Witch's Wand

[PrinceOfTheWest]

While recently re-reading the Chronicles, I got to pondering something I never had before: the significance of the Witch's most potent spell, that of turning others to stone. Tumnus mentions this as kind of a "worst case" situation, i.e. worse than having a beard plucked out or horns sawn off or his hooves turned solid like a horse. There's the tragic scene of the Witch petrifying the dining party in the woods, and of course the exhilarating liberation scene at her palace. This ability is clearly the worst weapon in her arsenal, but it's so much a part of the story that one just takes it for granted: it's what the Witch does.

But this time through I got to thinking: given that so much of what Lewis wrote reflects aspects of our spiritual struggle, what might this threat correspond to? Since the Chronicles aren't strict allegory, it would be hard to say, "That ability means this or that", but there could be parallels. What do folk think? Here are a few starter questions:





If there is a parallel to the Witch's ability in our spiritual life, what might it be?
By what did the Witch actually enslave the Narnians?
Can we be "turned to stone"? If so, how? By whom?
What sets the petrified free? What might that correspond to in our spiritual life?
I've got some thoughts of my own on this, but I'd like to hear what some of you think.

Under the Mercy!

[Wallis]

Super questions.

Being turned into stone could just signify death.

But in a way, being turned into stone by the Witch could actually been part of the victims' salvation. Those who are so martyred for believing in Aslan cannot be "turned," that is, fall from grace. They are dead and await the resurrection.

Reaching for left field, as it were, it is this fear of being turned into stone that actually enslaves the Narnians. Even as we humans who walk this Earth fear death as something terrible. If the afterlife were reduced to becoming wraiths or ghosts, think of what we would miss: eating, drinking, loving, etc. It is that human nature that strives to continue, because in a materialistic entrapment, "this" is all there is and all we've got.

A heart of stone is a phrase often bandied about, and there are clear examples across the world that occur bountifully every day. "I'm not going to get involved" when the cry for help is uttered, when people "ignore" the rape in a nearby alley, the poor and hungry sitting or lying in the dirt as we pass by, or a stranger having a bad day who just needs a smile.

The fear of getting involved stems from the fear of getting hurt or killed. It's called self-preservation. Somehow, we just don't believe that God shut the lions' maws when Daniel had to face them alone in their own den. "That was Daniel, and I'm no Daniel. Chances are that I'm going to get eaten." Surprisingly, each and everyone of us walks through a "lions' den" every day, and most of us get through it swimmingly with just a few claw marks on our chests and backs.

"That person was really dumb! He got killed!" What that person did was put his life totally in the hands of God, and he did what Christ would have done: reached out and touched his neighbor. The fact that he died showing the love of Christ should not dissuade us, for that is just the "stonification" of our spirits, our faith. This person died and was blessed. He was called home. He can no longer be tempted and "turned."

Even as our Creed declares: Descended to the dead (some read it as descended into hell). The ancient Jews believed that the dead were dead, yet they were remembered by God. As the "doctrine" of hell developed, influenced by a great many pagan religions, the Jewish people became divided over whether a person has a soul and whether or not there was an afterlife. Those who believed in the afterlife developed quite a scenario that listed anywhere from seven to thirteen hells, each a more terrible eternity than the one above.

While Aslan returned the stone creatures of Narnia--in a sense giving them new bodies--even so the Christ reawakens the dead. They may not necessarily be walking the Earth today, unless you give some credence to re-incarnation, but they are certainly reunited with Christ in whatever afterlife you may conceive.

At the end of the Last Battle, we have evidence of Lewis' belief in the resurrection for Narnians and others. The resurrection is not the reconstitution of the imperfect flesh but of the soul and true essence of all creatures.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

Hmm. Very interesting. I've a bit of response to this post, but let's see what others might say.

[unleavened]

Hmmm, I'll have to think about this one. There's lots of possiblities. I think it may represent several differant things.

[inkspot]

You cannot say that the Narnians themselves did some sin to get themselves petrified (As Edward did something evil to get himself in trouble), they were mostly just living their quiet lives, and the evil one petrified them.

This suggests to me that maybe being turned to stone is what happens to us through the process of daily living if we do not have the breath of Christ upon us. Y'all are happy, well-adjusted kids whose parents read you CON when you were babies, so this probably hasn't occured to you, but there are kids who grow up with no families, or abusive families, or great families that just don't give them what they need, and they feel insecure about who they are, not good enough to achieve their dreams. In fear of failure and defense against being thought a failure, they give up on those dreams. They decide that just getting by is a worthy enough goal in this world, and never aspire to anything higher, because through the years their belief in something better has been kicked out of them. They're afraid to hope for something more ... and they are turned to stone.

This is my thought about how people in our world are turned to stone. They stop believing in magic, and in fact it becomes painful for them to even think about it, because they think they will never experience it. But when Aslan (Christ for us) breathes on them, those tender hopes can still come to life again! Praise His name! :)

[Starkist]

I think there is less symbolism here than meets the eye. Jadis turned people to stone because she could. It was a state of helplessness, that could only be rectified by the actions of Aslan himself.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

Thanks for the input! I'll chip in my two bits, which hopefully will not be the last.

Quick point on Starkist's post: you're certainly correct that we shouldn't try to read in too much to the Witch's ability. Lewis wasn't trying to write a comprehensive cosmology, he was trying to write a children's story. But I always find it interesting to find patterns that the Holy Spirit might have woven in.

