Tumnus is in the service of the White Witch

Tumnus, the Faun whom Lucy Pevensie meets on her first visit to Narnia, is secretly in the service of the White Witch, a fact that forms the central moral crisis of their encounter. He is a kidnapper for her, tasked with luring innocent human children—Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve—into his cave under the pretense of friendship, only to hand them over to the Witch. This dual identity, as both a seemingly friendly creature and an agent of a tyrannical ruler, defines his character and his pivotal role in the early stages of the story.

Confession and Remorse

Tumnus's service is not a matter of loyalty but of coercion and fear. He confesses to Lucy that he is "in the pay of the White Witch" and that his role as a kidnapper is the "worst of it." He describes the terrible punishments the Witch would inflict upon him if he disobeyed: she would have his tail cut off, his horns sawn off, his beard plucked out, and his cloven hoofs turned into solid, horse-like ones. In her extreme anger, she would turn him to stone, leaving him as a mere statue in her house until the four thrones at Cair Paravel are filled. This fear of retribution, rather than any genuine allegiance, compels him to follow her orders. Yet, when faced with the actual moment of betrayal, he is overcome with remorse, weeping and sobbing as he reveals his plan to Lucy, ultimately declaring that he cannot give her up to the Witch now that he knows what Humans are like.

The Arrest and Its Consequences

Tumnus's act of freeing Lucy does not go unpunished. When the four children later enter Narnia together and visit his cave, they find it ransacked: the door is wrenched off its hinges, the cave is dark and cold, the crockery is smashed, and a picture of his father has been slashed to shreds. A notice of arrest, signed by Fenris Ulf, Captain of the Secret Police, is nailed to the floor, charging Tumnus with High Treason against the White Witch for "comforting her said Majesty's enemies, harbouring spies and fraternising with Humans." This arrest directly results from his choice to help Lucy, and it galvanizes the children's resolve to rescue him, setting the main quest of the story in motion. Mr. Beaver later confirms that Tumnus was taken northwards to the White Witch's house, a place from which few ever return, as the Witch turns her captives into stone statues.

Thematic Significance

Tumnus's service to the White Witch and his subsequent rebellion against it embody the story's central theme of moral choice in the face of tyranny. He is a figure caught between the oppressive power of the Witch and his own innate goodness, which is awakened by his encounter with Lucy. His initial compliance and eventual defiance illustrate the possibility of redemption and the power of personal connection to overcome fear. His fate—being turned to stone as punishment—serves as a tangible symbol of the Witch's cruelty, while his eventual liberation by Aslan, who breathes life back into the stone statues, underscores the novel's message of hope and the triumph of good over evil. Lucy finds him among the liberated statues in the Witch's courtyard, and they dance for joy, marking the complete reversal of his servitude and his restoration to a free being.