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Peter Pevensie (1927-1949) was the eldest of the Pevensie children, and the ruler of the Kingdom of Narnia after the White Witch's demise. As the oldest, he was responsible and caring, always wanting to do what was best for his siblings, therefore becoming High King over his brother and sisters. His Narnian titles included High King Peter the Magnificent, Emperor of the Lone Islands, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion.
The White Witch
Bombing of London and Refuge
Peter Pevensie lived in London, England until he and his siblings were evacuated to the countryside by train because of the air-raids of World War II. The children stayed at an old mansion belonging to Professor Kirke. The house had extensive grounds, but there were many rainy days that were dreary. Deciding to explore the house, they all split up, and when Lucy came back, she claimed to have been gone for hours. Everyone thought she was playing a game, but when she insisted, they followed her to a wardrobe kept all by itself in a spare room upstairs. It turned out to be an perfectly ordinary wardrobe, and Peter encouraged her to forget her joke.
- "This is going to be exciting enough without pretending."
- ―Peter Pevensie[src]
The next day it was still raining, and a game of hide and seek was started. Moments later, Edmund and Lucy came to find the others, with Lucy once more insisting that there was a country inside the wardrobe, and that Edmund had been in there, too, but Edmund said he had just been teasing her, at which point Lucy became upset, and rushed from the room. Peter told Edmund off for it, and expressed fears that there might be something wrong with his youngest sister. During the night, Peter and Susan became so worried about her that they decided to go and speak to the Professor about it.
Logic
- "Logic! Why don't they teach logic at these schools?"
- ―Professor Kirke[src]
The Professor did not turn out to be the help that they expected, but help of a different sort. He helped them to establish that Lucy was and always had been more truthful than Edmund, and that she was not mad, which you could tell by talking and looking at her. Therefore, she had to be telling the truth. Peter and Susan were stunned at this, and Peter pointed out that if what she said were real, she would have had to have been there for ages, but Lucy had had no time to go anywhere.
The Professor suggested that another world would likely run on its own time, while a young girl would not likely come up with that idea on her own. So, Peter made sure that Edmund left Lucy alone about it, and the subject was not spoken of at all.
Narnia
Peter on video game.
The Professor's house was often toured by visitors, and the housekeeper, Mrs.Macready, led them on a tour around. The Macready disliked children in the first place, but especially when she was leading visitors through the house.
One day, the children were caught with her and a group between them and the door, and speedily headed as far back into the house as they could. Macready seemed to be following them, until eventually the only place left to go was into the spare room where the wardrobe was. It was Edmund who urged them all inside the wardrobe to hide, but when the four of them looked up again, it was snowing. When everyone realized at once that this was the world Lucy had found before hand, Peter was the first to apologize for not believing her.
Putting on some of the coats that they found in the wardrobe, they set out to explore the forest. Edmund made a comment about which direction they should be going, revealing that he had indeed been there before. Peter was angry with his brother, calling him a poisonous beast, but said nothing further. No one spoke to Edmund, and Susan changed the subject by asking where they were going, and Peter decided that Lucy should lead.
Lucy led them to Mr. Tumnus's house, a faun whom she had previously met, only to discover that he had been arrested by the White Witch's Secret Police. She explained that he had been arrested because of her, and eventually Peter agreed that they would do whatever they could to help him.
Father Christmas
Peter, Susan and Lucy.
Just outside Mr Tumnus's house, a talking beaver found them and took them to his dam. Once there, he told them about a prophecy, which said that two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve would sit on the Four Thrones at Cair Paravel, and bring an end to the Witch and her never-ending winter.
Peter receives his Christmas gifts.
However, Edmund ended up betraying his siblings while they were listening to this, leaving the beaver's dam to find the White Witch. Mr. Beaver explained what had happened, and that the only person who could help Edmund now was Aslan, the Great Lion who was waiting for them at the Stone Table. Peter wanted to save all his siblings, so he agreed to go.
On their way to the Stone Table, Peter received his sword, Rhindon, and shield from Father Christmas when he visited the four children and the beavers, along with several other talking beasts. This was a sign that the White Witch's power was finally weakening, and that Aslan was truly in Narnia.
Peter slays Maugrim.
After the siblings arrived at Aslan's Camp, it came under attack by two wolves from the Witch's Secret Police, and Aslan encouraged Peter to fend them off.
In the process, Peter slew the wolf captain Maugrim, for which Aslan knighted him Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane or Fenris-Bane, and he became the first member of the Most Noble Order of the Lion.
Battle of Beruna
Peter during the Battle of Beruna.
Peter commanded the initial formations of Aslan's Army during the Battle of Beruna, during which Peter personally dueled with the White Witch herself, until Aslan finished her.
The battle had been going ill, until Aslan returned to his army with Susan and Lucy, as well as every Narnian who had been turned to stone and kept in the castle by the Witch. Soon after, the battle was won, and the Narnians were victorious.
High King of Narnia
Peter crowned as High King at Cair Paravel.
After the battle, Peter and his siblings were taken to Cair Paravel, and crowned by Aslan as the new monarchs of Narnia. Peter became High King Peter the Magnificent, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands, with each of his siblings sharing the throne. The ancient Golden Age Prophecy had come to fruition, marking the final end of the Long Winter, and the beginning of Narnia's Golden Age.
