Shasta, later known as Cor of

Archenland Narnia is a fantasy world created by C. S. Lewis as the primary location for his series of seven fantasy novels for children, ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. The name is derived from the land where much of the ''Chronicles'' takes place. In Narn ...

, is a

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

character Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to Theoph ...

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

' ''

Chronicles of Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, ...

''. He is the principal character in the fifth book published in the series, ''

The Horse and His Boy ''The Horse and His Boy'' is a high fantasy novel written by British author C. S. Lewis and published by Geoffrey Bles in 1954. Of the seven novels that comprise ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956), ''The Horse and His Boy'' was the fift ...

''. The book's events, however, are chronologically third in the series. He also appears briefly at the end of ''

The Last Battle ''The Last Battle'' is a portal fantasy novel written by British author C. S. Lewis, published by The Bodley Head in 1956. It was the seventh and final novel in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956). Like the other novels in the series, ...

'', the seventh and final book in the series. Born as the eldest son and heir of

King Lune This is a list of characters in the series of fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis called ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. See also a list of portrayals. A *Ahoshta: a 60-year-old Tarkaan of Calormen who later becomes the Grand Vizier, chief adviser to t ...

of Archenland, and elder identical twin of Prince Corin, Shasta/Cor was kidnapped as an infant and raised as a fisherman's son in the country of

Calormen In C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia'' series of novels, Calormen () is a large country to the southeast of Narnia (world), Narnia. Lewis probably derived its name from the Latin ''calor'', meaning "heat". When using the name as an adjective or ...

. In ''The Horse and his Boy'' (the events of which all occur during the reign of the four Pevensie children in Narnia, an era which begins and ends in the last chapter of ''

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a portal fantasy novel written by British author C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' (1950–1956 ...

''), Shasta/Cor escapes to freedom, saves Archenland and Narnia from invasion, learns his true identity, and is restored to his heritage. Shasta's companions on his journey are the talking horses, Bree, and

Hwin Hwin is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. She is prominent in the 1954 book '' The Horse and His Boy''. Hwin, a mare, was born as a free talking beast in the Land of Narnia, but was capture ...

, and the Calormene Tarkheena,

Aravis Aravis is a fictional character in the 1954 novel '' The Horse and His Boy'' by C. S. Lewis. Aravis is a young Tarkheena, a female member of the ruling nobility of Calormen. With her horse, Hwin, who is eventually revealed to be a talking be ...

. Shasta/Cor grows up to become King of Archenland, marries

, and fathers the next (and "most famous") king of Archenland, Ram the Great.

Biographical summary

Cor is raised under the name Shasta by a poor fisherman named Arsheesh, who lives on the coast of

, a great and powerful land to the south of

Narnia ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a ...

, beyond Archenland and the Great Desert. Harshly treated, Shasta believes that Arsheesh is his father until he overhears the fisherman negotiating to sell him as a slave to a

Tarkaan In C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia'' series of novels, Calormen () is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis probably derived its name from the Latin ''calor'', meaning "heat". When using the name as an adjective or an ethnonym, L ...

(a Calormene nobleman). He discovers that Arsheesh found him as a baby in a rowboat washed up on the beach. Shasta goes to the stable and starts talking to the Tarkaan's horse there. To his surprise, the horse answers, warning Shasta that his new master is cruel and suggesting that both horse and boy escape together to Narnia, a land of freedom where nearly all the animals talk. Shasta agrees, and he and the horse, nicknamed Bree, start off that night. They encounter another pair of fugitives, a

Tarkheena In C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia'' series of novels, Calormen () is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis probably derived its name from the Latin ''calor'', meaning "heat". When using the name as an adjective or an ethnonym, L ...

named

and her talking horse

. They make their way to

Tashbaan In C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia'' series of novels, Calormen () is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis probably derived its name from the Latin ''calor'', meaning "heat". When using the name as an adjective or an ethnonym, L ...

, Calormen's capital city, where Shasta is mistaken by a visiting Narnian party for Prince Corin of Archenland, whom he strongly resembles. Learning that Prince Rabadash of Calormen is planning to invade Archenland as a step to conquering Narnia, Shasta and his companions set off to warn Archenland. After a grueling journey across the desert, a tired and barefoot Shasta successfully warns the Archenlanders. Riding with the Archenlanders, he becomes lost in dense fog, but is then guided by the great lion

Aslan Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a Talking animals in fiction, talking lion and is ...

through a mountain pass into Narnia, where his warning musters a force of Narnians to come to the aid of their allies. At Corin's urging, Shasta participates in the battle to defeat Rabadash and his Calormen horsemen. Shasta then discovers who he really is: Prince Cor of Archenland, elder son of

, Corin's twin brother, and heir apparent to the throne. When he was a baby, a prophecy predicted that he would save Archenland from a great danger, leading domestic enemies of King Lune to kidnap him. When his father pursued their ship, the kidnappers put the baby prince on a rowboat with a knight. This was the boat in which Arsheesh found him. The knight had died, but Aslan guided the boat to shore so that Cor could survive. The prophecy was fulfilled when he alerted both the Archenlanders and their Narnian friends of the Calormen invasion. Cor is reunited with his father and brother (his mother having died sometime before), and Aravis comes to live with them at the castle of Anvard. Cor and Aravis eventually marry, and their son Ram the Great becomes (we are told) the greatest king of Archenland. King Cor, King Lune, Queen Aravis, and Prince Corin Thunder-Fist are all mentioned as present in the second Narnia at the end of ''The Last Battle''. Cor is a direct descendant (via Col, the second son of Frank V of Narnia) of King Frank I of Narnia, who was born on Earth in England.

References

* * * * * {{Narnia The Chronicles of Narnia characters Literary characters introduced in 1954 Fictional princes Fictional kings Fictional twins Child characters in literature