Peter's First Battle

Peter's First Battle marks the moment when Peter Pevensie, the eldest of the four children, transitions from a boy exploring a magical world into a warrior and leader in Narnia. The event occurs shortly after the children and the Beavers have arrived at the Hill of the Stone Table and met Aslan. While the girls are being ministered to in the pavilion and Aslan is showing Peter a distant view of Cair Paravel, the castle where he is destined to be king, a sudden attack by a wolf forces Peter into his first real combat. The battle is not only a test of his courage but also the direct cause of his being knighted by Aslan as Sir Peter Fenris-Bane, a title that forever links his identity to this victory.

The Attack and Peter's Response

The attack begins when Susan's horn, given to her by Father Christmas, sounds unexpectedly. Aslan, hearing it, tells Peter, "It is your sister's horn," and commands the other creatures to hold back, saying, "Back! Let the Prince win his spurs." Peter runs to the pavilion and finds a terrifying scene: the Naiads and Dryads are scattering in every direction, Lucy is running toward him with her face as white as paper, and Susan has climbed a tree but is only on the second big branch, with one leg hanging down just inches above the snapping teeth of a huge grey wolf. The wolf, standing on its hind legs with its front paws against the tree trunk, is snarling and snapping, and all the hair on its back is standing on end. Peter realizes that Susan is about to faint and that if she does, she will fall into the wolf's jaws. Despite feeling not very brave—indeed, feeling as if he is going to be sick—Peter rushes straight at the monster and aims a slash of his sword at its side. The wolf, quick as lightning, turns around, its eyes flaming and its mouth wide open in a howl of anger. Because the wolf is so angry that it has to howl, it does not immediately seize Peter by the throat. In that split second, Peter ducks down and plunges his sword as hard as he can between the brute's forelegs into its heart. The ensuing moment is horrible and confused, like something in a nightmare: Peter is tugging and pulling, the wolf seems neither alive nor dead, its bared teeth knock against his forehead, and everything is blood and heat and hair. A moment later, the monster lies dead, and Peter draws his sword out of it, straightening his back and rubbing the sweat off his face and out of his eyes. He feels tired all over.

Aftermath and Knighthood

After the wolf is dead, Susan climbs down from the tree. She and Peter are both shaky, and there is kissing and crying on both sides. Aslan, who has observed the fight, immediately gives Peter a new command: "You have forgotten to clean your sword." Peter blushes when he looks at the bright blade and sees it all smeared with the wolf's hair and blood. He stoops down and wipes it quite clean on the grass, and then wipes it quite dry on his coat. Aslan then says, "Hand it to me and kneel, Son of Adam." When Peter does so, Aslan strikes him with the flat of the blade and says, "Rise up, Sir Peter Fenris-Bane. And, whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword." This knighting is the formal recognition of Peter's bravery and skill, and it establishes him as a knight and a leader in Aslan's army. The name "Fenris-Bane" directly references the wolf he has killed, Fenris Ulf, the Captain of the White Witch's Secret Police, making the victory a personal and symbolic blow against the Witch's power.

Significance and Consequences

Peter's First Battle is a crucial turning point in the narrative. It is the first time any of the children engages in direct combat, and it proves that Peter is capable of the martial role that Aslan has foreseen for him. The event also has immediate strategic consequences: Aslan, seeing another wolf in the thickets, commands the Centaurs and Eagles to pursue it, saying, "He will be going to his mistress. Now is your chance to find the Witch and rescue the fourth Son of Adam." This pursuit leads directly to the rescue of Edmund, who is about to be killed by the White Witch. Furthermore, the death of Fenris Ulf, the chief of the Secret Police, is a major blow to the Witch's intelligence network. The battle also demonstrates a key thematic element of the story: that true courage is not the absence of fear but acting despite it. Peter does not feel brave; he feels sick, but he acts anyway. This aligns with the broader moral framework of Narnia, where characters are judged by their actions, not their feelings. Finally, the knighting ceremony itself, with Aslan's instruction to "never forget to wipe your sword," emphasizes the importance of discipline, honor, and the proper conduct of a warrior, setting a standard for Peter's future role as High King.