Aslan's Country
From WikiNarnia, the Narnian Encyclopedia
Aslan's Country was a divine and legendary land that was visible in the world of Narnia beyond the earthly atmosphere to the farthest east of the Great Eastern Ocean, ruled by the Emperor-Over-The-Sea and his son, Aslan. It lay beyond the Silver Sea and the Utter Eastern End of the World.
Aslan's country is where good Narnians go after they die. Being beyond the rim of the world, it is probably inaccessible to living Narnians without Aslan's intervention. Although Reepicheep attempted to reach Aslan's country by sailing off the edge of the world in a coracle during the voyage of the Dawn Treader, it is not known if he succeeded.
Because Aslan's Country was on the exterior rim of the edge around the World of Narnia, it is unknown if it can be classified as belonging just to that world, or a mutual paradise that all of the worlds and parts of the universe share, with this section of Narnia just being one of the many entrances into Aslan's Country. The land had great mountains and was the place where the deserving dead from the worlds lingered for eternity in euphoria and bliss. It seemingly can be entered, however, from any world, not just the world of Narnia, and it is presumably the Narnian equivalent of what those on Earth call "Heaven", of which it may be one and the same, just with two different names. At the end of the World of Narnia (when Aslan brings about its destruction), it is revealed that Narnia is a mere testing-ground duplicate of Aslan's Country, so that Aslan's Country itself is sometimes referred to as the True Narnia.
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[edit] Eustace and Jill's visit
The only firsthand description of Aslan's country comes from Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole's brief visits there (extraordinarily, while still alive -- the only humans to have ever experienced such an event) at the beginning and end of their quest to find Prince Rilian. They were admitted briefly, to receive the four signs for finding Rilian, then blown by Aslan through the air into Narnia. The land appeared to be a beautiful forested parkland with clear streams running through it. Just before returning to Earth, they returned to Aslan's country and witnessed the resurrection of their friend King Caspian X, who had just died an old man. Aslan placed his body in a clear stream of that country, and he seemed to get younger, the years melting from him, until he came back to life a young man.
[edit] Those who entered Aslan's Country
[edit] Humans
All of the humans who ruled over Narnia, except for Susan Pevensie entered Aslan's Country. Peter Pevensie, Edmund Pevensie, and Lucy Pevensie, three monarchs from the Golden Age of Narnia, entered Aslan's country after they were killed in their own world by a train accident.
Jill Pole and Eustace Scrubb were killed in the same accident, but went through the stable at the end of the world in Narnia. Emeth the righteous Calormene also entered Aslan's Cоuntry, Aslan saying to him;
"I take to me the services which thou hast done to Tash. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him."
Aravis is one of the characters seen in Aslan's Country at the end of The Last Battle.
[edit] Narnians
All good Narnians entered Aslan's country before the end of Narnia during the Later Ages. They entered when they were thrown in to the stable at the Battle of Stable Hill. King Tirian was the first to head through the door.
Another Narnian of note was Reepicheep, who set out to sail to the end of the world after The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and entered Aslan's country when he reached the end of the world.
[edit] Those who did not enter Aslan's Country
[edit] Evil Beings
Sinful servants of Tash and Narnians who turned against Aslan were returned to Tash, and were not able to to enter Aslan's Country. The talking animals were struck dumb losing the gift of speech they were given at the creation of Narnia. Most of them disappeared to an unknown fate that not even C.S. Lewis knows what happened to them.
[edit] Susan Pevensie
When Jill and Eustace enter Narnia for the last time Susan is no longer a "friend" of Narnia, since she no longer believes in Narnia and has become more interested in worldly things. Therefore, she is not present at the end of Narnia like her siblings. This does not mean however that she will never enter Aslan's Country again, since there are ways to do other than from Narnia.
There is great controversy among fans over whether or not she deserved to be rejected by Aslan to enter his country, and Lewis has been criticized as being sexist. Or maybe Susan was not with them at the end of Narnia simply because she had not died with the others, and will enter Aslan's Country when she dies.
