Jadis Steals the Apple

Below, several illustrations showing Jadis caught  in the act of stealing a Silver Apple from the book The Magician’s Nephew. This isn’t a scene that’s popular with artists so it was my fortune to find several.

Casually she plucks and bites. He costume is similar to the Pauline Baynes drawing. Note that this scene wasn’t shown in the book but implied, as she has a “horrid stain” around her mouth from the juice when she confronts Digory at the gate.

As she eats the apple here her hand and face turn white, foreshadowing her transformation into the White Witch. The bloodlike stains at her lower lip hint at some kind of vampirism, too.

Art by Silver Steam Punk

A monochrome Jadis who has gained eternal life but become slightly haggard in the process. Now she has pointed teeth and ears like a vampire and the inside of the fruit is as red as blood.

Artwork by apassionata

In this scene Jadis has already become the White Witch, by her coloration. She watches as Digory picks an apple as instructed by Aslan; the Autumn hues of the garden — gold and brown — imply something in the freshly-created world is already dying. Perhaps it’s innocence.

Worldbuilding Wednesday 8/7/24: Werewolves and Hags (Narnia LIX)

A Hag and a Werewolf, executed in Midjourney. Can something this colorful and abstract also be scary? I took inspiration from the more outlandish depictions of Narnia I’ve come across.

One of the things I dislike about Prince Caspian is that, after many, many, centuries, hags and werewolves are still around, even though Lewis told us they had been eliminated at the end of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Seems like someone didn’t do the job they were supposed to. Nevertheless, they’re there, and as such should have names.

Lewis’s conception of a Hag is a witchlike being with malevolent powers masquerading as a harmless old herbwife. I could totally see her hobnobbing and interfering with dim Telmarines even as Dr. Cornelius knows what she is.

The werewolf – or Wer-wolf according to Lewis —  is more problematic. For one thing, its bite doesn’t cause its victim to turn into a werewolf; Caspian was bitten and remained fine. Another thing, it seems to have forgotten it even had a name: “I’m hunger. I’m thirst. Where I bite, I hold till I die, and even after death they must cut out my mouthful from my enemy’s body and bury it with me.” Which makes it seem more of a malevolent ghostly being to me than a flesh and blood creature.

(Also… I thought the Stone Table was a holy place, sanctified by Aslan’s sacrifice all those years ago? Why can these horrible creatures hang around there? How did it lose its power for good? I’ve never seen this addressed in any scholarly writing or even fanfic, ever.)

Since I don’t like werewolves much as supernatural creatures, I gave them ugly-sounding, archaic names, while the hags got witchy ones.

 

Narnian Hags and Werewolves

Hags

Aineth

Clotna

Eglina

Fotatra

Mafrinda

Torsga

Zillarhea

Zilvria

 Werewolves

Churndryne

Forcalc

Grimvorden

Jaundmortus

Malraven

Margras

Morgos

Vacculungus

Narnia’s Mystery Map

I came across this back cover in a search for Narnia images a few weeks ago. It was in connection with The Magician’s Nephew, but since there was no front cover I wasn’t sure, and the file original jpeg was titled in alphanumeric gibberish.

But, since the publisher’s name was there, I did another search.

The edition was published in 1980 and the wraparound cover artwork was a new commission from Paulines Baynes, the artist who did the line drawings for the original editions. (The tormented shapes of the mountains confirm it.) If you’ll notice Fledge is the correct color (chestnut) and his wings are attached to his body in the same way as Bayne’s earlier drawing, by a featherless band of sinew as the drawing to the right shows.

But what’s interesting to me is how the landscape below has been colorized, detailed, and expanded. In the book, Narnia is newly created, hence no roads, towns, cities or other works of man; yet it’s also explicit they fly up and over what would later be named Caldron Pool and the Great Waterfall and into the hills and later mountains, following the valleys instead of going over the high peaks, which might have caused them oxygen problems.

Next moment the country dropped away beneath them, and whirled round as Fledge, like a huge pigeon, circled once or twice before setting off on his long westward flight … All Narnia, many-coloured with lawns and rocks and heather and different sorts of trees, lay spread out below them, the river winding through it like a ribbon of quick-silver. They could already see over the tops of the low hills which lay northward on their right; beyond those hills a great moorland sloped gently up and up to the horizon. On their left the mountains were much higher, but every now and then there was a gap where you could see, between steep pine woods, a glimpse of the southern lands that lay beyond them, looking blue and far away.

