Think. Speak.

After sharing with his creations the ideal of love, Aslan directs them in the tools they will need to bring this about, namely thought and speech. While certainly action will also be necessary to attain a love of God and the love of their fellows, it is thought and speech that separate the sentient beings from the Dumb Beasts. This is true for only by thought and (in general) appropriate counsel can an action be so prescribed as to attain a desired result.

Though the biblical account does not explicitly call out speech or thought in the story of creation it was inserted into the story by the earliest of the Jewish commentaries. In doing so, the creation of man is imbued with an aura of imitatio dei lacking from Lewis’ retelling. Let me explain.

In translating the original Hebrew text of the verse, “and man became a living creature,” the Targum states, “and man became a spirit of speech/thought.” The classic commentators discuss whether the Targum refers primarily to speech or to thought. R’ Bahya invokes the Targum’s translation when speaking of the power of speech as that of life or death. In contrast the commentary Akeidat Yitzchak clearly states that the Targum is first and foremost referencing thought (inner speech), but that speech per se is its partner in that it is the mode of revealing one’s thoughts.

In the biblical account of creation God creates the world via speech. This is noted by the Psalmist (33:6), “By the word of God the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth, all of their host.” When God blows into man the soul of life and transforms him into a “spirit of speech” He bequeaths to man the power to create. God created via speech and man, using God’s gift, may also create.

In Lewis’ account of creation, Alsan creates via song. And while the stars sing creating the music of the spheres, the creatures (be they beast, man, or dwarf) do not. They are thus lacking this connection to Aslan.

In fact, there is precious little singing in the Chronicles of Narnia. There are birds singing at various points. The revelers set to join the Old Narnian army to fight Miraz sing, as do the dwarfs in defiance of Rishda Tarkaan. The mer-people sing to honor the coronation of the Pevensies. But the only other singing of praise, akin to the music of the spheres, is the song of Ramandu (the star) and his daughter in praise of Aslan. Of course, there is also very little prayer in the Chronicles of Narnia. Maybe we can address that in a later post.

Love!

Aslan’s next command to the newly created creatures of Narnia is “Love!” Given the importance of Love in Lewis’ theology we should not be surprised by its prominent place in the creation story. However, as a command, it seems quite out of place at this point in time.

Lewis wrote an entire book, “The Four Loves,” in which he warns against love becoming a god, “Love, having become a god, becomes a demon.” Only when one loves the true God can the natural loves take their rightful place and reflect His glory. Yet, throughout the entire book in which Lewis describes multiple loving relationships, what they consist of, and how they occur, he quite fails to define what love means. Nonetheless, he provides a working definition in “Mere Christianity”:

        [Love] is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit…

Though the quote is in the context of a married couple, I think Lewis would apply it equally to other loving relationships.

This brings us to quite a quandary. No one in the new country of Narnia has met anyone yet. They do not yet think or speak. In fact, Strawberry (the horse) says it quite clearly, “"But please, we don't know very much yet." So how can they love?

One might suggest that the creatures have already experienced the presence of Aslan and the command is to love him. After all, loving God is the prerequisite for all lasting loving relationships. I have to say, I don’t really like this suggestion. I am not convinced that a short experience, even a very powerful one, brings about the deep, heartfelt, unity Lewis surely wants out of those who love God. The Jewish people themselves seem to have failed quite spectacularly in this situation when worshiping the Golden Calf shortly after the Revelation at Sinai.

I would rather say that Lewis commands love at the dawn of creation as the ideal or purpose; the state that all must strive for. It is Aslan's goal for the world and not only its means. The next two commands, “Think” and “Speak” are clearly not goals, they have no value in and of themselves. They are instead the tools that are used to accomplish Aslan’s purpose in creating Narnia. He expands upon those goals later, but in a word, the goal is “Love!”

It is worth noting that the biblical account of creation makes no mention of love whatsoever. In Genesis 1, God creates man to subdue the world, to tame it. To transform God’s world into the utopian visions of Isaiah and Micah. In Genesis 2, man is further commanded to work the land and guard it. The bible emphasizes action above character traits for it is through action that character traits are developed.

This latter point is attested to in a myriad of Jewish sources and is also recommended by Lewis himself as in the quote above. But that’s a topic for another post.

Awake!

I will for now, simply ignore the problems I am having dwarfs and continue discussing the creation of Narnia. 

Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak.

