The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Session Two

From Traitor to King: The Story of Edmund

Edmund’s Story:

  • A beastly boy
    • The first encounter we have of Edmund, he is described as “bad tempered” and acts petulant.
    • He is the primary mocker of Lucy when no one else believes her about Narnia.
    • “Edmund could be spiteful, and on this occasion he was spiteful. He sneered and jeered at Lucy and kept on asking her if she’d found any other new countries in other cupboards all over the house.”
    • He follows Lucy into the Wardrobe during hide and seek, “because he wanted to go on teasing her.” But when he shows up in Narnia himself, he realizes that Lucy was correct, and shouts out to a half-hearted apology, but hears no answer. 'Just like a girl,' said Edmund to himself, 'sulking somewhere, and won't accept an apology.'
    • Later, when he does encounter Lucy in Narnia, he says, “I see you were right and it is a magic wardrobe after all. I'll say I'm sorry if you like.”
    • When he returns with Lucy and is confronted by Susan and Peter, Edmund chooses to do “the meanest and most spiteful thing he could think of” and lies about Narnia, telling Peter and Susan with “a very superior look” that he was only pretending with Lucy.
    • 'Look here,' said Peter, turning on him savagely, 'shut up! You've been perfectly beastly to Lu ever since she started this nonsense about the wardrobe, and now you go playing games with her about it and setting her off again. I believe you did it simply out of spite…You've always liked being beastly to anyone smaller than yourself; we've seen that at school before now.”
    • Well, of all the poisonous little beasts –
    • “but Edmund was saying to himself, 'I'll pay you all out for this, you pack of stuck-up, self satisfied prigs.'”

  • The White Witch
    • On his first journey into Narnia, Edmund meets the White Witch and is bewitched by Turkish Delight.
    • The Witch at first is haughty, cruel, and violent towards Edmund. But, at the last moment, she changes her mind, and becomes warm and welcoming, inviting Edmund onto her sledge to warm him and offer him something hot to drink and any food he would desire. He asks for Turkish Delight and she conjures “several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. He was quite warm now, and very comfortable.”
    • But this was bewitched Turkish Delight: “the more he ate the more he wanted to eat…anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed, go on eating it till they killed themselves.”
    • A powerful illustration of both the deceptive and insatiable nature of sin.
      • See Eph 4:22, the “deceitful desires” of sin.
    • The Witch promises that if Edmund will return with his brother and sisters, she will make him Prince and one day King.
    • As soon as the Witch departs, Edmund meets Lucy and learns that the “Queen of Narnia” is really an evil Witch. He hides that he has just encountered her and, despite now feeling very sick, he acts as if he is normal and just wishes to leave Narnia immediately.

  • The Beavers
    • The four children wind up in Narnia (where Edmund’s lie is revealed, and his heart is hardened even more). They seek out Mr. Tumnus, the Faun, but find that he has been arrested by the Witch’s police, and are soon intercepted by the kind Mr. Beaver.
    • Edmund’s reluctance to trust Mr. Beaver: 'I think it's a nice beaver,' said Lucy. 'Yes, but how do we know?' said Edmund.
      • The darkening effect of sin on Edmund’s mind.
    • The first mention of Aslan’s name: “And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don't understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning - either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.”
    • The children follow Mr. Beaver to his home and enjoy supper with both Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and learn more of Aslan, the White Witch, and the role they play in the story.

    • “For the mention of Aslan gave him a mysterious and horrible feeling just as it gave the others a mysterious and lovely feeling.”
      • And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. – John 3:19-20
      • If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. – John 7:17
      • Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” – John 8:47

    • Edmund’s Betrayal
      • Edmund slips away in the middle of the conversation to trudge towards the White Witch’s palace, but does not receive the welcome he was promised. He discovers that the Witch is exactly who the Beavers said she was: a cruel, wicked tyrant who uses her magic to turn enemies to stone, who only wants to kill the four children.
      • When she discovers that Edmund failed to bring his siblings, she flies into a rage and throws Edmund in prison. When he has the temerity to ask for Turkish Delight, he receives a mocking laugh and crust of bread.
      • Eventually, the Witch decides that if she cannot kill all four children, she may be able to thwart the prophecy by just killing Edmund.

    • Edmund’s Deliverance
      • While Edmund had betrayed them all to the Witch, the other three and the Beaver’s flee to Aslan’s camp at the Stone Table, receiving gifts from Father Christmas along the way (weapons and a healing cordial).
      • Aslan sends a troop of soldiers to go deliver Edmund and he is saved moments before he is killed by the Witch.
      • There is no need to tell you (and no one ever heard) what Aslan was saying, but it was a conversation which Edmund never forgot. As the others drew nearer Aslan turned to meet them, bringing Edmund with him. 'Here is your brother,' he said, 'and - there is no need to talk to him about what is past.''
      • The Power of Aslan: “People who have not been in Narnia sometimes think that a thing cannot be good and terrible at the same time. If the children had ever thought so, they were cured of it now. For when they tried to look at Aslan's face they just caught a glimpse of the golden mane and the great, royal, solemn, overwhelming eyes; and then they found they couldn't look at him and went all trembly.”
        • He is not safe, but he is good.
      • You have a traitor there, Aslan,' said the Witch. Of course everyone present knew that she meant Edmund. But Edmund had got past thinking about himself after all he'd been through and after the talk he'd had that morning. He just went on looking at Aslan. It didn't seem to matter what the Witch said.
      • Aslan’s sacrifice for Edmund
      • Edmund the Traitor becomes Edmund the Just.
        • Peter the coward becomes the Rock on which the church is built.