… now a great barrier of cliffs rose before them and … (Fledge) began flying to and fro, getting higher at each turn … they could see the whole valley of Narnia stretched out to where, just before the eastern horizon, there was a gleam of the sea. And now they were so high that they could see tiny-looking jagged mountains appearing beyond the northern moors, and plains of what looked like sand far in the south…

Now they were over the top of the cliffs and in a few minutes the valley-land of Narnia had sunk out of sight behind them. They were flying over a wild country of steep hills and dark forests, still following the course of the river. The really big mountains loomed ahead. But the sun was now in the travellers’ eyes and they couldn’t see things very clearly in that direction.

But the description in the book doesn’t match what we see in the 1980 picture.

It might be a view of the trio looking south, with the body of water to the left the Eastern Sea. But what’s that little island? The spit of land Cair Paravel was later built on did not became an island until Caspian’s time thousands of years later, and none Narnia’s island nations would have been that close to the coast. And the text says they did not fly over Ettinsmore and the moorlands.

If we are looking toward Narnia’s north, the only thing the water could be is Caldron Pool, but there’s no waterfall and no river, the text says they flew over both, not around them. No map shows a lake in that area either.

Of course the artist just might have been filling in troublesome blank space. But if I was child or young adult who had this edition and and was prone to geographic conjecturing, I would think for sure that body of water was Narnia’s western sea and its unseen, unknown, west coast. And that Fledge is flying so high that Polly and Digory have caught sight of it.

So, it’s possible this illustration is why so many fan maps and wikis reference a western sea even though Lewis never mentioned it. (Read my analysis of The Western Wild for more about this mystery.)

 

The White Witch Returns, Celebrity Edition

Let’s look at some more White Witch depictions — and Snow Queens, Ice Princesses, Winter Maidens, and the like — that have been modeled by celebrities. Once I started looking, there were far more than I realized. And not all of them were female… but that’s gonna warrant it’s own separate post!

First, a classic.

That’s British TV presenter Olivia Attwood dressed as the White Witch from the 1988 BBC version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It’s not an exact replica of Barbara Kellerman’s costume, but if you’ve watched that series, it’s pretty obvious.

Emily Blunt as Queen Freya from the 2016 movie The Huntsman: Winter’s War. That movie was a sequel to Snow White and the Huntsman, an earlier take on Snow White. Both movies featured Charlize Theron as the wonderfully wicked Queen Ravenna, who wiped the floor with Kristen Stewart’s princess character in the earlier movie. The Huntsman: Winter’s War didn’t do as well as the first, even though it introduced Freya the Snow Queen as Ravenna’s icy sister. The series was discontinued, but it wasn’t the fault of Freya’s silvery, shimmering outfits (even though they appear to be more than a little ill-fitting.)

Maria Schrader, a German actress and director, as a witchy winter character with a stern, angry expression.

Bridget Fonda played the Snow Queen in a 2002 TV movie of the fairy tale wearing  this chic white ensemble topped with a Russian fur hat. This look should be more iconic than it is.

Singers Bjork (left) and Katy Perry (right) in avant-garde stage costumes that look chilly, icelike, and alien.

Maria Seiren, a contestant on Japan’s Got Talent, dazzles in a bridelike gown with a feathered headpiece that showed off her every movement on stage.

Lady Gaga at a 2020 music awards show (hence the mask.) Her look screams futuristic White Witch, but like many of her presentation outfits appears half-baked and hastily thrown together. In recent years she’s scaled back, given her hip and fibromyalgia problems, but they were fun while they lasted.

Gazini Ganados, Miss Universe Philippines 2019, dazzles in a showstopper of a pageant gown that recalls winter, ice…  and two giant eagles on her shoulders?

 

An Eight-Legged Aslan?

ERB cover for Thuvia, Maid of Mars

No… it’s just a whimsical illustration for a French edition of Thuvia, Maid of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, depicting a Martian banth (apex carnivore resembling a multilegged lion. )

Edmund’s Bargain

“More Turkish Delight, please. THEN I’ll tell you about my siblings, beginning with the oldest one.”

