Many first edition Narnia books published in other countries had unique, enchanting artwork that was never repeated for further printings. These covers for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (shortened to The Lion and the White Witch) and Prince Caspian have a light, airy, featherweight feel that seems more appropriate for a book of …
Tag: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
Witte Heks
That’s Dutch for “White Witch.” The theater production below was staged in the Netherlands. Obviously, it was a childrens theater project, going by the youth of the extras who are playing the reindeer and dwarves. Interestingly the witch has black hair as in Pauline Baynes’ depictions. And here’s yet another Scandinavian version of The Lion, …
Hvid Heks
That’s Norwegian for “White Witch.” And she’s the showstopper character in this very oddly staged Norwegian version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, even though she’s not exactly white. Actually, none of the winter scenes are. Click to see full size version, you really have to! Here she’s using a variant of the …
The White Witch Returns, Drag Queen Edition
The creative world of drag culture offers some unique takes on wintry femme fatales. Here’s some I found. First, drag queen artist Raja Gemini, alluring inside or outside of drag. Pangina Heals in an Asian-based costume. Paul Quin as a Goth White Witch. I like the fur shoulder pads and mirrored crown. Sasha Velour rocking …
Worldbuilding Wednesday 8/14/24: Let’s Talk About Maugrim (Narnia LX)
If you’re a scholar of The Chronicles of Narnia, you’ll know that the White Witch’s Captain of the Secret Police, a wolf named Maugrim, received a name change when The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe was published in the U.S. in 1950. That change was to Fenris Ulf, a name familiar to those who read …
Narnia Evergreen Library Editions, 1965
These Evergreen Library hardcover versions of The Chronicles came out in 1965. All seven books had been released by this point, but for this series, only these five were published. The cover artist was Giorgio de Gaspari. I’d never seen this artwork before and was struck by how different it was from post-1970s depictions. For …
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. …
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.
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 …