Lion

The Lion, Aslan, is the true King of Narnia, the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea, and the only being powerful enough to break the White Witch's eternal winter. He is not a tame lion but a force of nature—terrible, good, and ultimately self-sacrificing. His arrival signals the beginning of the end for the Witch's reign, and his death on the Stone Table, followed by his resurrection, constitutes the deepest magic in Narnia, redeeming the traitor Edmund and shattering the Witch's claim on the land.

Identity and Nature

Aslan is introduced not as a man but as "the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea," a lion—"the Lion, the great Lion." When Mr. Beaver speaks his name, each of the four children feels a distinct, powerful sensation: Peter feels suddenly brave and adventurous, Susan senses a delicious smell or strain of music, Lucy feels the joy of a holiday morning, and Edmund feels a mysterious horror. Aslan is described as both good and not safe; Mrs. Beaver warns that anyone who can appear before him without their knees knocking is either braver than most or "just silly." His voice is deep and rich, and his face is royal, strong, and peaceful, yet also capable of looking sad. He is the King of Beasts, and his presence commands absolute reverence.

Role in the Prophecy and the War

Aslan is the central figure in the ancient prophecies of Narnia. One rhyme states, "Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, / At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, / When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death / And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again." His arrival in Narnia triggers the great thaw, ending the Witch's spell of "always winter and never Christmas." He is the one who will "settle the White Queen all right" and save Mr. Tumnus. He leads the army against the Witch, but he also warns Peter that he cannot promise to be at the battle himself, a statement that fills the camp with a sense of foreboding.

The Sacrifice and Resurrection

The Witch claims Edmund as her lawful prey under the Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time, which gives her a right to kill every traitor. Aslan does not deny this law. He makes a secret pact with the Witch, and that night, he walks slowly and sadly to the Stone Table, allowing himself to be bound, shaved, mocked, and muzzled by the Witch's rabble without resistance. The Witch kills him on the Stone Table with her stone knife, believing she has won Narnia forever. However, after the Witch's forces depart, the girls Susan and Lucy watch as field mice gnaw through his bonds. At dawn, the Stone Table cracks in two, and Aslan stands before them, alive and larger than before. He explains that the Witch knew only the Deep Magic, but there is a "Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time" that she did not know: when a willing victim who had committed no treachery is killed in a traitor's stead, Death itself would start working backwards.

The Liberation and Final Battle

After his resurrection, Aslan's strength returns. He roars with such force that the trees bend before him. He carries Susan and Lucy on his back in a breathtaking ride across Narnia to the Witch's castle. There, he leaps over the wall and breathes on the stone statues, restoring them to life, including Mr. Tumnus and Giant Rumblebuffin. He then leads this liberated army to the battlefield, where Peter and Edmund are fighting the Witch's forces. Aslan flings himself upon the White Witch, and with her death, the battle is won. He then knights Edmund and crowns the four children as Kings and Queens of Narnia at Cair Paravel.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

Aslan is the narrative's moral and spiritual center, embodying the themes of sacrifice, redemption, and the triumph of good over evil. He is a character who inspires both terror and love, and his actions are driven by a deeper, ancient law that transcends the Witch's understanding. He is not a tame lion, as Mr. Beaver warns, and he slips away quietly after the coronation, reminding the new rulers that he will come and go, for he has other countries to attend to. His role is not merely that of a powerful ally but of a divine figure whose death and resurrection are the pivotal events that make the children's victory possible.