Knowing how to fight again

[MrBob]

I was just thinking about the idea of Edmund and Peter automatically knowing how to fight with swords again while back in Narnia. But my question is how well would they be able to handle the swords when they were so physically different from when they left? They had both been adults for years before they left Narnia so their fighting styles would have matured to accomodate their bodies. But now that they have returned to Narnia much younger, their fighting styles that they learned would have been harder to accomplish with their younger, weaker bodies.

I know they Narnian air makes them remember, but being able to fight as an adult when you are just a kid is hard to do, especailly when you already mastered the fighting styles when you were an adult.

MrBob

[SweetWaters]

I think the short answer is that Narnia is a kids' book, so for goodness' sake stop picking it to pieces. C.S. Lewis can make the fighting work even if it is technically impossible, just like he can put a forest inside a wardrobe even if it technically impossible. :p

[KathrynJanewayChakotay]

Sw is right its a kids book and i think there muscles and things would be great memories as soon as they start fighting up again

[Edmund Pevensie]

I think Edmund and Peter are natural swordsmen, therefore it could have been years since they hadn't used a sword and when given one they could have used it to perfection, no matter if they were children or adult. Also remember that when they started using swords they were children so even if they polished some of their swordsman skills as adults they learned how to use one as children. Other than that I want to remind you that as depicted in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe movie, there is no logic in Narnia.

[Ephinie]

I think the books make it pretty clear that the children kept in practise while they were in England. So there wasn't any great period of time when they just stopped altogether.

[inkspot]

I think the books make it pretty clear that the children kept in practise while they were in England. So there wasn't any great period of time when they just stopped altogether.
Yah, in a later book Lewis mentions that the younger kids had been practicing some stuff they knew they would use when they got back into Narnia, as I recall.

And in PC book, Lewis says of Ed's mock-battle with Trumpkin that he would not have been able to do it even 24 hours before, but the Narnian air had been working on him, and he was King Edmund :) again.

[lieke]

King Edward? :p

[inkspot]

King Edward? :p
LOL! Better fix that before some Skandarnites get in here and clobber me!
:)

[lieke]

Yeah, you´re lucky i´m not one of them :p

But i agree with all of you, it was the Narnian air, after all: Narnia is a land of magic

[Bramblewood]

I think it's obvious. They did not feel Aslan affecting the outcome for a good end. But no doubt he made sure they were ready to go into battle if only they were willing.

[Copperfox]

Enough has been said about the effect of Narnia on people that I'm not bothered by Edmund having his prowess back (though MrBob had every right to raise the question). What bothers me is Peter NOT getting back AS MUCH prowess as he should have. In the stupidly-contrived scene of a "mistaken identity" fight between Peter and Caspian, EVEN WITH Caspian being a near-adult, Peter Fenrisbane should NEVER have been at ANY disadvantage for a minute. Even though Peter was quick enough grabbing that rock that he WOULD have brained Caspian if he hadn't been called on to stop, he never should have gotten his sword stuck. I could have swallowed almost EVERY other NON-improvement in the story, if they just hadn't chosen a completely unnecessary agenda of making Peter look inferior to Caspian!!

[~Lava~]

Also, as any martial arts person including one as inexperienced as myself can attest to, muscle memory is powerful thing. The Narnian Air made them stronger andgave them more endurance of course and it probably gave them back some memories of fights, but I know that I could do a move that we hadn't worked on in months pretty near perfectly as soon as we were asked in my Karate class. They fought in so many battles and tournaments that despite being a year out from having done any of it, they would have done pretty well.

CF, this is the book forum, we are not supposed to spoil people about the movie here.

[Ithilin_of_Narnia]

muscle memory is powerful thing. The Narnian Air made them stronger and gave them more endurance of course and it probably gave them back some memories of fights,


*agrees* it can also be at least somewhat compared to writing. Your hand remembers how to write or type. Or biking. If you biked in the fall, then there was an extra long winter, and you didn't have muscle memory, you'd have to relearn biking most likely.

[inkspot]

Enough has been said about the effect of Narnia on people that I'm not bothered by Edmund having his prowess back (though MrBob had every right to raise the question). What bothers me is Peter NOT getting back AS MUCH prowess as he should have. In the stupidly-contrived scene of a "mistaken identity" fight between Peter and Caspian, EVEN WITH Caspian being a near-adult, Peter Fenrisbane should NEVER have been at ANY disadvantage for a minute. Even though Peter was quick enough grabbing that rock that he WOULD have brained Caspian if he hadn't been called on to stop, he never should have gotten his sword stuck. I could have swallowed almost EVERY other NON-improvement in the story, if they just hadn't chosen a completely unnecessary agenda of making Peter look inferior to Caspian!!
I agree with CF on this one. I had seen that spoiler before I saw the film and wondered how on earth Peter ended up having to fight Caspian with a rock. That would not really have happened to the High King.

[Dull-Glitter]

Yeah, that was another thing that bothered me...

[~Lava~]

I agree with CF too Inky, Peter should have easily been able to best Caspian especially since Ed could best Trumpkin but had he not lost the sword, he would have done something irretrievable to Caspian's head and the film not have gone to well after that. He was getting the better of Caspian and would have severed his head in a minute or two.

[MrBob]

SweetWaters, I know it's just a book, but I also love to nitpick :p

"I think the books make it pretty clear that the children kept in practise while they were in England."

Ephinie, the kids may have been able to practice archery, but I can't imagine how they could have been able to practice sword fighting. The only time I remember the story saying that anyone practiced skills from Narnia was in TLB when Jill stated that she had a love of archery after coming back from Narnia in TSC.

"Also, as any martial arts person including one as inexperienced as myself can attest to, muscle memory is powerful thing."

As I was saying, Lava, muscle memory only works on muscles that are there. They had different muscles when they were adults. But I will agree with the others that the skill that came back to them due to the Narnian air, may have been enough for them to scale down their fighting to their level of strength.

Copper, I was trying to keep this a book or general story discussion since this is in the book section and not the movie section.

MrBob

[Dull-Glitter]

That's a good point.
I think it must have something to do with Narnia itself, not only their bodies.
The first time they visited Narnia, Peter and Edmund seemed to gain amazingly good fighting skills for unpracticed school children in the short time they spent there before the battle against the White Witch.
Why not again?

[~Lava~]

While it is not broad swords, fencing is still taught in schools.

[Catherine]

They learned how to fight and use their swords when they were children. It's not like they didn't learn till they were adults. they fought against the white witch as children, remember? so they would still;l be able to fight just fine, despite how much younger they are than when they left Narnia.

[~Lava~]

Peter and Ed had learned how to sword fight well enough to do battle within days of them entering Narnia. Besides, even if they had no real swords (though they could have probably found some at the Professor's house) they could have easily practiced in England, with each other as sparing partners.