Hwin
Encyclopedia
Hwin is a fictional character
from C. S. Lewis
's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia
. She is prominent in the book The Horse and His Boy
Hwin, a mare, was born as a free talking beast in the Land of Narnia
, but was captured as a foal by the Calormen
es, and has lived her life as the property of humans, hiding her true nature as a talking horse. However, to prevent her mistress, Aravis Tarkheena
, from committing suicide (to escape an arranged marriage), Hwin has revealed her true nature to Aravis, and has persuaded Aravis to flee with her to freedom in Narnia instead. In The Horse and his Boy, (the events of which all occur during the reign of the four Pevensie
children in Narnia, an era which begins and ends in the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
), Hwin and Aravis fall into company with the talking stallion, Bree
, to whom Hwin is distantly related, and the boy Shasta
. In the course of their adventures, the companions thwart an attempted invasion of Archenland
and Narnia, and Hwin, nervous, gentle and humble by nature, passes through testing grounds in which courage and the ability to lead are developed in her.
, but was captured as a foal and sold into slavery
in Calormen
. She became the property of Aravis Tarkeena
, a member of the ruling class in Calormen. During her years in slavery, Hwin did not speak, in order to hide her Narnian origin. However, not long before the appearance of Hwin and Aravis in The Horse and His Boy, Hwin has revealed her nature as a talking horse to Aravis, while intervening to prevent Aravis from killing herself
to avoid an arranged marriage. Hwin has persuaded Aravis that they should escape together to the free land of Narnia.
and Shasta
by roaring lions. Hwin looks up to Bree as "a noble war horse", and prefers to accept his "assistance and protection" on their journey. Although Aravis is the acknowledged leader of the Aravis-Hwin pair, Hwin defends her right to compare escape stories with Bree: "No, I won't [be silent], Aravis. This is my escape just as much as yours." Hwin and Bree discover that they know the few same places in Narnia, and that they are possibly distantly related.
Hwin also plays a vital role in their escape through Tashbaan, but her plan of disguising themselves fails when King Edmund
of Narnia mistakes Shasta for Prince Corin of Archenland and Aravis is recognised by a friend. Eventually, the group reunite and head to Archenland
.
Hwin remains friends with Bree, Shasta (who is later revealed to be Prince Cor of Archenland, Prince Corin's long-lost twin) and Aravis throughout her life, and it is mentioned that she later marries (though not to Bree).
Hwin is generally very clear-thinking and reasonable, and though she seems a bit shy at times, her advice is usually the smartest of the group's; it is she, for example, who devises the best plan for getting through Tashbaan (though it doesn't work well for reasons beyond their control). Her wisdom is to be compared to Bree, who is somewhat less sensible and not quite as wise. He also seems to be more concerned than her with what others would think of him—for example, that the other Talking Horses might think his rolling in the grass is silly, while she replies she enjoys it and doesn't care what others think.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages...
. She is prominent in the book The Horse and His Boy
The Horse and His Boy
The Horse and His Boy is a novel by C. S. Lewis. It was published in 1954, making it the fifth of seven books published in Lewis' series The Chronicles of Narnia. The books in this series are sometimes ordered chronologically in relation to the events in the books as opposed to the dates of their...
Hwin, a mare, was born as a free talking beast in the Land of Narnia
Narnia (country)
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Narnia is the country around which the books revolve. It is one of several lands in the Narnian world.-Geography:...
, but was captured as a foal by the Calormen
Calormen
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Calormen is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis derived its name from the Latin calor, meaning "heat". When used as an adjective Lewis spelled the name with an 'e' at the end . Narnia and Calormen are separated by a large desert...
es, and has lived her life as the property of humans, hiding her true nature as a talking horse. However, to prevent her mistress, Aravis Tarkheena
Aravis
Aravis is a fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. She is a main character in The Horse and His Boy.Aravis is a young Tarkheena, a female member of the ruling nobility of Calormen...
, from committing suicide (to escape an arranged marriage), Hwin has revealed her true nature to Aravis, and has persuaded Aravis to flee with her to freedom in Narnia instead. In The Horse and his Boy, (the events of which all occur during the reign of the four Pevensie
Pevensie
Pevensie is the surname of some of the primary characters in some of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia books:*Edmund Pevensie*Lucy Pevensie*Peter Pevensie*Susan Pevensie...
children in Narnia, an era which begins and ends in the last chapter of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis. Published in 1950 and set circa 1940, it is the first-published book of The Chronicles of Narnia and is the best known book of the series. Although it was written and published first, it is second in the series'...
