Vulture

Vultures are mentioned only once in the narrative, but their appearance carries significant atmospheric weight. They are part of the vile rabble that sweeps off the hilltop after the White Witch has killed Aslan at the Stone Table. As Susan and Lucy crouch in the bushes, they feel the ground shake beneath the galloping feet of the Minotaurs and hear the flurry of foul wings overhead; among these are vultures and giant bats. The vultures are not described individually, but their inclusion in this moment—immediately after the horror of Aslan's death—deepens the sense of corruption and evil that now seems triumphant. The birds are associated with the Witch's forces, creatures of darkness and decay that share in her victory. Their presence also serves a narrative function: they mark the low point of the story, the moment when hope appears utterly lost. The vultures, scavengers by nature, reinforce the idea that death and ruin have won, and that the good creatures of Narnia are now prey. Yet their appearance is fleeting; they are part of the crowd that leaves the hilltop, and they do not return. In the larger structure of the book, the vultures belong to the winter world of the White Witch, a world of perpetual cold and death. Their brief flight across the page helps to create the atmosphere of dread that must be overcome before the deeper magic can bring about the resurrection and the final victory.