Narnia’s Aslan as Jesus Christ
I watched Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian last night and it was more of a sprititual experience than theatrical entertainment. Way back in college, I took a subject in Philosophy that talked about the how the author, CS Lewis, used the world of Narnia as a mirror to religion, more specifically Christianity. The centerpiece of Lewis’ parellalism is the lion Aslan, which really embodied all the qualities and traits of Jesus Christ as described in the bible.
Narnia’s Aslan
The movie really reinforced this as Aslan was truly magnificent. Each time he would appear in the movie, you will feel a sense of marvel and longing to reach out and touch him. When he speaks, his calm voice soothes you making you wonder if there really is a lion like that in the real world. Aslan’s eyes also pierce your soul as if he were reading your heart. His fierceness is also evident when he roars but nothing embodies his Jesus-like characteristics than his actions.
There were also several noticeable similarities in the events that happened in the life of Jesus as with the interplay of characters in Narnia. Here are some of the events that I spotted in both movies:
Peter’s Denials
Peter was one of the disciples of Jesus and he denied Jesus three times. In Narnia, Peter is one of the elder boys who also showed the traits of Peter - very strong willed and passionate. However, Peter also doubts Aslan three times: when Lucy pointed out Aslan in the forest, when Peter said that the army could not wait anymore for Aslan, and when he was about to free the Ice Queen from her prison to gain power.
The Crucifiction
This is the strongest symbolism of Narnia which was shown in the first book/movie. Here, Aslan sacrifices himself to save Edmond. The Ice Queen claimed ownership of the kid but Aslan decided to substitute himself and died in his place. Edmond was a clear symobl of humanity, and Aslan played the part of Jesus. This is also reminicent of Dante’s Inferno wherein the only way to get out of hell is to have someone take your place.
I’m sure there are more instances when the movie and the book reflected the life of Jesus as read in the bible. What’s important here is that we’ve rediscovered how valuable CS Lewis’ books were and that they should really be made available for all young kids in schools worldwide. Narnia is a fantasy world, but it is rich with lessons and insights that can melt the ice of reality that has come to grip our hearts - just like Aslan’s roar.
I’m definitely looking forward to watching the next movie.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:16 am
[...] Next, you’re probably wondering why the title of this post is “Awesomeness and Jesus”. Awesomeness refers to the Kung-Fu Panda movie which is actually one of their slogans. Jesus, on the other hand, refers to Aslan in the second movie that we watched that day - Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. If you want to know why I compare Aslan to Jesus then please head on over to my personal blog. [...]
June 9th, 2008 at 12:29 am
CS Lewis also made references to destroying the Church in his last book. Weird fellow.
Regarding Aslan being Christ-like, it makes me want to go to a zoo and hug a lion. Common sense takes over however and instills a fear of getting mauled. yokyokyok
June 9th, 2008 at 12:32 am
It was also a spiritual experience for me… even if you haven’t read the books, you’ll have an idea of the allegories.
but there’s another reason why i loved the film… ang guwapo ni Ben Barnes!!!
http://frankietorrelavega.blogspot.com/2008/06/prince-caspian-and-cair-pavarel.html
June 9th, 2008 at 12:33 am
The light in the background does it. ^^ But it does the trick.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:35 am
I so agree about your description on Aslan…
June 9th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Thanks for the comments guys!
@Sir David: I’m really interested in what you said. Hehe. Research nga ako on CS Lewis.
@Frankie: I think Mich has a crush on him too o_o;
June 9th, 2008 at 12:52 am
I’m watching this movie, AND Kung Fu Panda, next weekend. That ought to fry my brain.
By the way, this is how you spell CRUCIFIXION.
June 9th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Eeek. Thanks for the correction Ritch. Will edit. ^^ Mich and I did that last Saturday. We watched both Kung-Fu Panda and Narnia in one day. Hahaha!
June 24th, 2008 at 5:14 am
[...] Narnia’s Aslan as Jesus Christ The movie really reinforced this as Aslan was truly magnificent. Each time he would appear in the movie, you will feel a sense of marvel and longing to reach out and touch him. When he speaks, his calm voice soothes you making you … [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 5:50 am
@Waukster
I think I may have been mistaken. It wasn’t Lewis that wrote about the church’s destruction but the guy who wrote The Golden Compass. I keep getting them confused with all the movies. yokyokyok my mistake.