Filming wrapped in November 2009. While Lewis's first Narnia book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is perhaps the most famous and popular of the series, many fans note that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to the End of the World" is the best of all seven novels.

You will be able to find yourself together with the main characters on the “Treader of the Dawn Treader”, set sail to the ends of the world and share with them the delight and awe of the extraordinary magic in all cinemas of the country from December 10, 2010.

“The world of Narnia contains almost every mythological creature ever imagined,” says Richard Taylor. “And implementing all of this is an incredible challenge.” When creating the creatures, both computer graphics were used (for example, Tumnus’s legs were computer-generated; during filming, McAvoy wore poisonous green pants with green dots), as well as puppets and makeup. The dolls were mechanized and radio controlled. One example of a mechanized doll is a minotaur; during filming, three people controlled facial expressions (the first - the jaw and lips, the second - the eyes and eyelids, the third - the ears and nostrils), and there was also an actor inside the doll itself.

But not all animals and creatures are fake. There are real animals in the film, but there were problems with them. The creators of the film wanted to deliver 12 deer to New Zealand, which would pull the White Witch's sleigh. However, the Ministry of Agriculture opposed this idea, citing Q fever, which affects many North American deer. This disease can easily be transmitted from animals to people. As a result, we had to make computer deer.

The design of Narnian items was influenced by mythology, which Lewis borrowed from ancient Greek times, thereby introducing diversity into his fairy-tale world. So, for example, on many objects there are images of an apple tree (which was planted at the beginning of Narnia for protection from the White Witch.), and a lion was depicted on Peter’s shield.

BORROWING FROM MYTHOLOGY AND CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS IN THE STORY "THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE"

Dagldiyan A. S.

South Russian Institute of Management - branch of the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration

South-Russia Institute of Management - branch of Russian Presidential

National Economy and Public Administration

Abstract: The article is devoted to the fairy tale “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” It is shown that this book carries a deep philosophical meaning and answers numerous eternal questions. Also, the fairy tale contains many allusions to Christian ideas in a form accessible to young readers.

Key words: Fairy tale, myth, good, evil, choice.

Annotation: Article is devoted to the fairy tale "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." It is shown that this book has a deep philosophical meaning and answers numerous eternal questions. Just tale contains many allusions to Christian ideas accessible to young readers form.

Key words: Fairy tale, myth, good, evil, choice.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, published in 1950. The author is an English writer, Clive Staples Lewis. They tell about the adventures of children in a magical land called Narnia, where animals can talk, magic surprises no one, and good fights evil. The Chronicles of Narnia contains many allusions to Christian ideas in a way that is accessible to young readers.

To create his world, Lewis turns to ancient Eastern, ancient, German-Scandinavian, Slavic, medieval European, Christian traditions.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie children - Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. They are sent to family friend Professor Digory Kirke due to the bombing of London. During a game of hide and seek, Lucy hides in the Wardrobe, through which she enters Narnia, where she meets the faun Tumnus. Faun is taken from Roman mythology. The Supreme Faun is the god of forests, fields, pastures, and animals. He tells her that Narnia is under the rule of the evil White Witch. Returning to her brothers and sister, Lucy tells where she was, but they do not believe her. Later she finds herself in Narnia for the second time. Edmund follows her. However, he meets the White Witch and her servant, Maugrim. The servant of the White Witch, the wolf Mogrim, goes back to the Scandinavian Fenrir - a huge wolf, the son of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboda. Legend tells that while Fenrir was small, the gods kept him with them. The gods decided to put Fenrir on a chain, but he grew so strong that he broke any chains that were put on him under the pretext of testing his strength. Then the miniature dwarfs, at the request of the gods, made a magic chain from the sound of cat steps, a woman’s beard, mountain roots, bear veins, fish breath and bird saliva. The chain turned out to be thin and light. The wolf cub was unable to break the chain and remained sitting on it.

According to prophecy, before the end of the world he will break loose. The sorceress treats Edmund to the enchanted Turkish Delight and subjugates the boy to herself. She orders him to bring all four children to her castle. Later, all four children end up in Narnia and discover that Tumnus was taken by the police (it was Edmund who repeated Lucy’s story to the sorceress and thereby betrayed the faun). Mr. Beaver meets the children and tells them that Aslan is already on his way, which means that an ancient prophecy is beginning to come true that Aslan will come, the Long Winter will end and four people will become the rulers of Narnia. The long winter is borrowed from Norse mythology, in which there is a "Fimbulwinter" that precedes the end of the world. During the story, Edmund escapes and heads towards the White Witch's castle. And Peter, Susan, Lucy and the Beavers go to Aslan. On the way, Santa Claus meets them and gives them gifts that should help them: Peter - a sword and shield, Susan - a bow, arrows and a horn, Lucy - a dagger and a magic potion, a drop of which cures any illness and any wounds. The children meet Aslan at the Stone Table, the center of magic in Narnia, and with its help they rescue Edmund from the captivity of the White Witch. Aslan knights Peter and Edmund and the Narnians begin to prepare for battle. But Jadis wants to take the soul of the traitor Edmund for herself according to the Laws of Ancient Magic. Aslan and the witch enter into negotiations, and the traitor is saved. No one except Lucy and Susan ever found out that the Great Lion was killed for the traitor Edmund on the Stone Table and was resurrected according to the Laws of “Even More Ancient Magic.” Aslan and the girls appear only at the end of the battle, but it is they who bring victory and strengthen the morale of the warriors. Lucy heals with a magic elixir seriously wounded warriors and her brother, who is finally healed not only from his wounds, but also from his bad inclinations, which, as we learn, he adopted from “boys from bad company.” The children remain in Narnia and become its kings and

