Aslan's Other Names

I just happened to finish reading SC today and I just came to wonder about this part:

The Centaurs were very polite in a grave, gracious grown-up kind of way, and as they cantered through the Narnian woods they spoke, without turning their heads, telling the children about the properties of herbs and roots, the influendes of the plantes, the nine names of Aslan with their meanings, and things of that sort.

And I just happen to remember that at the last part of VOTD, Aslan mentioned that he is known to our world with a different name. Do you think it's somewhat related?
 
Giselle the Ethereal said:
And I just happen to remember that at the last part of VOTD, Aslan mentioned that he is known to our world with a different name. Do you think it's somewhat related?

Yes, Lewis is referring rather explicitly to Christ. So, theoretically, one of Aslan's other names could be Isa, the Islamic equivalent of Jesus.
 
The Nine Names of Aslan

It's been a while since I've read The Silver Chair, and I don't think I've ever given much thought to that part before. It is intriguing, though. What springs to mind is that nine names seems rather apt for a big cat, since cats are said to have nine lives.
 
[Danny:] "Yes, Lewis is referring rather explicitly to Christ. So, theoretically, one of Aslan's other names could be Isa, the Islamic equivalent of Jesus."

Our posts must have crossed, Danny. "Isa" is indeed the Arabic word for Jesus, but if you looked at the word for Jesus in all the different languages around the world there would be a lot more than nine. Also, they would not have different meanings, yet the centaurs speak of "the nine names of Aslan with their meanings."

Having said that, the "nine names of Aslan" does remind me of the "ninety-nine names of Allah" in Islam. In Islam, these ninety-nine names are actually attributes, such as All-Seeing, All-Knowing and All-Merciful.

I don't know whether Lewis's "nine names of Aslan" relates to anything in Christianity. It might do, or it might have something to do with the fact that cats are said to have nine lives. Any ideas, anyone?
 
There really isn't any equivalent in Scripture or Christian tradition. I think that Lewis was just speaking in a mythological vein here - in fact, that offhand comment about the conversation with the centaurs is the closest thing you find in all the Chronicles to anything like a formalized theology. In my opinion, the Nine Names of Aslan would be something specific to the Narnian universe. Perhaps in Charn He might be known by one name, etc.
 
PrinceOfTheWest said:
There really isn't any equivalent in Scripture or Christian tradition. I think that Lewis was just speaking in a mythological vein here - in fact, that offhand comment about the conversation with the centaurs is the closest thing you find in all the Chronicles to anything like a formalized theology. In my opinion, the Nine Names of Aslan would be something specific to the Narnian universe. Perhaps in Charn He might be known by one name, etc.

Yes, I suppose. Because Tolkien does a similar thing with Gandalf. The Hobbits know him as Gandalf (Wand-Elf), The Elves, Mithrandir (Grey Pilgrim) and so on.
 
I don't know if 9 names of Aslan exactly relates to Christianity, but God is known as
1. I am
2. Jehovah Jireh- The Lord our Provider
3. Jehovah Nissi- The Lord our Banner(as in a victorious banner)
4. Jehovah Shalom- The Lord our Peace
5. Jehovah Shammah- The Lord is Here.
6. Jehovah Tsidkenu- The Lord our Righteousness
7. El Shaddai
8. Yahweh
9. Father

With Jesus there are a ton:
Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Wonderful.....and a ton more.
 
I think this is just a case of Lewis trying to "import depth". If he had specified twelve, thirty, or ninety-nine names we might scramble to enumerate them.

It's not important.
 
I'm guessing the nine names might be:

AlphaOmegaLion - IRC
DaBoss - Muck
Leo1 - Hotmail
13432 - ICQ
HereKitty - MSN Messenger
HisHighness@heaven.ihs - Email
Uh Oh - Charn
Aslan - Narnia
Andy - Earth

Ok, so you wonder why ANDY? Well it's right there in the hymn. "Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me that I am his own..."
 
so, at first you can take "maledil", the name, god has in perelandra

and then, in fact, there are a lot of name for God:
- Jahwe
- I am
- Elohim
- Elshaddai
and some more

but on the other side, perhabs Lewis just wrote it, because it sound god and make sense on a tribe with an centaur
 
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Chakal, that is STINKIN HILARIOUS--not only because you did it, but because my friends name is Andy, and we sing that to him all the time.

But I get what your saying Inklet, I was just making the statement that I doubt it was in reference to Allah or the Muslim faith.
 
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Humorous note: I heard that in Islamic tradition God has a hundred names, but Man knows only 99 of them. The hundredth name is known only by the camel, which is why the beast looks so unbearably smug all the time. :)
 
Check out the following link and click on/scroll down to where it says "The Seven Names":

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=52&letter=N

The article says: "The number of divine names that require the scribe's special care is seven: El, Elohim, Adonai, Yhwh, Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, Shaddai, and Ẓeba'ot."

Perhaps C. S. Lewis was influenced by this notion of seven names for God, but chose nine names for Aslan because he's a lion (ie a big cat, with nine lives).
 
Aslan did say that he also was in Earth (the children's world), but that he was called by another name there, and that they must learn to know him by that name. In other words, Christ. I found this a very beautiful sentiment. Although Aslan has a lovlier ring to it...
 
"An Aslan's Friend"...I don't understand the question. Who do you want to contact?
 
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