Aslan’s first words are a three-time repetition of the name of land (or maybe the name of the world), followed by four commands: awake, love, think, and speak.

In the biblical creation story (Genesis 1) God creates via speech. In this way he names and defines all things. Aslan, however, has not to this point spoken. Thus, Aslan first calls out “Narnia” (three times). Doing so unifies creation under a single name and presumably not just the Talking Beasts but also to the land and water of Narnia.

Aslan’s first command is “Awake!” This seems rather unnecessary as Aslan has already spent quite a bit of time fashioning and then providing sentience to the beasts. Nonetheless, it serves to awaken to Nature that surrounds them. And indeed, at Aslan’s command, Nature produces its own sentient manifestations: dwarfs, fauns, dryads, and river-gods. These creatures can work and live together (like Trufflehunter and Trumpkin) as long as the Narnian’s are one with their woodland environment. Cutting down trees will (and does) lead to the death of Narnia.

I haven’t read this book on Lewis’ approach to environmentalism, but this seems like pretty good support to me.

A Problem of Dwarfs

My apologies for not posting in quite a while.

While I've been generally happy with our current analysis of the Narnian Creation story I'm hesitating before pushing forward with Aslan's first words, which end with the first command, "Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake." The reason is because following the thought process I've started with this line brings up a point of confusion which I'm not sure what to do about. Let me try to explain... 

To what or whom is Aslan's command "awake" directed towards? 

I think there are a number of possibilities.

A priori, one may think that the command is aimed towards the (soon to become) Talking Beasts whose creation process we have spoken about in great detail. The problem with that approach is that immediately after Aslan's first words a number of other sentient beings suddenly appear: gods and goddesses of woods, Fauns, Satyrs, Dwarfs, the river god and the Naiads. They respond to Aslan's commands in the same way as do the Talking Beasts. And so their arrival suggests that Aslan's command to awake is focused not (or at least not only) on the Talking Beasts, but on the water and land, on Narnia itself. These new creatures (and presumably others like mermaids) are personifications of Narnia's earth and sea when awoken. 

OK, so awake refers to multiple sentient creatures not just the Talking Beasts. 

So far so good, except for this. My approach to Narnia, and certainly the implication from its story of Creation is that the Talking Beasts were in place of the humans in our world. True, the Talking Beasts are supposed to be ruled by a Son of Adam, nonetheless, they are the true heirs of Narnia. 

Actually, the Beasts appear to have a deep mistrust of humanoid figures. Mr Beaver says it most explicitly, in a conversation with his wife:

"I've known good Dwarfs," said Mrs Beaver.

"So've I, now you come to speak of it," said her husband, "but precious few, and they were the ones least like men. But in general, take my advice, when you meet anything that's going to be human and isn't yet, or used to be human once and isn't now, or ought to be human and isn't, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet."

And the actions of human-like creatures, specifically dwarfs, supports Mr Beaver's claim. The dwarfs (or at least a good number of them) joined the White Witch. After the great battles with Telmar it is the dwarfs who are willing to disguise themselves and assimilate into the victorious Telmarines. Even those who do not assimilate forget Aslan after 10 generations of Telmarine rule. And, of course, the dwarfs rebel against Tirian in The Last Battle and shut off any hope of redemption. 

The fact that the dwarfs can mate with humans and are, in the words of Trufflehunter, "As forgetful and changeable as humans," suggests that the Talking Beasts are not the most human-like creatures in Narnia. The dwarfs are! They are called Sons of Earth, just like in our world Adam is called Adam for he was taken from the ground (adamah). 

If that is so, why are they not part of Aslan's deliberate, multi-step creation process?  

The Creation of Narnia: A Swift Flash

Then there came a swift flash like fire (but it burnt nobody) either from the sky or from the Lion itself, and every drop of blood tingled in the children's bodies… 

(The Magician's Nephew)

With the breath of life being blown into the sentient beasts of Narnia and having been welcomed to the great story of Aslan by the singing of the stars, a flash causes the children’s (and presumably the Talking Beasts’) blood to tingle. Dr. Ward already notes that “tingle” when used by Lewis is “loaded with astrological significance.” What happened here? 

Lewis posits two possible origins for the flash. Of course, as Lewis is the author of the story, Lewis could have told us where he wanted the flash to come from. The fact that he doesn’t suggests that he wants either the ambiguity or that both possibilities are (at least symbolically) true. 