queens - Peter the Magnificent, Edmund the Fair, Susan the Magnanimous and Lucy the Brave. They forget about the world from which they came, but one day the already adult brothers and sisters go hunting for a white deer that grants wishes, and accidentally stumble upon a Narnian lantern and a wardrobe door. Drawn by a deer, the Pevensies make their way through the spruce thicket and end up in the very room and at the very moment from which their journey began.

The main source of creation for Lewis was, of course, the Gospel. It is not for nothing that his book is sometimes called a children's Christian catechism.

Lewis writes about Aslan's "royal and peaceful and at the same time sad" look, that he was "kind and formidable" at the same time. The golden radiance of Aslan’s mane, which the author constantly mentions, is associated with the gold of the halo. In Narnia they swear by the name of Aslan, the heroes say: “In the name of Aslan,” “I ask you by Aslan,” and the hermit even exclaims “Merciful Aslan!” A stream originates from Aslan’s footprint, which is reminiscent of numerous medieval legends about the flow of springs. The Great Lion creates Narnia with his song and gives its inhabitants the basic commandment: “And all of you love one another.” He determines that Narnia can only be ruled by the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve. All this is a paraphrase of the corresponding lines of the Book of Genesis (Genesis 1, 2627). The commandments that Aslan gives to the Narnians come from the commandments of Moses and the Sermon on the Mount. Aslan demands love, humility and repentance from the inhabitants of his country. He condemns any attempt to shift the blame onto someone else.

Aslan's behavior has clear parallels with the gospel image of Christ. The Great Leo does not impose himself on anyone, does not try to please, his actions often go beyond the scope of justice in the usual sense of the word. Aslan tests heroes beyond necessity,

deliberately provoking them. He is especially strict with Lucy, who at first glance seems to us to be his favorite. He sternly exclaims, “How many more wounded must die because of you?!”, as Lucy looks anxiously into the face of her barely alive brother after healing him with a miraculous elixir. Aslan forgives Edmund's betrayal, never reproaching him, but listens with pleasure to the repentance of Peter and Susan, guilty of much lesser offenses. A reader familiar with Christianity will certainly remember the Gospel “...and from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and to whom much has been entrusted, from him will be required more” (Luke 12:48). Aslan is in no hurry to save Narnia, leaving it for a hundred years in the power of the White Witch, he never praises or compliments anyone, he never expresses his love for his people with some broad gesture that is understandable to absolutely everyone. One of the few evidences of his love for his creation, a feat of self-sacrifice, becomes known to Susan and Lucy as if by accident. But Aslan’s greatness becomes a powerful distancing factor - not for a single second do the children see in him an ordinary lion who could be reproached for something. Even his defenseless head, devoid of a thick mane, seems beautiful to the girls after several moments of pity and horror. Lewis's heroes are tormented by doubts about choosing the right path - appearances are often deceiving, and not all actions can be assessed unambiguously, but Aslan rarely helps the heroes resolve these issues. In general, he appears on the pages of the book infrequently, is not always shown in his true appearance and prefers to speak in riddles, like the Son of God. For only the elect can hear the Word of God: “Blessed are your eyes that see and your ears that hear” (Matthew 13:16).

Lewis's characters ultimately make the right choice. But if a person himself does not want to see the truth, if he has locked himself in prison

his imagination, then no one, not even God, can help him. “For the hearts of these people have become hardened, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes” (Matthew 13:15). It is impossible to see a miracle according to Lewis without first believing in it. Moreover, even getting to Narnia armed with earthly logic and planning in advance is impossible.

Lewis turns out to be not only an orthodox Christian, but also remains a conservative in other respects: he condemns new schools that do not study classical philosophy, the Law of God and good manners. The author puts his indignation about this into the mouth of Professor Digory Kirk: “And what they teach in today’s schools...”.

Bibliography:

1. C. S. Lewis, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, M.: Strekoza-Press, 2006.

2. Bolshakova O. Chronicles of Lewis. Newspaper “New Testament”, 2004, no.

3. Dashevsky G. Clive Staples Lewis. Weekend magazine, 2008. No. 18 (64).

4. Carpenter H. John R. R. Tolkien - biography. Per. from English A. Khromova, ed. S. Likhacheva. - M.: EKSMO-Press, 2002.

5. Curius S. Lewis, Narnia and the Crucified Lion. Magazine "Time Z", 2006, No. 02.

6. Koshelev S. Clive Staples Lewis and his “Wonderland”. Preface to the book “The Chronicles of Narnia” Lewis C.S.; Per. from English - M.: JV "Cosmopolis", 1991.

7. Krotov Ya. Introductory article to the novels by C. S. Lewis “Beyond the Silent Planet” and “Cinders.” Clive Staples Lewis. Collected Works in 8 volumes. Volume 3. Beyond the Silent Planet. Pepelandra. Alexander Men Foundation, Bible for everyone, 2003.