Tumnus

From WikiNarnia, the Narnian Encyclopedia

Tumnus was a male Faun, a former servant of the White Witch, and later, a high official in the Narnian Kingdom.

[edit] Biography

Tumnus lived in a comfortable cave by the side of Lamp-post in Lantern Waste, during the last years of the reign of the White Witch. When Lucy Pevensie first entered Narnia through the Wardrobe, Tumnus was the first Narnian she met; they bumped into each other by accident at the Lamp-post, while he was returning home. Tumnus had never seen a human, and after being informed by Lucy that she was in fact a Daughter of Eve (a human), he invited her to his home for tea.

Along with all other Narnians, Tumnus was bent by fear to obey the laws of the White Witch Jadis, one of which was to inform her of, or deliver to her, any Daughters of Eve or Sons of Adam that were found in Narnia. This was to prevent the fulfillment of the Golden Age Prophecy which the Witch knew meant her downfall. Although Tumnus resented the rule of the Witch, he was afraid to disobey her. He planned to lull Lucy to sleep, kidnap her, and take her to the Witch.

Lucy and Tumnus had tea, and afterward he played her a tune on his Narnian flute, of which he was quite an accomplished player, and she nodded off. However, he could not go through with the immoral plan. His talk with Lucy made him realise what a heinous act it would be to betray her. Bursting into tears, he apologised to Lucy, told her about the Witch, and risked his life to help her escape back through the Wardrobe to Earth.

Lucy visited Tumnus again on her second entrance to Narnia, when Edmund also got in. However, the Witch's Secret Police found out about his helping Lucy escape, through their network of spies in the woods (probably through the listening trees), and arrested him. He was taken to the Witch's castle for a supposed "trial". When the four Pevensie children arrived in Narnia together, they visited Tumnus' home and found it trashed, but also that a foreboding note had been left:

"The former occupant of these premises, the Faun Tumnus, is under arrest and awaiting his trial on a charge of High Treason against her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia, Chatelaine of Cair Paravel, Empress of the Lone Islands, etc., also of comforting her said Majesty's enemies, harbouring spies and fraternising with humans. signed MAUGRIM, Captain of the Secret Police, LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!"

It is unknown what Tumnus' trial consisted of, or if he ever truly received one, though it is known he was sentenced to petrification whereby the White Witch turned him into stone.

Tumnus was rescued and 'unpetrified' by Aslan when, after his resurrection, he liberated the Witch's castle and 'unpetrified' all the Narnians in it who had been turned to stone, by breathing on them.

Tumnus may have fought in the First Battle of Beruna, though it is more likely that he supported the Narnian revolutionaries in other ways. He remained a close friend of the four Pevensie monarchs throughout the Golden Age.

Tumnus served as advisor in the Narnian court and travelled with King Edmund and Queen Susan while the two monarchs were visting Tashbaan to arrange a possible marriage and alliance with The Tisroc family. When the situtation in Tashbaan became dangerous he helped plan their escape on their ship, the Splendor Hyaline, which they used to return to Narnia.

The last refence to him is his reported sighting of the White Stag, which initiated the hunt for the stag that resulted in the four Pevensies' disappearances from Narnia (having returned to Earth).

He reunited with Lucy in Aslan's Country, after Narnia was destroyed.