Maugrim
Encyclopedia
Maugrim is a fictional wolf, a servant of White Witch
in the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
. He is captain of the witch's Secret Police (though only one of his lieutenants is ever seen). In early American editions of the book, Lewis changed the name to Fenris Ulf (a wolf from Norse mythology), but when HarperCollins took over the books they backed out Lewis's revisions, and the name Maugrim has been used in all editions since 1994.
Maugrim is one of the few Talking Animals who sided with the Witch during the Hundred-Year Winter
. (Nikabrik in Prince Caspian
indicates that a majority of Narnian wolves sided with the Witch.)
over to the White Witch. He is first seen guarding the gate of the White Witch's castle; he takes Edmund's
message to the witch and allows him entry.
Maugrim and one of his lieutenants are sent to the Beavers' house to "kill whatever they find there", and to make "all speed" to the Stone Table if the Beavers and Edmund's siblings have already left. The wolves find the house empty, and the harshness of the Witch's imposed winter prevents them from finding any tracks or scent. As instructed, they head for the Stone Table to wait for the witch, but by the time they reach it, the snow has melted and the witch has been forced to continue her journey on foot.
Maugrim rushes onto the Stone Table and terrifies Aslan's followers who are standing nearby, but he is then killed by Peter Pevensie
, who is given the title "Sir Peter Wolfsbane".
Aslan's creatures then follow Maugrim's accomplice to the White Witch, enabling them to rescue Edmund in a wooded valley some distance away.
when Peter retrieves his sword from the treasury of Cair Paravel
, stating, "It is my sword Rhindon ... with it I killed the Wolf."
Maugrim appears in the 1988 BBC production on The Chronicles of Narnia, portrayed by Canadian actor Martin Stone; he is portrayed as a shape shifter (a wer-wolf), who assumes the form of a humanoid wolf-like creature when speaking or fighting, and an actual wolf when standing guard at the Witch's castle, traveling or when mortally wounded. Martin Stone would return in Prince Caspian as the werewolf who, along with a hag (played by Barbara Kellerman
, who had previously played the White Witch) and the dwarf Nikabrik, was slayed by Peter and Edmund Pevensie in a failed attempt to bring back the White Witch in the hope that she would defeat King Miraz.
Maugrim appears in the 2005 motion picture The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
, in which he is voiced by American actor Michael Madsen
. His role in the film is more prominent than in the book or the BBC serial. In sequences invented for the film, Maugrim and his wolves (which are more numerous than in the book) attempt to intimidate a red fox
into revealing the children's whereabouts after they leave the Beavers' house. Maugrim later taunts Peter by calling him a coward, citing an earlier confrontation where Peter had not been able to strike a killing blow for fear of harming his friends.
In the 1979 cartoon adaptation
, the character was credited as Fenris Ulf.
White Witch
Jadis is the main antagonist of The Magician's Nephew and of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in C.S. Lewis' series, The Chronicles of Narnia...
in the book 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'...
by 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...
. He is captain of the witch's Secret Police (though only one of his lieutenants is ever seen). In early American editions of the book, Lewis changed the name to Fenris Ulf (a wolf from Norse mythology), but when HarperCollins took over the books they backed out Lewis's revisions, and the name Maugrim has been used in all editions since 1994.
Maugrim is one of the few Talking Animals who sided with the Witch during the Hundred-Year Winter
Hundred-Year Winter
The Hundred-Year Winter takes place from 900–1000 Narnia time. The White Witch Jadis cast a spell to make it remain winter all year round, which also prevents the appearance of Father Christmas...
. (Nikabrik in Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, written in late 1949 and first published in 1951. It is the second-published book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth.-Plot summary:While standing on a...
indicates that a majority of Narnian wolves sided with the Witch.)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Maugrim's name first appears on the notice the Pevensie children find in Mr Tumnus's ransacked cave, announcing his arrest by the Secret Police for not handing Lucy PevensieLucy Pevensie
Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan...
over to the White Witch. He is first seen guarding the gate of the White Witch's castle; he takes Edmund's
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...
message to the witch and allows him entry.
Maugrim and one of his lieutenants are sent to the Beavers' house to "kill whatever they find there", and to make "all speed" to the Stone Table if the Beavers and Edmund's siblings have already left. The wolves find the house empty, and the harshness of the Witch's imposed winter prevents them from finding any tracks or scent. As instructed, they head for the Stone Table to wait for the witch, but by the time they reach it, the snow has melted and the witch has been forced to continue her journey on foot.
Maugrim rushes onto the Stone Table and terrifies Aslan's followers who are standing nearby, but he is then killed by Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie is a major fictional character in the children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. Peter appears in four of the seven books; as a child and a principal character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Horse and His Boy...
, who is given the title "Sir Peter Wolfsbane".
Aslan's creatures then follow Maugrim's accomplice to the White Witch, enabling them to rescue Edmund in a wooded valley some distance away.
Prince Caspian
Maugrim is briefly mentioned in Prince CaspianPrince Caspian
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia is a novel for children by C. S. Lewis, written in late 1949 and first published in 1951. It is the second-published book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, although in the overall chronological sequence it comes fourth.-Plot summary:While standing on a...
when Peter retrieves his sword from the treasury of Cair Paravel
Cair Paravel
Cair Paravel is the fictional castle where the Kings and Queens of Narnia rule in The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the location of the four thrones of High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy The Valiant....
, stating, "It is my sword Rhindon ... with it I killed the Wolf."
Media appearances
Barbara Kellerman
Barbara R. Kellerman is an English actress, noted for her film and television roles. She trained at Rose Bruford College. Kellerman's Jewish parents had fled Nazi Germany and settled in Leeds, briefly living in Manchester before returning to Leeds by 1952...
, who had previously played the White Witch) and the dwarf Nikabrik, was slayed by Peter and Edmund Pevensie in a failed attempt to bring back the White Witch in the hope that she would defeat King Miraz.
Maugrim appears in the 2005 motion picture The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
, in which he is voiced by American actor Michael Madsen
Michael Madsen
Michael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...
. His role in the film is more prominent than in the book or the BBC serial. In sequences invented for the film, Maugrim and his wolves (which are more numerous than in the book) attempt to intimidate a red fox
Red Fox
The red fox is the largest of the true foxes, as well as being the most geographically spread member of the Carnivora, being distributed across the entire northern hemisphere from the Arctic Circle to North Africa, Central America, and the steppes of Asia...
into revealing the children's whereabouts after they leave the Beavers' house. Maugrim later taunts Peter by calling him a coward, citing an earlier confrontation where Peter had not been able to strike a killing blow for fear of harming his friends.
In the 1979 cartoon adaptation
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an animated television film that was broadcast in 1979.-Plot:When four children Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy stumble into an old Wardrobe they find themselves in a magical land called Narnia with talking animals, fauns, hags, the Wicked White Witch and the...
, the character was credited as Fenris Ulf.