), Hwin and Aravis fall into company with the talking stallion, Bree
Bree (Narnia)
Bree is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. He is one of the title characters, and is featured prominently in the fifth book, The Horse and His Boy, Bree was born as a free talking beast in the Land of Narnia, but was captured as a colt by the Calormenes, and has lived...
, to whom Hwin is distantly related, and the boy Shasta
Shasta (Narnia)
Shasta, later known as Cor of Archenland, is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He is the principal character in the fifth book published in the series, The Horse and His Boy, which is the third book chronologically...
. In the course of their adventures, the companions thwart an attempted invasion of Archenland
Archenland
In C. S. Lewis's fantasy novels the Chronicles of Narnia, Archenland is a nation to the south of Narnia, and to the north of both nations' occasional enemy, Calormen. Its borders are formed by mountains to the north and by the River Winding Arrow to the south...
and Narnia, and Hwin, nervous, gentle and humble by nature, passes through testing grounds in which courage and the ability to lead are developed in her.
Name
Hwin's name brings to mind the word "whinny", a sound that horses make. But primarily, "Hwin" is a contraction of "Hwinhynym",which, spelled "Houyhnhnm" is the name of the race of noble horses from Johnathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.Prior Story
Hwin was born in NarniaNarnia (country)
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Narnia is the country around which the books revolve. It is one of several lands in the Narnian world.-Geography:...
, but was captured as a foal and sold into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in Calormen
Calormen
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Calormen is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis derived its name from the Latin calor, meaning "heat". When used as an adjective Lewis spelled the name with an 'e' at the end . Narnia and Calormen are separated by a large desert...
. She became the property of Aravis Tarkeena
Aravis
Aravis is a fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. She is a main character in The Horse and His Boy.Aravis is a young Tarkheena, a female member of the ruling nobility of Calormen...
, a member of the ruling class in Calormen. During her years in slavery, Hwin did not speak, in order to hide her Narnian origin. However, not long before the appearance of Hwin and Aravis in The Horse and His Boy, Hwin has revealed her nature as a talking horse to Aravis, while intervening to prevent Aravis from killing herself
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
to avoid an arranged marriage. Hwin has persuaded Aravis that they should escape together to the free land of Narnia.
In The Horse and His Boy
In this chapter, Hwin and Aravis make their first appearance in the story, driven together with BreeBree (Narnia)
Bree is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. He is one of the title characters, and is featured prominently in the fifth book, The Horse and His Boy, Bree was born as a free talking beast in the Land of Narnia, but was captured as a colt by the Calormenes, and has lived...
and Shasta
Shasta (Narnia)
Shasta, later known as Cor of Archenland, is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He is the principal character in the fifth book published in the series, The Horse and His Boy, which is the third book chronologically...
by roaring lions. Hwin looks up to Bree as "a noble war horse", and prefers to accept his "assistance and protection" on their journey. Although Aravis is the acknowledged leader of the Aravis-Hwin pair, Hwin defends her right to compare escape stories with Bree: "No, I won't [be silent], Aravis. This is my escape just as much as yours." Hwin and Bree discover that they know the few same places in Narnia, and that they are possibly distantly related.
Hwin also plays a vital role in their escape through Tashbaan, but her plan of disguising themselves fails when King Edmund
Edmund Pevensie
Edmund "Ed" Pevensie is a major fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He is a principal character in three of the seven books , and a lesser character in two others .In the live-action films, The...
of Narnia mistakes Shasta for Prince Corin of Archenland and Aravis is recognised by a friend. Eventually, the group reunite and head to Archenland
Archenland
In C. S. Lewis's fantasy novels the Chronicles of Narnia, Archenland is a nation to the south of Narnia, and to the north of both nations' occasional enemy, Calormen. Its borders are formed by mountains to the north and by the River Winding Arrow to the south...
.
Hwin remains friends with Bree, Shasta (who is later revealed to be Prince Cor of Archenland, Prince Corin's long-lost twin) and Aravis throughout her life, and it is mentioned that she later marries (though not to Bree).
Personality
Hwin's logical thinking and humility serve as the counter to Bree.Hwin is generally very clear-thinking and reasonable, and though she seems a bit shy at times, her advice is usually the smartest of the group's; it is she, for example, who devises the best plan for getting through Tashbaan (though it doesn't work well for reasons beyond their control). Her wisdom is to be compared to Bree, who is somewhat less sensible and not quite as wise. He also seems to be more concerned than her with what others would think of him—for example, that the other Talking Horses might think his rolling in the grass is silly, while she replies she enjoys it and doesn't care what others think.