The Lion is a large feline. It is four-legged, carnivorous, and a mammal. It was also one of the Talking Beasts of the World of Narnia.
On Earth, Lions are the second largest cats in the world, second only to Tigers, so presumably it is the same with Narnian lions, though Aslan was by far larger than any of them.
Description
As in our world, the lions are a brownish-gold colour, and the males are easily recognized for the mane of fur around their neck, which the females, called lionesses, lack. Young lions are generally called cubs.
Biography
Aslan.
Aslan, the ruler and creator over all Narnia, takes the form of a lion, and thus all lions in Narnia are treated with special respect.
The lions, like all Narnians, endured the harsh Long Winter by the White Witch for 100 years, until the Pevensies arrived, thus fulfilling the Golden Age Prophecy.
There are no specifically named lions, nor any that are actually mentioned, except for one that was a stone prisoner in the courtyard of Jadis, which Edmund Pevensie first mistook for Aslan.
That lion was restored to life by Aslan, when he went to the White Witch's Castle to find more soldiers to take to the First Battle of Beruna. The lion was a little arrogant at first, for when Aslan first restored him, he went around pretending to be busy, when really he was going around saying: -
- "Did you hear what he said? Us lions. That means him and me. Us lions. That's what I like about Aslan. No side, no stand-off-ishness."
- ―Unnamed lion (Chapter 16) [src]
He kept this up until Aslan loaded him with three dwarves, two rabbits and a hedgehog, and had him carry them to the battlefield at Beruna, which seemed to steady him a bit.
Film Adaption
Lioness at the coronation.
In the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe movie, in the scene when Mr. Tumnus attacks a Boggle, a female lion can be seen.
There was also one other lioness, which was another stone prisoner of the White Witch.
When Edmund first arrived at the Witch's castle, he used a bit of black char to draw a comical face upon the lioness. The char remained on the beast even after she was restored to life, as seen at the Pevensies' coronation.
Notable Lions
- Aslan
- Lion in the White Witch's Courtyard
Trivia
- Despite being only the second largest cats in the world, lions are often referred to as 'The King of Beasts'.
- The African Maasai tribes treated hunting lions as a rite of a passage, including a most sacred ceremony that symbolized becoming an adult warrior.
- The lion in the Witch's Courtyard was never mentioned in the LWW film or the BBC version, but did make an appearance in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (animated) film, though he had no spoken lines.
