TLC Forum

Turkish delight - jellied candy with powdered sugar - seems like a pretty random thing for Edmund to have asked for. But as a couple of people have pointed out to me now, it wasn't as simple as "I'll sell my family out for candy." Ed didn't know that the candy was enchanted when he asked for it - although he may have had some idea that the Witch was not a healthy person to be around, he didn't know yet the depths of what he was getting into. And he was asking for a sugary thing in wartime, when sugar was rationed - a rare treat, for him - and even without his candy-of-choice she was offering him a hot drink, when he'd been in the cold and snow. She was meeting both desires and physical needs to entrap him.

Then I started thinking, maybe this was a pattern for her. She was ruling in a land where she had made an eternal (ish) Winter. Where did the Narnians get food? There are some things which seem to have stayed as viable food-sources unexpectedly - the river by Beaversdam had somehow stayed viable for fishing after all this time, for example, so perhaps there are some other food-sources left locally - and some of our lovely fanfiction authors speculate that there was smuggling from Archenland. But we're still talking about a whole nation that needs feeding, in the scarcest time of year. For some creatures it could have looked like a choice between selling out and starving. And then once she had you in her power, she could make life look very good for you by getting you whatever luxury goods you missed most, or had heard about from before the war from your parents.

I've always wondered about how Narnia didn't starve out and I think you might be on to something! I also wondering if there was any trade at all - Archenland seems unlikely, Calormene seems to have stayed out of it, but perhaps island nations and/or the Lone Islands were also involved? Either willingly or trapped into it?

I imagine that a whole lot of Narnians did take the Witch's food - not all bad ones, either, some just desperate and out of hope - and that whatever she made, as much as it messes you up psychologically, does technically feed you/fill the basic nutrients for survival.

I could see island nations as possible sources of incoming trade. I've read a couple of fics about possibilities of other places having treaties with the witch, and at least one author who had an idea that the Lone Islands may have traded so as not to peeve a powerful enchantress, but quietly snuck inconvenient tariff laws into their local legal codes against Narnian ships as a form of protest.

Ariel.of.Narnia wrote:I also wondering if there was any trade at all - Archenland seems unlikely, Calormene seems to have stayed out of it, but perhaps island nations and/or the Lone Islands were also involved?

I am not sure Archenland was totally unlikely if there was trade.

Lone Islands may have been under her rule but not under the winter curse - and she might have taken monopoly on the trade. A bit like Sauron fed Mordor from Rhûn.

Lily of Archenland wrote: I've read a couple of fics about possibilities of other places having treaties with the witch, and at least one author who had an idea that the Lone Islands may have traded so as not to peeve a powerful enchantress, but quietly snuck inconvenient tariff laws into their local legal codes against Narnian ships as a form of protest.

Links please?

I don't think the Witch would have maintained contact with Archenland at all - how could she be sure that "Adam's Flesh and Adam's Bone" wouldn't have originated from Archenland?

On the other hand, I think she might have had trade of some sort with the Calormens. Not a very prominent one, but I wonder what she thought about their spices and culture.

Shield Maiden wrote: I don't think the Witch would have maintained contact with Archenland at all - how could she be sure that "Adam's Flesh and Adam's Bone" wouldn't have originated from Archenland?

Probably by making sure the frontier was well guarded and men from Archenland only came to frontier, or even sending dwarves off as traders on in to the palace where King Lune was going to reign and had started to reign before the Witch fell?

I wonder what he thought about selling food to Narnia?

Or trade, with Archenland, Calormen, or both might have gone through Lone Islanders' ships.

Shield Maiden wrote:On the other hand, I think she might have had trade of some sort with the Calormens. Not a very prominent one, but I wonder what she thought about their spices and culture.

Probably she kept some for personal use, while making other trade the staple of her then subjects (de facto if not de jure). I mean, the fare Tumnus gave Lucy was, as we know from HHB not Calormene staple.

As to what she thought of their culture, I have already wondered if she wasn't adoring Tash the demon (and setting up the man Tash the ancestor). And if she hadn't been doing so since Charn. Probably Charn was making her fond of Calormen, even if she for some reason could not reign there.

Perhaps they could still source some things through trade or maybe rationing was in place as people would have still been experiencing in Britain when Lewis was writing the book. Also, he may just not have put much thought into it when he was writing it. He received a lot of criticism from people who pointed out to him that how could Mrs. Beaver have served up the children potatoes with their meal in the dam or got the ingredients to make the sticky marmalade roll if it was the middle of an endless winter. They wouldn't be able to grow them indoors.

Do you know what he answered?

Of course, the fact that Archenland and Calormen were obviously outside the magic winter (HHB) is part of an answer.

What if Jadis was demanding food from the Giants at Harfang? Because they were already so far North they would have a short growing season and would need to stockpile food. They would also be worried that Jadis could easily freeze their land as well and send them into starvation.
It could be that the reason that High King Peter had to go to war with Harfang was because the giants realized the Witch was no longer in Narnia and it would be a perfect time to attack and demand repayment of food.

But I do like the idea that some Narnians sold out just to get food and goods.

Oh, I like that theory, Hermit!