Worldbuilding Wednesday 7/31/24: Narniaworld, Part 5 (Narnia LVIII)

The famous apple tunnel espalier on the grounds of Cair Paravel, formed of heirloom fruit trees

Here is where everything else about Narniaworld goes… lodging, amenities, and non-ride attractions, all of which add to a park’s appeal. In making up this list, I put in what I’d like to see in a theme park. You can think of this as tying everything else together… lodging and services for guests, what guests can do when they’re not inside the park, and so on.

 

Narniaworld Non-ride Attractions and Amenities

The Apple Orchard
 Comprising two acres, the apple orchard lies next to and slightly below Cair Paravel castle and grows heritage varieties of the fruits that were popular in Britain before the 20th century. Park guests can observe workers using ancient and organic husbandry techniques to fertilize, nurture, and pick the fruits. The apples are offered for sale to guests and also used in the park’s kitchens. In addition to apples there are heritage pear, quince, and walnut trees. Tours of the orchard are given on the weekends and must be reserved.

After the spring Waking the Trees parade there is a ceremony here with Pomona blessing the trees. In Autumn there are apple cider making demonstrations.

Next to the apple orchard is the castle’s kitchen garden which is similarly cultivated and provides food and herbs for the park. A tour of it is included with the one of the orchard.
Beaversdam A hotel on the grounds of the park and the only hotel at present. Themed to the rustic, cottage décor of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s den. It can be considered a small resort. There is a heated outdoor pool, an indoor pool with sauna, and an outdoor children’s play area with a woodland theme. Off the lobby is a small grocer’s / souvenir shop and a restaurant, The Marmalade Roll, which offers a family afternoon tea. Puddleglum’s Place, which sells fishing and other outdoor supplies, is also located here. Hotels outside the park have begun to offer shuttle service to Narniaworld, so if you can’t find a place in Beaversdam or Beruna (they fill up quickly) don’t worry.
Beruna Campgrounds A large fully serviced campground with tent and RV hookup spaces by the river a short distance from the park. There are showers, picnic tables, and pavilions available. Guests can either walk or take the shuttle service to the park’s main entrance. During summer nights, the nearby Dancing Lawn picnic area is lit up with bonfires and character actors sing, dance, and swordfight. (All shows are improvised and never the same twice.)
Bicycle Rentals Available at both Beaversdam (The Jill) and Beruna (The Polly) by the hour or by the day. Paved bicycle trails run all around the park grounds and are also used by park employees to get around.
Charging Stations There are places to charge phones and other devices throughout Narniaworld park. All are free to use and have attendants.
Coriakin’s Mansion A supervised play area for young children inside the park where they can wander from room to room examining the fallen star’s belongings and magic tricks and even play dress-up. Outside is a hedge maze to get lost in, topiary animals, and a small water park with a fountain and water sprayers for hot summer days.
Fishing Lakes There are two lakes near Beaversdam hotel where guests may fish: Tarva Lake and Alambil Lake. No boats permitted but there are piers.
Garden of the Silver Apples A shady garden inside the park for guests to take a break in. Plantings are seasonal, there is water available, benches, and tables. In the center is the huge (but not living) tree of the silver apples with colorful animatronic bird guardians who talk and sing.
Nature Trails Narniaworld comprises a lot of land and much of it is yet undeveloped. More than ten miles of nature trails stretch through this area including a trek to the top of a small hill where, some nights, Dr. Cornelius sets up his telescope to look at the stars and an estuary where one can observe protected species of birds.
The Professor’s Study An educational exhibit about Narnia and its creator C. S. Lewis inside the park. Includes artifacts, artwork, original manuscripts, and interactive displays.
Swanwhite’s Boats Swan paddle boats are available for rent to use in the bay. The rental pier is located down the hill from Cair Paravel inside the park.
The Talking Hound A place for people to board their pets while they visit the park (fee is extra.) Grooming services available. It lies between Beaversdam and Beruna.

Knowing what I do now about the park, the infrastructure just wrote itself.

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Aslan Shows His Colorful Side

Posters for theatrical productions of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe usually adhere to traditional imagery for the book: trees, snow, lamppost, wardrobe, faun, in wintry colors like pale blue, black, and gray. But this one, for a London production, goes bold with rainbow hues for Aslan and his mane.

