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*Please note that the information so far is based
only on half these books in the series as I have not had a chance to go
through the others yet.* A. Asian Mythology 1. White Stag § CON: If caught, a rare milk white stag will give you wishes. § Originally: In Japanese Shinto, Jurojin, the god of happy long life rides a white stag and is one of the seven gods of luck.
B. Christianity 1. Adam and Eve § CON: Humans in Narnia are also referred to as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve. § Originally: The first humans in existence, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden until eating an apple from the forbidden tree which gave them knowledge, wisdom, self awareness, etc. 2. Father Christmas § CON: Referred to only as Father Christmas, he is a large man in a bright red robe with a hood that has fur inside of it. He has a long white beard and rides in a sledge pulled by reindeer, bringing gifts to those who deserve it. § Originally: Also known as Saint Nick or Santa Clause, he is most commonly known as a fat jolly old man with a white beard in bright red robes, riding a sleigh pulled by reindeer (sometimes flying reindeer) and bringing gifts on Christmas to good boys and girls. Originally not always fat or wearing red robes (sometimes green or multicolored), he is thought to be a composite character of combined figures stemming from Christianity and Germanic Folklore and eventually merged into the modern Santa we know today. Details of his history are so extensive they cannot be explored fully here. 3. Jinn § See General Folklore 4. Lilith § See Judaism.
C. General Folklore and Mythology 1. Dragon § CON: Long lithe fire breathing creatures with bat-like wings, a long tail, no feathers or fur and legs with elbows higher then its back like a spider’s. § Originally: The dragon is a common occurrence in ancient mythology and modern day fantasy and although its characteristics vary slightly, there are many consistencies. They are usually depicted as lizard-like creatures, larger then an elephant, with long fangs, twin horns, sometimes with leathery skin but typically covered in scales, and most have the ability to breathe fire. They range in all colors but the most common are red, green, black, and gold. Western cultures usually include bat-like wings whereas eastern cultures give them a more magically means of flying without wings and are more snake-like looking. 2. Dwarfs § CON: Short, stocky and hairy creatures about 3ft tall. Most are considered evil and fight for the White Witch but some break the stereotype, especially later in the fight for Old Narnia when they all support Prince Caspian. Red Dwarfs, who have hair the color of fox fur, seem friendlier and better natured then Black Dwarfs, who have thick, coarse black hair and beards. Red Dwarfs live underground were they make swords, helmets, and other amour. They are not foolish creatures, even the evil ones. § Originally: About half the size of a man, they live in caves, hollow trees, or holes in the ground. They can be hostile towards humans but also sometimes perform small labors and tasks for them. They work in mines and are skillful with their hands. 3. Giants § CON: They look like humans only tall as trees, some are evil and some are good but most are ill-tempered and not very clever. § Originally: Enormous creatures, usually the enemies of humans, they often existed before the times of the gods and humans and battled for power when the gods came to be as with the Greek Titans, the Irish-Celtic Fomorians and the Norse giants of Jotunheim. 4. Hags § CON: Only mentioned as supporters of the White Witch and later are considered too evil or horrible to recruit to fight for Old Narnia even though other races that once fought for the White Witch were recruited. § Originally: Fairies from the British Isles, said to be the traces of the most ancient goddesses, she is the personification of winter. Although in winter, she is old and ugly, she becomes more beautiful and younger as the seasons change. 5. Incubuses § CON: Only briefly mentioned as supporters of the White Witch. § Originally: From medieval European folklore, a male demon or evil spirit who lies with women while they sleep in a ghostly intercourse. The woman will not wake but experiences it as a sexual dream. 