Top 5 biblical parallels in C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia"
Discovering the hidden Christian allegories in Lewis' masterpiece
C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia is beloved by readers of all ages for their enchanting stories, rich characters, and moral teaching. Beneath the surface, however, lies a deeper layer of meaning rooted in biblical symbolism and Christian theology. From acts of creation to redemption and rebirth, the Narnia series offers profound reflections on the Christian faith. In this essay, we will explore five of the most significant biblical parallels in Narnia, revealing how Lewis’ work continues to inspire spiritual insight through storytelling.
5. “Remember the signs” – The Silver Chair
At the beginning of The Silver Chair, Jill is given specific instructions by Aslan which she must follow carefully: “These are the signs by which I will guide you in your quest”. When Aslan has given the instructions, he emphasises the importance of remembering them: “But, first, remember, remember, remember the signs. Say them to yourself when you wake in the morning and when you lie down at night, and when you wake in the middle of the night”. Jill’s task to remember the signs echoes the Israelite instruction to remember and obey God’s law in the Old Testament.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
4. The Creation Song – The Magician’s Nephew
“One moment there had been nothing but darkness; next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leaped out — single stars, constellations, and planets, brighter and bigger than any in our world. […] The Voice on the earth was now louder and more triumphant; but the voices in the sky, after singing loudly with it for a time, began to get fainter. […] The sky, in that one place, grew slowly and steadily paler. You could see shapes of hills standing up dark against it. All the time the Voice went on singing. […] The earth was of many colours: they were fresh, hot and vivid. They made you feel excited; until you saw the Singer himself, and then you forgot everything else.”
Aslan singing creation into existence taps into two common biblical ideas: firstly, the view that creation, has a voice that communicates to us God’s existence. The words of Lewis’ favourite psalm capture this majestic act:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)
Secondly, the idea that the creator who formed the earth formed it by his word (Hebrews 11:3; Psalm 33:6). Genesis 1 records the repeated call “And God said”. This divine input of information through spoken command is beautifully reimagined by Lewis as a song, sung by the chief and first singer, Aslan.
3. Eustace’s un-dragoning – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
“Then he caught hold of me - I didn't like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on - and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I'd turned into a boy again.”
Understood as a visual symbol of baptism, Eustace’s excruciating ‘un-dragoning’ depicts a subtle and provocative image of redemption. Eustace describes the pain involved in having his dragon scales scratched off by Aslan, stating “The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt”. Eustace’s pain corresponds with the way the New Testament depicts Christian conversion, which adopts graphic images of death, burial, and resurrection to establish a sacrament resembling the atoning work of Christ, where believers are baptised into Jesus’ death and raised to new life by His resurrection.
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).
2. “I was the lion” – The Horse and His Boy
“I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the horses the new strength of fear for the last mill so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.”
Aslan’s speech in The Horse and His Boy is a powerful display of rich biblical symbolism, offering Christian readers a profound reflection on the sovereignty of God. Shasta’s previous suffering up until this point is now seen through the lens of the lion, who tells a starkly different story. This shift in understanding provides a glimpse into the divine mind and suggests the presence of an overarching, caring being who governs, controls, and protects - all unbeknownst to Shasta until his encounter with the lion.
When Shasta finally asks for the lion’s name, Aslan’s thunderous reply “Myself, Myself, Myself” unmistakably echoes Exodus 3:14, where God reveals His identity to Moses. Christian readers may also discern hints of Trinitarian symbolism in Aslan's tri-fold declaration, subtly pointing to the mystery of the divine nature and the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14).
1. The Suffering Servant – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
“Lucy and Susan held their breaths waiting for Aslan’s roar and his spring upon his enemies. But it never came. Four Hags, grinning and leering, yet also (at first) hanging back and half afraid of what they had to do, had approached him. “Bind him, I say!” repeated the White Witch. The Hags made a dart at him and shrieked with triumph when they found that he made no resistance at all. Then others — evil dwarfs and apes — rushed in to help them, and between them they rolled the huge Lion over on his back and tied all his four paws together, shouting and cheering as if they had done something brave, though, had the Lion chosen, one of those paws could have been the death of them all. But he made no noise, even when the enemies, straining and tugging, pulled the cords so tight that they cut into his flesh. Then they began to drag him towards the Stone Table.”
The laughing, jeering, and violent execution of Aslan, who takes the punishment for Edmund’s crimes no doubt echoes a familiar story. Aslan presents himself as a willing sacrifice, not opening his mouth in protest but submitting to his fate in order to save Edmund from the sentence of death he deserved for his transgression.1 Writing in the 8th century BC, the prophet Isaiah foresaw a similar scene:
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:5-7)
Countless other parallels emerge in this scene: women (Lucy and Susan) are present at Aslan’s death and, like at the resurrection of Jesus, are witnesses the following morning when “deeper magic” is at work; the stone table splitting in two, mirroring the tearing of the temple curtain; even the shearing of Aslan’s mane reflects the cruel stripping of his honour, akin to the dividing of Christ’s garments. Please comment other parallels to the cross you see in this scene, there are many more!
I loved the Narnia series as a child (and even now), especially the Christian elements! As a devout Christian currently, the series continues to help me visualise Jesus’ sacrifice and the beauty of reconciliation 🤍