 

The Product
[Reading Challenge 2024]

The Product

by Marina Fontaine
Conservatarian Press, 2022
[ #23  After the fall: A post-apocalyptic or dystopic book. ]

This book kept popping up in my Kindle feed, so I chose it for the “Dystopia” category of this year’s challenge.

It occurred to me when writing this review that “Russian Dystopia” is perhaps a subset, one I have sampled before when I read Boris and Arkady Strugatsky’s Roadside Picnic for the 2022 challenge. The country in this short novel is never named, yet it’s clear it is a stand-in for the Soviet Union during its drabbest time… post-WWII when everything had been modernized but was utilitarian and gray for the common folk and under constant threat of surveillance. As such, I consider it an alt.universe science fiction fable, an allegory. As a dystopia it was softer than the English and American varieties, with more humanity. It was a short work, novella-sized, but had all the impact to me of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

(The author was born in Russia before the fall of the Berlin Wall, so she has firsthand experience.)

The story is about Kevin, a young dealer of “The Product” (you find out what that is later, and it’s essential for citizens not to give up hope and keep their sense of empathy) who is captured by the secret police and horribly abused. This takes up, I’d say, the first half of the book. It’s a lot like fanfic in its length and detail, and I couldn’t help feeling some of it was gratuitous; yet, it served the story with upping the stakes for the characters later in the book. Miraculously, he escapes with aid from his fellow dealers, who form a secret underground society of sorts. He returns to his girlfriend, Lily, and struggles to set up a new identity and a new life. There’s a surprise twist at the end. I won’t reveal it here. But the story didn’t end horribly like I expected, or was conditioned to expect, from books like Orwell’s 1984.

The author has her own voice. She broke a lot of writing rules I’ve seen posted on the Authors Water Cooler boards and elsewhere, but it was mesmerizing and kept me on the edge of my seat up to the end. In that she was similar to another of my favorite authors, Storm Constantine, also a breaker of rules, but also mesmerizing.

The story alternated between Kevin’s and Lily’s POVs, which often changed mid-chapter, and at times, went off into omniscient or into a side character’s. The emotional detail was very fine and I felt I knew everyone inside and out, even if broadly (in the case of a sadistic policeman who takes delight in torturing the dealer.) At times the characters did things I didn’t expect, which was a delight, such as forgoing sex until an official wedding ceremony is performed by a pastor masquerading as an appliance installer, no less. I grew up on SF of the 1970s where it was the in thing for the characters to have sex on the drop of a dime, so that touch was sweet. (Though that’s all I’ll give away of the plot.)

In the end, recommended. Readers who devour YA dystopias should take a look at this; it’s way more mature and nuanced, and even romantic.

Russian and Ukrainian Editions of The Chronicles

In looking up foreign editions of the Chronicles I came across some unique editions that were published in Russia and Ukraine. You can consider this post a companion to The Return of the White Witch: Russian Edition.

The three books above, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, and The Magician’s Nephew, came from a themed set. What’s interesting to me is that the cover artist clearly cribbed from Pauline Baynes’ pen-and-ink work, but added his or her own touches.  Aslan in LWW looks like he has a white beard and goatee while the White Witch is as slinky as Baynes’ version, with her tall spiky crown. In the center pic, Bree is black and not the grayish dappled horse indicated in the text. And in the last, Strawberry, or Fledge rather, was a chestnut colored horse and not white — Baynes, who was very familiar with the text, colorized him so for special edition illustrations.

The common border the books share may be cribbed as well, though I’ve yet to find the original source. It incorporates a lion and unicorn at the top, nicely alluding to Narnia’s birth (through Aslan) and destruction (indicated by Jewel rearing in the flames) as well as the English nursery rhyme. The rest of the border includes Talking Mice, Telmarine soldiers, Eustace as a dragon, a faun, Cair Paravel, and a magic ring.

I am not 100% sure these covers were unique to Ukraine; as an artist and SEO detective, I have the nagging feeling I’ve seen them on some other editions. So much of the artwork is similar, if not incorporating Baynes’ original drawings it’s re-interpretations of them. But for the moment, I’ll say that they are.

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