Samuel Swenson-Reinhold --- Prince Caspian & Biblical Myth

 Another one of my favorite passages throughout The Chronicles of Narnia series is the passage in Prince Caspian where the Pevensie children are camping in Narnia and Lucy is awoken "with the feeling that the voice she liked best in the whole world had been calling her name" (120). She lies in contentment for a while before getting up and noticing that the tree were dancing. Of course, this entire section - where she gets up and walks through the forest before finding Aslan - is one that is a sort of retelling of the passage from 1 Samuel of the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel, Samuel is living in the temple and hears God call out to him before saying "Here I am, Lord!" and having a conversation with God. 

C.S. Lewis is very on the nose with his portrayal of Judeo-Christian myths and stories; this one is well-done because it demonstrates faith in the youngest and most innocent of all the children, Lucy. It is a retelling of the importance of listening for a call from something greater than oneself, be that the Divine or someone's Daimon or something else entirely. Myth enters here as an educative tool, communicating a story that most of us raised in Judeo-Christian traditions have heard of at least once, that can be used to promote a certain message. 


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