Reepicheep and Elijah

I’ve often wondered whether the characters in the Chronicles are modeled after biblical personalities. Of course, they might be modeled after Christian New Testament characters of whom I know little about. So, reformulating, are Narnian characters modeled after any biblical characters found in the Jewish bible. Can we identify King Caspian the 10th with King David, who started the Judean dynasty? Or maybe with King Josiah, who found a book of the law after apparent loss of the essence of Judaism for so many years?

Usually I find the answer to be no. There are too many fundamental differences to really compare Peter, or even a repentant like Eustace, to anyone specific. Perhaps with one exception: Reepicheep. To me Lewis based Reepicheep after none other than Elijah the Prophet, both in terms or his role in Narnia proper, and his role in death and the afterlife. For now let’s start with the latter.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader tells how Reepicheep achieves his ultimate, destined goal: to reach the Utter East. He does this by sailing in the Dawn Treader as far east as she can go. When she can go no further he goes into the boat with Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace. When that too runs aground, he sails in his coracle high over a standing wave separating the Narnian world and Aslan’s country, with only his three final companions watching, From that point on, no one again sees Reepicheep.

Let’s compare this to the death of Elijah (Kings 2 2). Elijah, accompanied by his faithful student Elisha, starts his journey in Gilgal (likely near Nablus) and travels down to Bethel. From there he travels east to Jericho, and then further east to the Jordan river. At each stop apprentice prophets alert Elisha that his master will be taken away from him. Elisha acknowledges this and continues to accompany Elijah. At the Jordan the apprentice prophets stand afar while Elijah splits the Jordan allowing himself and Elisha to pass through. On the eastern bank of the Jordan they continue to walk until reaching a chariot and horses of fire. Elijah enters the chariot and goes up to the heavens in a great storm.

Note the parallels: (1) Elijah (who retraces the steps of Joshua’s conquest of what was then the land of Canaan) and Reepicheep continuously travel east. (2) While there are those who accompany Elijah and Elisha, they run aground at the Jordan River leaving on Elisha to see Elijah’s ascension to heaven. (3) Elijah and Reepicheep both travel upwards in a vehicle traversing the separation between the human inhabited world and some sort of Godly abode. (4) Neither Reepicheep nor Elijah (at least not in the bible) are seen again though it is never stated that either of them die.

The next time we do see Reepicheep is in the “Last Battle” after the end of time. For it is Reepicheep who welcomes those who have recently died into the walled garden. So to Elijah is the one who will announce the coming of the Messiah who will transform the world into one of peace and prosperity for all of its inhabitants.

Why does Lewis parallel Reepicheep’s death and ‘life after death’ on the prophet Elijah? No doubt because of their respective actions and roles during their lifetimes. We’ll explore that more closely in our next post.