To me, it seemed like the parallel to the Witch's ability in our world is our suceptibility to fear. This is just about what Wallis said when he said that it could signify death. I know what happens to my joy and obedience when I begin to fear - they seize up, and in a sense they die. I know that typically when I sin, it is not out of rank wickedness (i.e. "I'm going to do something nasty and disobedient!") but out of fear. I fear that God will not provide, so I cheat or steal. I fear that I will be scorned or shamed, so I lie. After all, don't we even have a figure of speech: "petrified with fear"? It might seem a little extreme to compare fear with death, but consider the effect of fear on our spiritual lives. And look at how often Jesus tells us not to fear.

I believe Wallis is dead on when he says that fear of this petrification is the cord by which the Witch enslaves the Narnians. Some she petrifies, so when she just looks in the direction of the others, they snap into line. To extend the metaphor, this would be "fear of fear" - something I find myself suceptible to. He has another good insight when he makes the comment about the "heart of stone" - not only are the petrified unable to do anything for themselves, but neither can they reach out to others.

If my experience is any guide, fear is the petrification and any one of three agents can do it (though I know I'll part company with Wallis on one of these :)): the World (i.e. the fallen social order), the Flesh (my own sin-damaged human nature), and the Devil (malevolent spiritual forces). I've had all of these seek to turn me to stone by intimidating me into inaction.

We know from the Chronicles what set the stone-bound free: Aslan's breath. I see that as a symbol of the Holy Spirit (see also the creation account in Nephew, particularly the bestowing of the gift of speech on the animals). After all, who was it at Penetcost that turned the trembling, petrified apostles into the dynamos that lit the world on fire? Wallis sees in this the resurrection of the dead, and that seems clear to me, too. I'm not sure of any doctrinal statements on the topic, but since it is the Wind (rouasch) of God which brings life back to the dry bones in Ezekiel, I'd guess that the Holy Spirit will play a critical role in the Resurrection.

Anyone else?

[Dernhelm]

You know, it just occured to me...When Jesus was raised from the dead, the bible says many others were also raised. (I don't have time to check the exact wording right now, but it's something to that effect.) Soon after Aslan came back to life – he brought those that had been turned to stone back to life. . . . Just another idea I got while I was reading your posts. :)

[PrinceOfTheWest]

That would be the account in Matthew, if I remember correctly. Kind of odd, and nothing more is mentioned of what happened to those people. But it does make one think, doesn't it? "Death itself starts working backward!"

[Starkist]

I think there is a lot more applicability to the story, as with any, than deliberate symbolism. After all, the presence of certain familiar stories and archetypes guarantees that we can find familiar ideas in many different places. All I'm saying it that it's too much to say that it was deliberately symbolic, by the work of Lewis, or by the work of God. Take that step, and soon the responsibility of every interpretation of every work is removed from the reader and given to the author, and to God.

I don't remember if it was Lewis or Tolkien who said that applicability is the interpretation of the reader, while allegory was the intent of the author. It's true either way.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

That's a good point, Starkist. I hadn't heard that quote, but it's quite true.

[unleavened]

I'm not so sure about the fear, even though that was my original idea too. I say this b/c at one point an animal get turned to stone for boldness. It's not their fear that gets them petrified. It's their mistakes, but the prospect of being petrified does scrare the Narnians.

I think it has more to do with the huge amount of control the Witch had before Aslan came. Kind of like the silent years before Jesus came?

Just an idea.

[PrinceOfTheWest]

That's an excellent point, unleavened. Certainly many of those who were turned to stone were actually defying the Witch, i.e. conquering their fear to do what was right, and getting turned into stone for it (the same thing happened on the Beruna battlefield.) This seems to me to simply establish that it's an incomplete analogy, as analogies always are. They break down at some point. In Narnia, the Witch's Wand is an objective external thing that acts on the physical bodies of the victims. Big or small, bold or timid, they can be petrified through the actions of another. But at least in my spiritual life, I can feel the cold touch of the petrifiying spell any time I take my eyes off Aslan. Whether it's the intimidation of the world, or the wiles of the Enemy, or my own treacherous heart, or some combination makes no difference. I can feel my limbs stiffening when that fear comes knocking.

Fortunately, we can call for Aslan's Breath to thaw us (Luke 11)! Blessed be He!

[Basilides]

Remember in The Pilgrim's Regress (where a lot of Lewis' symbolism was spelled out) the Giant had the power to make mens' skin invisible, so that they saw their inwards? This led men to believe that they were mere organs and fluids, machines with no real soul. Just "things". The power of the Witch's wand was fear (among other things), yes, but its effects were to remove the life from the targets while leaving the form. It is the effect of atheistic naturalism on a person...those who fall prey to the wand of Naturalism cease to become anything more than random particles bouncing around, intrinsically no different than stone.

[teryio]

I guess the witch having the power to turn others to stone represents power at different levels. It could be the power a boss in a workplace which makes ppl cower in fear. Diggory's striking the bell - the unwitting wrong words of a new staff in the company creating a chain of events that spell a dreading silence the whole day. Aslan - a compassionate leader senior to that boss who have an insight towards what's happening and with a stroke of his action, embolden the other staff to speak out. Again, the witch's power could be the power a playground bully etc etc etc. I believe it depends on the context of the moment.