Cair Paravel

Cair Paravel is the great castle on the eastern coast of Narnia, the seat of the four thrones whose occupation by two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve is prophesied to end the White Witch's reign and her life. It is the symbolic and political heart of the land, the place where rightful sovereignty is established and from which the true kings and queens govern. Its appearance in the narrative marks the culmination of the quest and the restoration of legitimate order to Narnia.

Location and Description

Cair Paravel stands on a little hill at the mouth of the great river, where the land of Narnia meets the sea. When Aslan shows it to Peter from the eastern edge of the Hill of the Stone Table, it appears as something shining on a little hill, reflecting the sunset from all its windows, and to Peter it looks like a great star resting on the seashore. The castle itself is described as having an ivory roof, a west door hung with peacock's feathers, and an eastern door that opens right onto the sea. The Great Hall is where the four thrones are located, and from the castle steps the mermen and mermaids swim close to sing in honour of the new kings and queens.

Prophetic Significance

The castle is central to the ancient prophecy that governs Narnia's fate. Mr. Beaver explains to the children that down at Cair Paravel there are four thrones, and it is a saying in Narnia time out of mind that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve sit in those four thrones, then it will be the end not only of the White Witch's reign but of her life. This prophecy is the reason the Witch has been watching for any humans in Narnia for many years, and why she is so dangerous when she learns there are four of them. The White Witch herself acknowledges the prophecy when she muses to her dwarf, "Four thrones in Cair Paravel. How if only three were filled? That would not fulfil the prophecy."

The Coronation and Reign

After the final battle and the defeat of the White Witch, Aslan leads the four children to Cair Paravel. In the Great Hall, in the presence of all their friends and to the sound of trumpets, Aslan solemnly crowns them and leads them onto the four thrones amid deafening shouts of "Long Live King Peter! Long Live Queen Susan! Long Live King Edmund! Long Live Queen Lucy!" Aslan declares, "Once a king or queen in Narnia, always a king or queen. Bear it well, Sons of Adam! Bear it well, Daughters of Eve!" Sceptres are put into their hands, and they give rewards and honours to all their friends, including Tumnus the Faun, the Beavers, Giant Rumblebuffin, the leopards, the good centaurs, and the good dwarfs. That night there is a great feast in Cair Paravel with revelry and dancing, gold flashing and wine flowing, while the music of the sea people answers from outside. The four kings and queens govern Narnia well and long, making good laws, keeping the peace, saving good trees from being unnecessarily cut down, liberating young dwarfs and young satyrs from being sent to school, and driving back fierce giants from the North. Peter becomes known as King Peter the Magnificent, Susan as Queen Susan the Gentle, Edmund as King Edmund the Just, and Lucy as Queen Lucy the Valiant.

Narrative Role and Significance

Cair Paravel functions as the ultimate destination and symbol of rightful rule in the story. It is the place Aslan shows Peter as a far-off sight, telling him, "That, O Man, is Cair Paravel of the four thrones, in one of which you must sit as King. I show it to you because you are the first-born and you will be High King over all the rest." The castle represents the restoration of order, justice, and the end of the Witch's unnatural winter. Its four thrones are the physical manifestation of the prophecy that drives the entire plot, and the coronation there marks the transition from the children's role as adventurers to their identity as sovereign rulers. The castle also serves as the point of departure for the final adventure of the story, when the kings and queens ride out from Cair Paravel to hunt the White Stag, an event that leads them back through the wardrobe to their own world.