The Creation of Narnia: Contemplation and Enjoyment

The Lion, whose eyes never blinked, stared at the animals as hard as if he was going to burn them up with his mere stare… Many animals sat up on their hind legs. Most put their heads on one side as if they were trying very hard to understand. The Lion opened his mouth, but no sound came from it; he was breathing out, a long, warm breath; it seemed to sway all the beasts as the wind sways a line of trees. Far overhead from beyond the veil of blue sky which hid them the stars sang again; a pure, cold, difficult music. (The Magician's Nephew)

In the first chapter of Planet Narnia, Dr. Michael Ward discusses the importance Lewis placed on the distinction between Contemplation and Enjoyment. The distinction is exemplified In “Meditation in a Toolshed,” where Lewis contrasts looking at a beam of light coming through a crack in the shed, and looking along the beam of light, through the crack to the outside. Looking at the beam is contemplative. From this perspective the beam can be scientifically analyzed, and one can consider its various physical properties. Looking along the beam is enjoyable. The beam itself has “disappeared” but by its light one experiences and is integrated into the world outside the toolshed. Lewis took this division seriously enough as to declare Contemplation and Enjoyment as separate categories of knowledge. 

This being the case, perhaps it is not surprising that the creation of sentient beings in Narnia is done in two steps: Aslan’s stare bestirs the chosen creatures to Contemplate, and Aslan’s breath enables them Enjoy. Aslan’s stare causes them to “try to understand,” to unravel the mysteries of the world around them which, having attained consciousness, they suddenly recognize. Aslan’s breath experientially integrates them into that world enabling them to recognize that they have a role in the Great Story being told by Aslan. Thus, though they cannot see the stars, they hear the music of the spheres, singing the praises of God, welcoming them to the great Symphony of Creation.  

This two-step process in the creation of Narnia represents Lewis’ attempt to harmonize the two Creation stories of the Bible. In Genesis 1, Man is the final step in creation and is empowered by God to subjugate the other creatures and consume the vegetation. In his epic work, “The Lonely Man of Faith,” R’ J.B. Soloveitchik designates Adam of Genesis 1 as “Majestic Man.” To fulfill his destiny the utilitarian Majestic Man invokes science and technology to shape the world and make it more fit for mankind. Majestic Man is contemplative, analyzing creation with the goal of controlling and taming the cosmos. Upon completion of creation at the end of Genesis 1, God sees (as Aslan stares) all that He made, and it is very good. 

In Genesis 2, however, Man is created before vegetation has sprouted and the animals have been formed. In contrast to Majestic Man’s dominion, “Covenantal Man,” the Adam of Genesis 2, is tasked with tilling and guarding the Garden of Eden. Covenantal Man experiences loneliness as he tries to understand his place in Creation. To relieve him of this existential loneliness, God creates the animals which Covenantal Man names as he experiences their true nature. However, none are appropriate companions for man. Finally, God creates Eve with whom Covenantal Man can join the creative process and fulfill God’s plan for creation. Covenantal Man is animated when God blows the soul of life through his nostrils. 

The two Creation stories in Genesis highlight the different perspectives of man. Though superficially at odds, Man must be both: at time Majestic and at time Covenantal, at time Contemplative and at times Enjoying. The bible separates the stories to highlight the aspects of each and the equal importance of both. Lewis attempts to merge Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 into a historical account of creation. Though doing so misses some of the grandeur of the biblical stories, Lewis provides us with a concise account of creation and the complexity of sentient beings.  

The Creation of Narnia: Aslan's Song

The Narnian creation begins with Aslan singing. 

Aslan’s singing creates the physical Narnian universe, from the stars above to the flowers and creatures below. The stars blaze forth and sing with Aslan. The beasts are created and add their voices, “cawing, cooing, crowing, braying, neighing, baying, barking, lowing, bleating, and trumpeting.” 

All the noise of the creatures drowns out Aslan’s songs and Aslan stops singing. He goes amongst the creatures choosing the few who would become Talking Beasts. Those not chosen leave Aslan. The noise fades and, finally, there is a pregnant silence. 

In previous posts we discussed two kinds of silence: (1) the silence of absence and terror, and (2) contemplative silence, the silence that enables thought and learning. The first silence arises when one no longer hears the music of the spheres, when man loses connection with creation and the Creator. The second silence enables one to hear the music of the spheres and engage in reflective and spiritual contemplation. In the Narnian creation story, Aslan's song infused creation with the music of spheres. Upon completion he stops. Creation itself now sings the music of the spheres, but there is no one to discern, understand, and be inspired by the song. 

The chosen beasts stand in contemplative silence eyes fixed on Aslan. 

The song is sung, the audience awaits. 

Narnian Ba'alei Teshuva: the Lapsed Bear of Stormness

I am preparing to write a post or two about Aslan's warning to the Talking Beasts of Narnia not to return to the ways of the Dumb Beasts from which they were chosen. Hopefully that will happen soon, but it returned my thoughts to the Lapsed Bear of Stormness. So, let's take some time to talk about him.  

We know very little about the Lapsed Bear of Stornmness as he is mentioned at the end of "The Horse and His Boy" by way of demonstrating the boxing prowess of Prince Corin. The story is as follows:

That was how he got his name of Corin Thunder-Fist; and how he performed his great exploit against the Lapsed Bear of Stormness, which was really a Talking Bear but had gone back to Wild Bear habits. Corin climbed up to its lair on the Narnian side of Stormness one winter day when the snow was on the hills and boxed it without a time-keeper for thirty-three rounds. And at the end it couldn't see out of its eyes and became a reformed character.

Clearly the Lapsed Bear is one of Lewis' ba'alei teshuva (repentants) though, a priori, there's not much to glean from his story. However, bears are mentioned one other time in the Horse and His Boy when the Raven quotes an old saying, "See the bear in his own den before you judge of his conditions." And, indeed, this is exactly what Corin did. Rather than taking rumors at face value he went right up to the bear's lair and saw him for what he was. Not only did this allow him to see the truth about the bears behavior, but perhaps it demonstrated a way forward. 

What exactly did Corin see? Well, we don't really know, but Corin apparently perceived that the only way to get through to the bear was to box him. Now, this may sound rather barbaric and it's highly unlikely that this would be proper operating procedure for the sinners of our day, but perhaps surprisingly it worked for Corin. 

Why did boxing help reform the bears character? Because Corin took the time to look. Perhaps, the bear himself understood that Corin took the time to come to his lair to see his condition. Corin didn't make a public stand for Aslan and the ways of Narnia, but instead fought with no time-keeper. No one had to know what had happened and, perhaps, the bear himself realized Corin's sincerity in this. 

Bears. of course, have a quite a history in Narnia, including the Bulgy Bears later to be confirmed in his hereditary office of Marshal of the Lists, and we can continue to explore the Lapsed Bear of Stormness in light of these noble figures.