6. Jinn § CON: The White Witch is a descendent of the Jinn. § Originally: Genie is the English word for Arabic Jinni. The word Jinn means anything that has the connotation of concealment, invisibility, seclusion, and remoteness. In Arabic and Muslim folklore, Jinn are associated with the desert and are ugly, evil demons with supernatural powers which they can bestow on anyone having the power to call them up. In Christianity and Judaism, the highest of the Jinn is Azazel, a demon from the desert in the Old Testament. In Persian myth, they live in a place called Jinnistan. 7. Mermaids and Mermen § CON: People of the sea, they rejoiced when the children were crowned. § Originally: Female creatures with the upper body of humans and lower body of a fish. Male counterparts are called Mermen. Tales of mermaids are found all over the world, in India they are called the Apsara, but mostly its origins come from sailors around the world who claimed to have seen them. Their appearance became bad luck and a prediction of drowning. Babylonian Mythology included fish gods who were half human, half fish. 8. Nymphs § CON: Briefly mentioned as living in wells, it might be a general reference to Naiads, which are mentioned later as “well-women”. (Also see Naiads in Greek Mythology). § Originally: Nymphs of all kinds have found their way into various mythologies and folklore. Nymphs are generally beautiful female spirits usually associated with nature or elements of nature. 9. Ogres § CON: Described only as having monstrous teeth. They fight for the White Witch and are considered too evil or horrible to recruit to fight for Old Narnia even though other races that once fought for the White Witch were recruited. § Originally: Creatures larger then a human but smaller then a giant, they feed on human flesh. 10. River God § CON: A creature rising from a river with a beard and deep voice, crowned with rushes. § Originally: Various mythologies with many individual river gods for specific rivers. They can be found (but not exclusively) in Greek, Roman, Chinese, Mesopotamian, Celtic, and Egyptian mythologies. 11. Sea Serpent § CON: Huge, green and vermilions sea creature with large eyes, purple blotches, a mouth with double rows of sharp fishlike teeth and a head shaped like a horses but with no ears. It sinks ships so that it can easily eat the sailors floating in the water. § Originally: Monstrous snake-like creatures that dwell in the deep sea and were thought to be accountable for sinking ships. Find their way into various mythologies. 12. Specters § CON: Only briefly mentioned as supporters of the White Witch. § Originally: More commonly known as a ghost, apparition, or phantom. 13. Sprites § CON: Only briefly mentioned as supporters as the White Witch. § Originally: Creatures of water, they resemble fairies and are used in many folktales. They like to play with nymphs and butterflies and are responsible for changing the colors of tree leaves in autumn with paint. They are creative and often considered muses, artists, and poets. 14. Unicorns § CON: Horses with a horn on their head. § Originally: Usually portrayed as a white horse with one spiraling horn on its forehead. In the west, it was considered untamable whereas in the Orient it was peaceful and meek, the bringer of good luck, and more like a goat with a beard and cloven hooves. In the Middle Ages, its horn was thought to have magical and healing powers but the Unicorn could only be tamed or caught by a virgin. 15. Werewolves § CON: Only briefly mentioned as supporters of the White Witch. § Originally: A human who transforms into a wolf by night during the full moon and in this state, devours infants and corpses. It can only be killed by a silver bullet. Its origins stem from Lycaon, king of Arcadia, who tried to win Zeus' favor by offering him the flesh of a young child but Zeus punished him by turning him into a wolf. By the Middle Ages, the Church had deemed the wolf a symbol of evil and a servant of Satan. They charged schizophrenics, epileptics and the mentally disabled as being werewolves in the 13th century and it was considered absurd not to believe in werewolves. 16. Wraiths § CON: Only briefly mentioned as supporters of the White Witch. § Originally: A ghost or specter although later in 18th century Scotland the term was applied to water spirits and in England it came to be used in a metaphoric way to refer to anything wraith-like in general.
