Stone Table
Encyclopedia
In C. S. Lewis
's fantasy novel series the Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan's How is a construction located south of the Great River in Narnia next to the Great Woods. It was built over the Hill of the Stone Table. It is a tell
.
The word "How" derives from the Old Norse haugr, meaning hill. In parts of England, it is a synonym for a barrow, or earthen burial-mound (see tumulus
.)
, the events of which take place over a thousand Narnian years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
At some point during the absence of the Pevensie children, a barrow was raised over the remains of the broken Stone Table. Who built the mound, or why, is not explained by Lewis. It is possible that this action was undertaken by the superstitious Telmarines, who feared and despised anything to do with Old Narnia. Another possibility is that the Old Narnians themselves wished to protect the Stone Table fragments from desecration by hiding them from their enemies.
The runaway Prince Caspian flees into the forest from his evil uncle, King Miraz, and finds a host of good creatures and animals. When word gets out that the King's army is out to capture the Prince, he and his friends take cover inside Aslan's How. The How proves to be a reliable fortress. Miraz's army surrounds the mound and is fought off when the four Pevensies and Aslan return to Narnia.
.
film series, the place is shown in various ways:
sets the camp at another place from before only and not at Stone table. The Stone Table is shown in the cinema only for approximately 15 minutes. Jadis, the White Witch
is bound by the others and it shown as a place with a high table and pillared by four pillars at four corners.
The White Witch's army is all around. Aslan
is killed. The next day, stone table is broken not by an earthquake
but it breaks itself. The children
hear the sound as they turn to leave, believing Aslan is dead. The breaking is not shown. The children hug Aslan, listen to his explanation for his death and they go to Beruna.
. The walls are carved with images of Aslan, the Pevensie
children, and Mr. Tumnus with the lamppost.
Disney takes a step further, showing a ceremony to bring the White Witch
back to life. A hag chants a spell and uses the White Witch's broken scepter to create ice between two of the four pillars near the Stone Table. The White Witch appears in the ice and asks for a drop of blood from Caspian X
so that she may live again. The Pevensies come to his rescue, fighting and killing the hag, a werewolf and Nikabrik. The Witch then entices Peter
and he lowers his sword. He reaches out and is about to give the blood when Edmund
uses his sword to break the ice from behind.. In both the movie and the book, The Stone Table is within Aslan's How.
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 novel series the Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan's How is a construction located south of the Great River in Narnia next to the Great Woods. It was built over the Hill of the Stone Table. It is a tell
Tell
A tell or tel, is a type of archaeological mound created by human occupation and abandonment of a geographical site over many centuries. A classic tell looks like a low, truncated cone with a flat top and sloping sides.-Archaeology:A tell is a hill created by different civilizations living and...
.
The word "How" derives from the Old Norse haugr, meaning hill. In parts of England, it is a synonym for a barrow, or earthen burial-mound (see tumulus
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
.)
Prince Caspian
The site is not referred to as "Aslan's How" until 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...
, the events of which take place over a thousand Narnian years after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
At some point during the absence of the Pevensie children, a barrow was raised over the remains of the broken Stone Table. Who built the mound, or why, is not explained by Lewis. It is possible that this action was undertaken by the superstitious Telmarines, who feared and despised anything to do with Old Narnia. Another possibility is that the Old Narnians themselves wished to protect the Stone Table fragments from desecration by hiding them from their enemies.
The runaway Prince Caspian flees into the forest from his evil uncle, King Miraz, and finds a host of good creatures and animals. When word gets out that the King's army is out to capture the Prince, he and his friends take cover inside Aslan's How. The How proves to be a reliable fortress. Miraz's army surrounds the mound and is fought off when the four Pevensies and Aslan return to Narnia.
The Horse and His Boy
Aslan's How is only mentioned once more in The Horse and His BoyThe 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...
.
As shown in the films
In the Chronicles of NarniaThe Chronicles of Narnia (film series)
The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of English fantasy films from Walden Media that are based on The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of novels written by C. S. Lewis...
film series, the place is shown in various ways:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
In this film, AslanAslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
sets the camp at another place from before only and not at Stone table. The Stone Table is shown in the cinema only for approximately 15 minutes. Jadis, the White Witch
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...
is bound by the others and it shown as a place with a high table and pillared by four pillars at four corners.
The White Witch's army is all around. Aslan
Aslan
Aslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
is killed. The next day, stone table is broken not by an earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
but it breaks itself. The children
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...
hear the sound as they turn to leave, believing Aslan is dead. The breaking is not shown. The children hug Aslan, listen to his explanation for his death and they go to Beruna.
Prince Caspian
In this film, Stone Table is shown as Aslan's How and it is completely covered. It is a small place and dark and not as big as it was shown in the other film The Lion The Witch And The WardrobeThe 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...
. The walls are carved with images of Aslan, the 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, and Mr. Tumnus with the lamppost.
Disney takes a step further, showing a ceremony to bring the White Witch
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...
back to life. A hag chants a spell and uses the White Witch's broken scepter to create ice between two of the four pillars near the Stone Table. The White Witch appears in the ice and asks for a drop of blood from Caspian X
Caspian X
Caspian X, King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of The Lone Islands, also called Caspian the Seafarer and Caspian the Navigator, is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. He is featured in three books in the series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn...
so that she may live again. The Pevensies come to his rescue, fighting and killing the hag, a werewolf and Nikabrik. The Witch then entices Peter
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...
and he lowers his sword. He reaches out and is about to give the blood when 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...
uses his sword to break the ice from behind.. In both the movie and the book, The Stone Table is within Aslan's How.
See also
- The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe 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'...
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (film)The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe 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...
- Prince CaspianPrince CaspianPrince 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...
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (film)The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 epic fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published, fourth chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia. It is the second in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walden Media, following The...
- AslanAslanAslan, the "Great Lion," is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is the eponymous lion of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and his role in Narnia is developed throughout the remaining books...
- Lucy PevensieLucy PevensieLucy 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...
- Susan PevensieSusan PevensieSusan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. Susan is the elder sister and the second eldest Pevensie child. She appears in three of the seven books—as a child in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Horse and His Boy...
- Beruna
- White WitchWhite WitchJadis 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...