TLC Forum

We know that the entire Narnia series has biblical parallels and allegories throughout it (I think LWW is the most obvious one). Since we know that Aslan is the Narnian equivalent/symbol of Jesus, is it fair to assume that Jadis takes the role of Satan? Given her opposition and fall from power in MN and her huge role in LWW, I've always assumed that she was the anti-Aslan and his complete opposite, that she plays the Satan to Aslan's Christ. But in LB we see that Tash is Aslan's opposite. Do both Jadis and Tash take the role of Satan in the books? Or does the focus of evil change partway through the series?

That's always struck me, too, Shield! Before I read LB (or MN, for that matter) I always was bothered that Satan was portrayed as a woman because the Bible never, ever indicates that. But when Tash showed up I was a bit relieved (as well as disgusted at Tash himself). Maybe the White Witch represents more of an antichrist rather than Satan himself?

Or Tash is not directly (in a parallel sense) Satan, but rather more like a demon? Jadis, I think, bears more of Satan's attributes. Besides being the more active character of the two, she has more of the "angel of light" thing going for her (aka, beautiful, but deadly). She is also shown (again, probably because Tash isn't really active) as directly opposing Aslan. And while Tash does come to Narnia at the "invitation" of Rishda and the rest, Jadis set herself up as Queen of Narnia ("prince of this world"?). Traitors also "belong" to her.
But then, Tash's influence is more subtle (ie: he may not be directly commanding folks about, but the ideas surrounding him do) and he doesn't die, which Jadis definitely does.

What about the LotGK? I think she too has certain attributes similar to Jadis: beautiful, cunning, deceptive, has a desire to rule over Narnia by making herself "queen" and interestingly enough, turns into a serpent.

Random thought: It's Tash's country, not Jadis's.

I've always considered Calormen to be more the "country of Tash", given that they directly worship him and the Narnians are more directed towards Aslan.

The witches seem to be less powerful than Tash, and both of them die. Tash never does.
On a random thought, perhaps there's an even greater evil controlling all of them?

I think Tash is a more dangerous villain than Jadis. Tash seems to be demonic: he takes Rishda and Shift off somewhere after they go through the stable door, but Jadis' power seems to stop when she died. Tash is also successful in keeping the Calormenes from knowing the true Aslan and they kill men in Calormen on Tash's altar.

Of course Jadis is also very powerful and wants human sacrifice as well, but most of the Narnians still hope Aslan will return and they know she is an imposter.

I agree that there could be a greater evil controlling them both; both Tash and Jadis have basically destroyed worlds.

The question, of course, is how long has Tash been around? How long after the world was created did he show up?

I have an idea that Tash as ancestor of Tisrocs was a man.

Snorre says Odin was a man, Frey was a man, their descendants were Ynglings in Uppsala. Since Odin is said to have immigrated from "Tyrkjaland" ("Turkey", but not sure what were its limits back when Snorre wrote), CSL might in Calormen partly be poking fun at Odinism.

However, this man is not identical to the demon who shows up in LB, indeed not even to the idol worshipped in Tashbaan. If I were to sacrifice people on the altar of my grandpa (who would not have wanted such a thing, it would have horrified him completely), hope I will never sink so deep of course, the picture of that altar would not be my grandpa, even if it were a photo : it would be a picture inhabited by some demon, since such are recipients of idol worship. So, Tash as worshipped in Tashbaan was already a demon, presumably the same as showed up in the LB.

This brings us to the question on whether the demon came to the Narnian world before the human historic Tash did. I think Tash the demon was worshipped by Jadis already in Charn, and came to Narnia with Jadis.

Note, Jadis is not human. When Mr and Mrs Beaver say she is "part giant, part Jinn, descended from Lilith" this may be a false opinion of how demonic giants came to be, but it does identify her as a demonic giant. The part on Lilith being "Adam's first wife" is wrong, but Frank or Helen, though presumably Anglican Christians, might one or other or both of them have a Jewish connexion.

What Jadis fails to do in MN is what the serpent succeeded in doing in Eden. However, though Christian Orthodoxy says the serpent is Satan, Jews would tend to view the serpent as Lilith.

So, let us consider Jadis as a failed Lilith and Tash as a rather more successful Abaddon of the Narnian world. When I say a "failed" Lilith, Jadis did succeed later, for a hundred years.

I think the human Tash was initiated by her in Tash worship and into impersonating "his god" for Calormenes. And possessed by Tash as she was already.

It seems demonic pseudohumans and even demons sometimes also revel in idolatry as in worshipping demons. I am not sure if the Nine Muses were demons or witches, but Hesiod records that while he overheard their singing, they sang hymns to all the gods ranging from Zeus to ... Kronos with the Crooked Mind - does that sound like demon worship? I think it does. So, Jadis was a demonic being worshipping a demon - though of course also, at the same time, in LWW she honours (pays lip service) to Emperor over the Sea as His hangman - a role which is that of Satan.

Narnia is in a world were some things, like evils, are smaller and less ultimate than in our world.