Witch Attempts to Kill Edmund

The Witch Attempts to Kill Edmund is the pivotal moment in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when the White Witch, having captured Edmund Pevensie after his betrayal, prepares to sacrifice him in accordance with the Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time, only to be interrupted by Aslan's rescue party. This scene represents the story's darkest point before the reversal, as Edmund faces death not merely as punishment but as the lawful claim of the Witch over every traitor's blood, a claim she intends to enforce with a stone knife on a makeshift altar.

Background and Context

After Edmund sneaks away from the Beavers' house and makes his way to the White Witch's castle, he is taken prisoner and forced to accompany her on a sledge journey. As the winter thaw sets in—a sign of Aslan's growing power—the sledge becomes useless in the slush, and the Witch, the Dwarf, and Edmund are forced to continue on foot. The Witch has already demonstrated her cruelty: she has turned a merry party of woodland creatures into stone for celebrating Father Christmas's arrival, and she has struck Edmund across the face when he pleaded for their lives. By the time they halt in a dark valley overshadowed with fir trees and yew trees, Edmund is utterly exhausted, lying face down on the ground, too tired even to notice his hunger and thirst. The Witch and the Dwarf confer in low tones, debating their next move. The Dwarf points out that the others have almost certainly reached the Stone Table by now, and suggests keeping Edmund alive for bargaining. But the Witch, scornful of that idea, decides to proceed with the execution immediately, lamenting that she cannot perform it on the Stone Table itself, which she considers the proper place.

The Execution Preparation

A Wolf rushes up with news that Aslan's forces have killed Fenris Ulf, the Captain of the Secret Police, and that the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve are at the Stone Table with Aslan. The Witch, instead of fleeing, orders the Wolf to summon all her allies—giants, werewolves, spirits of evil trees, Ghouls, Boggles, Ogres, Minotaurs, Cruels, Hags, Spectres, and the people of the Toadstools—for battle. Then she turns to Edmund. With no table available, she decides to bind him against the trunk of a tree. The Dwarf forces Edmund to his feet, sets him with his back against a tree, and binds him fast. The Witch removes her outer mantle, revealing bare arms that are terribly white. In the darkness of the valley, Edmund can see little else. The Dwarf undoes Edmund's collar, folds back his shirt at the neck, takes Edmund's hair, and pulls his head back so that his chin is raised. Then Edmund hears a strange noise—whizz, whizz, whizz—and realizes it is the sound of a knife being sharpened.

The Rescue

At the very moment when the knife is being sharpened and the Witch is about to strike, loud shouts erupt from every direction. There is a drumming of hoofs and a beating of wings, a scream from the Witch, and confusion all around. Edmund finds himself being untied. Strong arms are around him, and he hears big, kind voices saying things like "Let him lie down—give him some wine—drink this—steady now—you'll be all right in a minute." The rescue party—centaurs, unicorns, deer, and birds sent by Aslan—has arrived. They knock the knife out of the Witch's hand, but in the chaos, the Witch and the Dwarf escape by using her magic to disguise themselves as a tree stump and a boulder. Edmund, overwhelmed, faints. The rescuers carry him back to the Stone Table, where he is reunited with his siblings and Aslan the next morning.

Consequences and Significance

Edmund's near-execution is the direct trigger for Aslan's subsequent sacrifice. The Witch, having failed to kill Edmund herself, later confronts Aslan at the Stone Table and demands Edmund's life under the Deep Magic, which gives her a right to kill every traitor. Aslan's willingness to die in Edmund's place—a willing victim who had committed no treachery being killed in a traitor's stead—activates the Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time, leading to Aslan's resurrection and the ultimate defeat of the Witch. For Edmund himself, the experience is transformative. After his rescue and a private conversation with Aslan, he emerges as a changed person, apologizing to his siblings and later playing a crucial role in the final battle by smashing the Witch's wand. The scene thus marks the end of Edmund's moral descent and the beginning of his redemption, while also setting in motion the story's central act of sacrificial love.