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- "The castle of Cair Paravel on its little hill towered up above them; before them were the sands, with rocks and little pools of salt water, and seaweed, and the smell of the sea and long miles of bluish-green waves breaking for ever and ever on the beach. And oh, the cry of the seagulls! Have you heard it? Can you remember?"
- ―The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chapter 17)
Cair Paravel was the capital and seat of government of Narnia, home its Kings and Queens in the early years. It was a spectacular citadel located on a peninsula (later an island) at the mouth of the Great River on the coast of the Eastern Ocean.
It lay empty during the White Witch's tyrannical reign in the Age of Winter, and was restored to use when the Pevensies were crowned there and fulfilled the prophecy, which ushered in the Golden Age of Narnia.
Cair Paravel at the start of The Golden Age.
During Narnia's Telmarine Conquest, the castle fell in the Battle of Cair Paravel, after which Cair Paravel was left deserted throughout Narnia's Telmarine Age, and fell into ruin, overgrown with woods at the Great River Delta.
However, the nearby forests were once again cleared at the end of the Narnian Revolution, during which the nation was taken back by King Caspian the Seafarer, who either rebuilt the structure to its original splendor or erected an entirely new castle on the same location.
Ruins of Cair Paravel.
Narnia's horrific Calormene Age finally brought an end to the grand castle and its inhabitants, during the brutal Extermination of Cair Paravel. This occurred mere days prior to the destruction of the world of Narnia by Aslan, and the rebirth of its inhabitants in Aslan's Country.
Places in and around the Castle[]
Cair Paravel in the LWW book.
The following places are described in or surrounding Cair Paravel:
- Great Hall
- Treasure Room
- Feasting Room
- Courtyard
- Well - located south of the Great Hall.
- Apple Orchard - located outside the North Gate, planted during the Golden Age. It eventually grew right up to the wall.
- Bedrooms
- Bathrooms
Trivia[]
- Cair Paravel, Narnia's capital, and Tashbaan, Calormen's capital, are both located on islands in the deltas of their nations' respective major rivers.
- Cair Paravel is interpreted to mean "lesser court" (derived from the Welsh "caer" meaning "fortress", and the Old French "paravail" meaning "below"). This likely references the fact that Aslan is the true ruler of Narnia, while the Kings and Queens rule under him.