D. Greek/Roman Mythology 1. Argos/Argoz § CON: Argoz was one of the seven lost lords of Narnia. § Originally: Argos is an ancient city in southeast Greece, although it is a real city, it has many connections in mythology. 2. Bacchus § CON: The streams run with wine instead of water when he visits. He is young and wild and also goes by the names Bromios, Bassareus, and the Ram. § Originally: Bacchus is the Roman name for the God of Wine. Dionysus is his Greek name and he is also associated with the old-Italian god of fertility and growth in nature, Liber, “the free one”. 3. Centaurs § CON: A race with the torso, arms, and head of a human and the legs, body and tail of a horse. Their allegiance lies with Aslan. § Originally: Creatures with the torso, arms, and head of a human but the legs, body, and tail of a horse. They are known for drunkenness and violating young maidens with the exception being the kind and wise Chiron, teacher of Jason and Achilles. 4. Dryads § CON: Merely described as “tree-women” or spirits who dwell in trees but come out to dance with Fauns. Later, there seems to be both male and female tree spirits. § Originally: Nymphs of groves and forests. They live either in or near a tree and should the tree she is connected to die, she will die along with it. Should a mortal injure a tree, the dryads will punish him. 5. Fauns § CON: Fauns are half human, half goat creatures with the feet and legs and horns of a goat and the rest human. They are good natured and enjoy dancing and music. § Originally: In Greek Myth, they were called Satyrs (Fauns in Roman Myth) and were half human, half goat with the tail, flanks, hooves, and horns of a goat; the rest human. They lived in the woods and mountains and were friends of Dionysus (God of Wine), spending their time drinking, dancing, and chasing nymphs. The Slavic version (called Ljeschi) is identical in appearance but can alter its size at will. 6. Hamadryads § CON: Briefly mentioned along with Dryads. § Originally: Tree nymphs who lived and died with a specific tree they inhabited. 7. Maenads § CON: Described as Bacchus’s “fierce madcap girls”. § Originally: Female devotees to Bacchus, inspired by him to ecstatic frenzy, they are represented crowned with vine leaves and clothed in fawnskin. 8. Minotaur § CON: Minotaurs are only mentioned as supporters of the White Witch but there is a separate mention of men with the heads of bulls. § Originally: A sole creature that has the tail and head of a bull but the body of a man. It is the offspring of the wife of King Minos and a beautiful white bull. The creature caused such terror that King Minos had it locked in a labyrinth built by Daedalus. 9. Naiads § CON: Briefly mentioned as “well-women” with stringed instruments. § Originally: Nymphs of fresh water such as rivers, lakes, pounds, wells, marshes, streams, springs, fountains, and brooks. They are intimately connected to their body of water, if it dried up, its Naiad would expire along with it. 10. Pegasus § CON: Although not named, winged horses are mentioned briefly throughout the story, usually on the side of good. § Originally: Pegasus is a famous winged horse who sprang from the beheaded body of Medusa. 11. Pomona § CON: She came to place spells on the apple trees planted by Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy so they would grow well. § Originally: Roman Goddess of fruit trees, her attribute is the pruning knife. 12. Satyrs § CON: Since no description is given, we can only assume they are the same as their ancient origins, which are the same as Fauns only with their Greek name. It is difficult to say why they are referred to with different names if they are the same creature though. § Originally: In Greek Myth, they were called Satyrs (Fauns in Roman Myth) and were half human, half goat with the tail, flanks, hooves, and horns of a goat; the rest human. They lived in the woods and mountains and were friends of Dionysus (God of Wine), spending their time drinking, dancing, and chasing nymphs. The Slavic version (called Ljeschi) is identical in appearance but can alter its size at will. 13. Silenus § CON: A drunk, fat old man riding a donkey shows up for celebrations and festivals. § Originally: Originally plural as Sileni, they were half horse half man but not as a centaur, they were the horse version of a Faun or Satyr. They were drunk, bald, pot bellied with flutes and lyres. Later, mentioned as only one Silenus who was the tutor of Dionysus (God of Wine), he was still known for his drunkenness despite his wisdom and often portrayed as being carried by satyrs or a donkey.
E. Judaism 1. Jinn § See General Folklore 2. Lilith § CON: Lilith was Adam’s first wife and one of the Jinn. The White Witch descended from her and was therefore part-Jinn. § Originally: Lilith was Adam’s first wife before Eve but having demanded equality to him and not receiving it, she left him in anger. God then created the more docile Eve for Adam instead. Later, she was associated with newborns as measures were taken to protect them against her. It is thought that God took her demon children from her when she did not return to Adam and she took out her anger on women in childbirth and newborns. Muslim legend says Lilith slept with Satan after leaving Adam and they produced the Jinn and even though the source of Lilith mainly comes from Judaism, descriptions of her have also appeared in Iranian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Mexican, Greek, Arab, English, German, Oriental and Native American legends.
E. Middle Eastern Mythology 1. Ghouls § CON: No description given except that they support the White Witch. § Originally: The origin is disputed but has roots in Arabic and Persian folklore. It is a monster or demon that dwells in graveyards or the desert and sometimes has the ability to take the form of an animal. They rob graves and eat the flesh of the dead. The Arabic Ghoul is the personification of the terror of the desert. 2. Jinn § See General Folklore.
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