Lady in the Green kirtle - snake?

[Ithilien]

Why do you think the Lady in the Green Kirtle became a snake? Do you think it is a possible metaphor for the devil?

[Amanda]

The snake has a great deal of symbolism attached to it, and in Christianity it has been identified with the devil, so I think that Lewis's intention was to have the snake representative of evil. Lewis's larger point here though, is not that the woman turned into a snake, but that the snake was diguised as something beautiful, harmless, and attractive. The snake was the creature's true form.

[therearenoaccidents]

who is the parallel of the devil in narnia? is it jadis tash or isnt there one per say? im just wondering what you think(should i have started a new topic for this?)

[Amanda]

I would argue that The Witch Jadis and her decendents are representative of satan or the devil. In the Magicians Nephew, at the creation of the world, Aslan comments that his world is only a few hours old and already Digorgy has brought evil into it.

Jadis tries to tempt Digory into eating a forbidden apple. Promising him that if he eats the apple, he will have knowledge.

The White Witch tempts Edmund. Promises him power and riches. He will be a Prince and she promises and he will rule over his siblings and have rooms filled with Turkish Delight.

The Lady of the Green Kirtle transforms into a snake, which in the Bible is the form that the devil took to tempt Eve.

There are several more that I'm sure would jump out if I were to read the books again.

In a deeper sense, it is well understood in academic circles, that when you are trying to introduce a new religion, the god of the old relgion becomes the devil of the new. In Christianity, almost all the common ideas we have about the devil are perversions of an older religion. The horned devil is taken from the celtic lord of the wood (he was depicted with antlers or horns). The devil's pitchfork is Neptunes Trident, the goat is an old fertility god, the serpent was a sacred in Egypt (the cobra) and many other relgions. Jadis was the "god" in Charn, and the "devil' in Narina. The god of the old becomes the devil of the new.

[Wallis]

As a theologian, I tend to give little credence to the devil, per se, or a Satan as a real being. Before you all gang up on me, please read me out here. It matters not whether you prefer to believe in a real live devil or the personification of evil.

The snake is not essentially evil. In mythologic terms, the snake meant life and knowledge. In the Garden of Eden, the snake represented the temptation to gain knowledge to be equal to God. Thus, the first sin that Adam committed was not the eating of the fruit of the Forbidden Tree but the fact that he doubted God and succumbed to the temptation of doing something that he shouldn't have.

I'd rather concentrate my short remarks here to the idea of beauty. You know the old saying: Beauty is skin deep. We are all attracted to beauty. Ugliness is a big turnoff. Even when Isaiah describes Lucifer (Latin for meaning bright star), we have this image of the beautiful. The beautiful lady represents the world's temptations to pursue dreams and material gains that are not in Christ's game plan for the world, but they certainly generate lusts within our own hearts.

Turning into the snake represents the snare of this once-beautiful thing. Once the materialistic gain has a hold on us, it is pretty hard to let go, even to our doom. Imagine that you have five minutes to escape death, but you are so attached to something materialistic that you just can't let go of. Then--whoosh! You're gone. And that materialistic thing? Well, you couldn't take it with you in life nor in death.

If you follow the snake as knowledge theme, then when the beautiful witch turns into a snake, we learn the true nature and true snares the materialistic holds that will hinder or prevent spiritual growth.

[inkspot]

I think the devil is the snake (and the lady in the Green Kyrtle, and the White Witch) and vice versa.

[Wallis]

I would think that discussion of the Devil would better belong in the religious discussion.

Inasmuch as the concept of the devil drastically changes from the OT to the NT, I believe that Lewis was presenting a devil-type of image that naturally arises from the base nature of mankind. Think of the seven sins.

Lewis was very educated in mythology as well as theology, and it would be important to visit some of the ideas that are presented by both. This is why I endorse the idea that the snake/serpent represents more of knowledge in Genesis. After all, that is all that the snake/serpent was offering in the Garden of Eden.

The Green Lady was advocating the overthrow of an established government, as well as supplanting the faith in Aslan. She clearly represents our own desires to supplant the God we embrace and be gods ourselves. Romans compared it to the Old Adam vs. the New Adam.