C. S. Lewis and Myth 2023

  Our era contains the vastest and most accessible array of human experience of any era of human existence before us. The vast storehouse of the knowledge of humanity is a few keystrokes away from one’s fingertips. One can communicate with people across the globe in seconds. With all these advancements, one should assume that our society possesses more than enough connection. In fact, some of the original marketing campaigns for social media platforms such as Facebook advertised that their platform had the capability to bring the world together. And yet, we suffer the greatest sense of disconnection and isolation than any of our forefathers. In our sterile world, there is little room for imagination. We are told that our dreams of great deeds are “just fantasies.” In fact, that is exactly what they are. Those dreams are the fantastic desires of the human heart, repressed by the culture of comfort, convenience, and consumerism around us.

The “holy smell” of Ungit is described as a sweet, sticky thing, with strong associations to the rituals of the holy people pof Ungit.  The incense in “Till we have faces,” like the incense of other religious traditions, represents the prayers of the faithful, rising to the heavens. However, in the case of Ungit’s temple, the smell accompanies the other “holy” things (holy in this context has a negative connotation, because of the role of the temple of Ungit in the story). The description of a smell which evokes a strong response is a common experience, for smell is the sense which most closely relates to memory. A whiff of a smell from one’s childhood can instantly transport them to a different era of their life, evoking the emotions that represented that Era for them. For Oural, the “holy smell” evoked the fear and dread of anything related to Ungit.

  I was struck by the scene in which the priest of Ungit describes the reason that Psyche must be sacrificed to Ungit in order to avert the various calamities which befell the nation of Glome. He waxes poetic about the nature of the gods, and that they demand nothing less than the best in order to appease their wrath. He states “That is not enough, King. And you know it. We must find the Accursed. And she (or he) must die by the rite of the Great Offering. What is a thief more than a bull or a man? This is not to be a common sacrifice. We must make the Great Offering.” This sounds a great deal like Christ’s sacrifice within Christian theology. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice- the “Great Offering” made to cleanse the sins of the world. However, the difference between the two lies in the satisfaction of the wrath of the gods. For Psyche’s tale, her supposed sacrifice is not enough to quell the wrath of the gods, however, the divine nature of Jesus’ sacrifice is sufficient to overcome ...

  Consider the Hrossa as the foil to the Elves of Middle-earth. Each Hross lives for nearly identical lengths of time, being resistant to the curse of sickness and other maladies that plague the elderly of mankind. The Hrossa live in harmony with the other denizens of Malacandra, and the only real cause of untimely deaths among their people is the hunt for the elusive hnakra, the Leviathan which plagues the waters of Malacandra. However, the Hrossa do not consider this ferocious monster a plague on their land, like humans might when faced with an infestation of wild animals near our cities, but rather, as a challenge to face, an obstacle to overcome, a demon to slay, and because of these things, a fellow creature in the web of life. Ransom himself becomes a hnarkapunti (essentially Leviathan-slayer) along with the rest of the Hrossa on that hunt. “He was one with them. That difficulty which they, accustomed to than one rational species, had perhaps never felt, was now overcome. The...

  Lewis takes a great deal of time with “Out of the Silent Planet” to describe the culture of the Hrossa and the other races of Mars. The Inklings share a unique penchant for the creation and exploration of fantasy worlds. Whether the grand and harsh land of Middle Earth, filled with kings, dragons, demons, prophecies, and wizards, or (much the same, but more child-friendly) versions for Narnia, or the vast landscapes and fantastical flora and Fauna of the planets of our solar system with the Space Trilogy- one can hardly claim that the world-building of Lewis and Tolkien is anything but remarkable. Not only does each of these authors take painstaking detail in the development of and the description of the scenery in which their characters inhabit, they have taken great pains to ensure that these rich worlds are not bereft of citizenry. In fact, a great deal of time is dedicated within the Space Trilogy and the Lord of the Rings to the vivid descriptions of these fantasy races....

  “Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.’ ‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver. ‘Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” The works of CS Lewis contain a vast cast of characters (though not as vast as Tolkien, his world-building is second to none), kings, talking animals, British children, witches, spirits, and gods. This diverse cast occupy various worlds in which Good is in constant warfare with Evil (Lewis writes in Christian Reflections that “There is no neutral ground in the universe; every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.”), and this belief in the constant battle of the spiritual realm is reflected in his literary works.

  In Narnia, as is the case for most children’s stories, the depictions of the forces of Good and Evil are very obvious. Aslan is the clear representation of Jesus, and is the rightful Lord of Narnia and the most powerful force working for its good. On the other hand, the White Witch represents Evil, and will stop at nothing in order to conquer the world of Narnia for herself. There is an interesting philosophical claim being made about the nature of Evil when it is used in the context of the cold or the winter. Firstly, it contrasts with the spring and summer seasons, in which the world is filled with vibrant growth and change. Second, it shows that Evil does not necessarily take the form of darkness, violence, and bloodshed, but rather the more insidious type takes the form of stagnation. This is further emphasized within the Screwtape letters, where the elder demon cautions the younger about getting too excited about the War. “Do remember you are there to fuddle him. From the wa...