Narnian Enemies: Introduction to The Last Battle

The tyrannical monarchy of Carlomen is not, however, Narnia’s greatest existential threat. In fact, though Carlomen does eventually invade and conquer Narnia, this was only possible due to a societal/theological rebellion that had already weakened Narnia. This rebellion was headed by Shift, the antichrist, the “prophet” of the false Aslan. 

(It is worth pointing out that Shift is a monkey who pretends to be a man, just as the antichrist is a man pretending to the be the savior.)

The story of this rebellion is told in the first part of the Last Battle. I have to admit that the plot of the first part of The Last Battle has, for me, always been troubling. The actions of the creatures are most bewildering. The willingness of Tirian and Jewel to give themselves up for the sake of “honor” is, to me, infuriating. There is a need for clarification, and maybe a little background is missing as well. While I am not sure I can explain everything, or anything, I will share some of my thoughts.

In the next post we’ll review the story of The Last Battle highlighting certain aspects that require explanation. This will set the stage for identifying the true enemy facing Narnia in its final days. With this identification we can then go backwards in time and try to imagine what allowed this enemy to gain a foothold in Narnia.