The first possible origin of the flash is from the sky, likely meaning the stars. This logically connects with the previous sentence describing the stars’ song. Before the song becomes inaudible, they (as it were) reach out in friendship and solidarity to their fellow-creatures about to begin their service of Aslan. 

This is supported by the only other time Lewis uses the word tingle in the Chronicles, “She went up to the desk and laid her hand on the book; her fingers tingled when she touched it as if it were full of electricity.” Lucy is preparing to find the spell to make the Dufflepuds visible. This requires reading a spell from the Magician’s Book. Unbeknownst to Lucy, the Magician is actually Coriakin, a star. Upon touching the Book of the star, her fingers tingle, for that is the result when the heavenly and earthly connect.

The second possibility is that the flash comes from the Lion. As we remember the Lion (either during or right before the stars’ singing) had breathed out, presumably breathing his spark into what are about to be the sentient creatures of Narnia. How does a swift flash come from the Lion’s breath? 

Perhaps one can suggest that the flash comes at the completion of Alsan’s blowing. The reason for this is as follows. A slow steady breath suggests that the Talking Beasts gain sentience in a slow, incremental manner. The difference then between the Talking and Dumb Beasts, one might think, is incremental, quantitative, they have greater intelligence and insight, nothing more. 

The swift flash upon the Talking Beasts receiving the divine spark demonstrates this is not true. The Talking Beasts are qualitatively different. They can connect with God; they are part of the Great Story. The Dumb Beasts are not. 

(Perhaps that is why Lewis says a “swift flash,” after all, isn’t a flash swift by definition? One might suggest that the flash is described as swift in contrast to the slow breath of Aslan. The build-up is slow, but the divine spark is instantaneous.)

The Talking Beasts are now fully sentient. They are infused with a divine spark. Even so, a sentient, talking being is no better than a non-sentient, dumb one without order, civility, and morality. There must be a command, and we thus wait for Aslan to speak.

The Stars' Song

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 our last post we saw that, upon awakening of sentient beings in Narnia, the stars welcome them to the great Symphony of Creation. Before going on in the Creation story let’s take a few moments to consider the song of the stars. Lewis describes the song as “pure, cold, and difficult.” What is the song as described by these three adjectives?

We have previously discussed that the Heavenly luminaries sing praises to God, the music of the spheres, by following His laws (what we call the laws of physics). Perhaps it is these laws, and not a tune per se, that Lewis is referring to. Let us see how relevant this description is.  

From our earthly perspective, we observe the stars move as governed by the laws of gravity. While not a priori obvious, Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is surprisingly simple depending only on the mass of the objects involved and the distance between them (moderated by the gravitational constant). This simplicity perhaps is what Lewis refers to as "pure." Lewis rarely uses the adjective pure in the Chronicles. When he does, in phrases such as “pure gold,” or “purest of blood,” it appears defined as unadulterated, not mixed with anything else. So too here: the law governing the movement of the stars is clear, unadulterated, not tinted with anything else.

The term “cold” has regularly been applied to science as in uncaring and immutable. The scientific laws do not care about feelings or effort. They are independent of the goodness or evil of a person. Should someone touch an electrified fence, the righteousness of the individual does not change the shock he or she receives. Even in a religious approach to astronomy, the Heavenly spheres and their music are generally cold and uncaring. It is only with rare exceptions (such as at Joshua’s request for the sun to stop, the destruction of the Temple, or the cataclysmic events of the flood) that the spheres pause or alter their song. The religious approach to the presence or consistency of the music of the spheres, is whether one pays enough attention to hear is sensitive enough to hear and contemplate it.

Finally, Lewis describes the song of the stars as difficult. Indeed, the simplicity of the laws of gravitation should not suggest that the evolution of the spheres guided by these laws is simple or straightforward. It took centuries for humanity to transition from epicycles to gravity and even gravitation can cause complex and intricate dynamics. Hence, while the song of the spheres is simply described, the complexity it leads to may hide the purity of the music.

The song of the stars bids the sentient beings of Narnia to join in the Great Story of Aslan. Furthermore, the song calls out for analysis and contemplation. In our world, humanity has always looked to the stars in awe and wonder. Understanding their song, in the words of Maimonides, enables man to “behold through them His wonderful, matchless and infinite wisdom.” And thus, “he will spontaneously be filled with love, praise and exaltation and become possessed of a great longing to know the Great Name.”

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.