One of King Peter's few dilemmas during the Golden Age was the Ettinsmoor War, where he drove away the Giants from the North.
In Narnian-year 1015, the four Pevensies, now adults, hunted an enigmatic White Stag, which led them back through the Wardrobe, and into their own world, where they became children once again, disappearing from Narnia. The children told Professor Kirke all about what had happened, and hesitantly asked if he thought they would ever be able to get back to Narnia. He assured them that they would, as long as they didn't try to get there.
Telmarine Invasion
Old Narnia in Danger
Caspian and Peter fight
One Earth-year later, the Pevensies were pulled back into Narnia, due to an emergency call. The Telmarine Prince Caspian X had blown Queen Susan's Horn (one of her gifts from Father Christmas), and brought the Pevensies back into the Narnian world.
Although in Narnian Time it had been over a thousand years since Peter's reign as High King, the Narnians all respected his title (as Aslan said, "Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia.").
Peter and Edmund initially met Caspian while saving him from an assassination attempt by his own Black Dwarf ally Nikabrik, and the Dwarf's allies, a Hag and werewolf.
Battle of Aslan's How
Peter in battle
The Pevensie children ultimately helped Caspian defeat his usurping uncle Miraz during the Narnian Revolution. Peter helped out majorly in this by dueling with the tyrant. After the war was won, Peter formally gave authority to Caspian to rule Narnia as the succeeding king.
Peter later confided to Lucy and Edmund that he and Susan had been told by Aslan that they would never again return to Narnia, as they were now too old and had learned everything they could from this world (but Edmund and Lucy would return someday).
The four children then returned to their world, but never forgot Caspian.
Tutoring with the Professor
During the later trips that Peter's siblings took to Narnia, he stayed with Professor Kirke and studied under his guidance.
Aslan's Country
The Phantom and What Followed
- "Shadow or spirit or whatever you are, if you are from Narnia, I charge you in the name of Aslan, speak to me. I am Peter the High King."
- ―Peter Pevensie [src]
When Peter was 22 (Narnian year 2555, English 1949), he and the other Seven Friends of Narnia received a vision of the current ruler of Narnia, King Tirian. Peter ordered him to speak, standing and commanding him again as High King, but the phantom began to fade, leaving all of them with the feeling that something was very wrong in Narnia.
After some discussion, they decided to try and use the Magic Rings that the Professor and Polly Plummer had originally used to get to Narnia, and see if they could set right whatever was going on.
Peter and Edmund went to get the rings, and the others were to meet them at the train station when they got back. By a strange coincidence, they were on the same train as Mr and Mrs. Pevensie. As the train was coming into the station, something went wrong, and there was a horrible crash. The next thing Peter knew, he was dressed in Narnian garb, in a lovely green meadow, along with Edmund, Lucy, the Professor and Mrs. Plummer.
The Real Narnia
- "Peter, High King of Narnia, shut the door."
- ―Aslan [src]
People came steadily through a door that stood in the meadow - a curious thing, as there was nothing on the other side. When King Tirian came through, Peter was the first to introduce himself.
As the World of Narnia was destroyed in the end, Peter was the one that Aslan asked to close the door, and seal off the dead Narnia from the real Narnia, what had always been referred to as Aslan's Country.
Aslan explained that the Narnia they had known and loved had merely been a shadow of the true Narnia, as well as about the accident. Because Peter and the others were, in effect, dead, they would never be sent back home to England again, and could remain in a Narnia that was bigger and better than the one that they loved forever.
Skills
- Swordsmanship: Peter is a fine swordsman, and was said to be the best in Narnia. This was partly due to his magic sword, Rhindon, but mainly from the years of battle and experience he had in Narnia. He has used this skill in battle many times, making him a fierce combatant. When he returned to Narnia during the War of Deliverance, his skills had by then grown tremendously, and he was able to defeat King Miraz single-handedly.
Appearance
When he grew to adulthood as the High King of Narnia, Peter was a tall and deep-chested man.
Adaptations
William Moseley.
- He was portrayed by Richard Dempsey in the BBC television adaptations of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1988), and Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1989).
- He was voiced by Reg Williams in the animated feature adaption of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979).
- He was portrayed by Paul Waller in the 1967 version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Walden Media movies
- Peter was played by English actor William Moseley in the three Walden Media films, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008), and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).
- Peter is depicted as a warrior-king who sought to do the right thing at all times. He has an undying love for Aslan, and recognizes him as his leader, friend, and as a father figure. Aslan explained to Peter his responsibility as a born leader, and gave him the support of a father towards his son. Peter in turn respects all of Aslan's choices.
- Fun Fact: William Mosely and Anna Popplewell (who portrayed Susan in the Walden films) knew each other from a previous audition: an audition for the roles of Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, in Chris Columbus' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [UK] (Sorcerer's Stone [USA]).
- Peter was a student of Hendon House Boarding School, along with Edmund.
Appearances
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (book, appearance)
- Prince Caspian (book, appearance)
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (book, mentioned)
- The Horse and His Boy (book, appearance)
- The Last Battle (book, appearance)
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (BBC serial) (1988 TV, appearance)
- Prince Caspian & The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (BBC serial) (1989 TV, appearance)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (film) (2005, appearance)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (film) (2008, appearance)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (film) (2010, appearance)
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