Narnian Ramblings

I have always been interested in history, but in the last few years, my interest has expanded into various aspects such as etymology (history of words) and the truth behind mythology and legend. One example of etymology that interested me was when I formed a hypothesis about the word "won't" as to how it came to be, considering that "wo" and "not" did not form to be that one word like "can" and "not" became "can't." I realized that the words "will" and "not," when said very quickly, sounds like "willn't." After saying that word faster and faster, I started to hear an "oh" sound, and voila, just like that, "will not" sounded like "won't."

What got me thinking about this subject, however, is not the etymology; it is the legend. Though to be fair, in this case it is more of the history of a legend within a fantasy. I was watching Prince Caspian and thinking about how the book did a much better job at depicting the severity of the Telmarines' fear of both water and the forest. During the scene where the trees awaken and the river god (I can't remember if he actually has another name or not...) returns to save the day, the explanation of their fear jumped out at me. Just as much mythology and legend has its base in reality (even if a small base), so the Telmarine superstition did within the fantasy world of Narnia. In their history, when they invaded Narnia, they probably lost a great many troops while battling not just the normal Narnians, but the trees and water as well. If I were a survivor of such a mind-rattling event, I and my fellow soldiers would tell my children of the horrors of the forest and the river, and I'm sure that if the stories were retold and retold, that 1300 years later there might very well be a superstition regarding trees and water. After I realized this, I then mentally kicked myself for not making the connection for so long; it is so obvious and an integral part to the story's background, but C.S. Lewis never went and outright stated that connection, and I just never stopped to think about it.

And speaking of Narnia, my favorite in the series is currently in production! I had heard that Disney and Walden Media dropped the Narnia franchise after Prince Caspian was released, but I found out today that my fears were only half-true. Disney did drop Narnia, but Walden Media went to Fox (whom they have done every other non-Narnia project with), and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader is set to be released in November or December 2010. As stated in the blog article that I read, the magic that is notably absent in Prince Caspian (considered the hardest of the books to adapt into a decent movie for this reason) is back in full force, so I can't wait!