Peter Pevensie
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Peter Pevensie 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 ...
al character in
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 ...
's ''
The 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 (wor ...
'' book series. Peter appears in three of the seven books; as a child and a principal character in ''
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 ...
'' and '' Prince Caspian'', and as an adult in ''
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, ...
''. He is mentioned in '' The Horse and His Boy'', in which he is away on the northern frontier fighting giants, and in '' The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', in which he is studying under the tutelage of Professor Kirke. Peter is the eldest of the four Pevensie children and shares his adventures in Narnia with his sisters
Susan Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and severa ...
and
Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
and with his brother
Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and nobles *Ed ...
. Peter's reign in Narnia was a
tetrarchy The Tetrarchy was the system instituted by Roman emperor Diocletian in 293 AD to govern the ancient Roman Empire by dividing it between two emperors, the ''augusti'', and their junior colleagues and designated successors, the ''caesares''. I ...
(
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: "leadership of four"), and as High King Peter the Magnificent, he had supreme authority over all subsequent Narnian monarchs. Peter is illustrated by Pauline Baynes in the original novels with dark hair, but there are no specific descriptions of his hair or eye colour or complexion by Lewis.


Name

An early draft of ''The Lion'' begins, "This book is about four children whose names were Ann, Martin, Rose, and Peter. But it is most about Peter who was the youngest." Peter is the only name that makes it into the final work, but as the oldest child instead of the youngest.
Pevensey Pevensey ( ) is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Wealden District, Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located north-east of Eastbourne, one mile (1.6 km) inland from Pevensey Bay. The ...
, on the southeast coast of England, is the site of a medieval castle that figures importantly in British history at several points. In Rudyard Kipling's ''Puck of Pook's Hill'' (1907) at least one of the characters refers to Pevensey as "England's Gate", which the celebrated wardrobe in Lewis's books quite literally becomes. The surname "Pevensie" does not actually appear in the Chronicles until the third published book, ''The Voyage of the ''Dawn Treader.


Biography


Prior story

Peter was born in 1927 and is 13 years old when he appears in ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''. As a monarch of Narnia's Golden Age, he rules with his brother and sisters for 15 years, reaching the approximate age of 28 before returning to the age of 13 in England at the end of ''Wardrobe''. By ''The Last Battle'' he is a 22-year-old university student with his heart still in Narnia, though he had not been there since ''Prince Caspian'', when he was 14 years old.


In ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''

A loyal and devoted big brother figure, Peter is the eldest of the four siblings. He tries his best to protect his siblings and to act like a responsible young adult. In the book, it is implied that he is more mature than his siblings because after their father was called out to fight in the war, Peter's mother told him to support his three siblings through the ordeal of their father going away. He is evacuated to the countryside with his siblings by train because of the air-raids during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In the countryside, they stay at the old mansion of Professor Digory Kirke. When Lucy first stumbles on the wardrobe, Peter does not believe her, thinking it is just her imagination until he and the other Pevensies enter the wardrobe themselves; "A jolly good hoax, Lu". He later apologizes to Lucy for not believing her and is quite angry with Edmund for earlier denying Narnia's existence (Lucy had seen Edmund in Narnia before, but he had lied that they were just "pretending"); "Well, of all the poisonous little beasts". This is caused by Edmund's revelation of his deceit when, upon entering Narnia, he says; "I say ... oughtn't we to be bearing a bit more to the left, that is, if we are aiming for the lamp-post?" Peter had already been angry with Edmund for "encouraging" Lucy before he knew that Edmund was telling lies; while not believing that Lucy had been in Narnia, he did believe that Edmund was not doing Lucy any good by jeering at her and encouraging her about her claim to have found a country in the wardrobe. During the period between Lucy claiming to have got into Narnia through the wardrobe a second time and all four siblings finally making it into Narnia together, Peter negotiates a truce between Edmund and Lucy, although his annoyance with Edmund is still visible. Edmund later strays to the White Witch (having met her when he first came into Narnia and been seduced by her promises of power) and Peter later confesses to Aslan that his anger towards Edmund (for trying to make out that Lucy was a liar) probably helped him to go wrong. Peter and his siblings had been under the protection of Mr and Mrs. Beaver after arriving in Narnia, and Mr. Beaver had suspected Edmund was a traitor from the moment he set eyes on him, but did not mention anything to the others about it until his absence was noticed and Mr Beaver figured out that Edmund had gone to the White Witch. Edmund is eventually rescued on Aslan's orders. Meanwhile, the others all make their way to the Stone Table to meet Aslan. Peter received his
sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
(Rhindon) and
shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...
from Father Christmas after meeting him on the journey to find Aslan, and is later knighted "Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane" by Aslan after he kills Maugrim the wolf, chief of the White Witch's secret police, who was trying to kill Susan and Lucy. In the American editions of the books on which the 1979
animated film Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
was based, Lewis changed the chief wolf's name to Fenris-Ulf, after a figure from
Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...
. In those versions, Peter is given the epithet "Fenris-bane". While the great battle is being planned, he is appointed head General of Aslan's army. After the defeat of the White Witch Jadis, self-styled Queen of Narnia, and her evil allies in the Battle of Beruna Ford, he is crowned to the Clear Northern Sky by Aslan as His Majesty King Peter the Magnificent, High King of Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands, Lord of Cair Paravel, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion. The ancient prophecy of two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve coming to sit on the four thrones at Cair Paravel then comes to fruition. This marks the end of the hundred years of winter and the reign of the White Witch, and is the beginning of Narnia's Golden Age. He and his siblings finally return to their own world (where they find themselves as children once again) 15 years later, to find that no time had passed by there.


In ''The Horse and His Boy''

Peter does not appear in this installment, but is mentioned. While Susan and Edmund are in Calormen escaping from Prince Rabadash, he is fighting giants in the north. (Lucy is the only one left at Cair Paravel).


In ''Prince Caspian''

After the Pevensies arrive in the ruins of Cair Paravel, they find the castle's treasure chamber, where Peter, Susan and Lucy find the gifts they were given by Father Christmas. Peter takes his sword, Rhindon, and his shield, and again serves as the leader of the group. They eventually meet
Trumpkin Trumpkin is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' fantasy novel series ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. Trumpkin is an intensely practical and skeptical dwarf who lives during the reigns of King Miraz and King Caspian X. He is a major character ...
, a dwarf who helped protect Prince Caspian X from his uncle's Telmarine army, who accompanies them on their journey to meet Aslan. When the children are forced to make a decision, Peter, as High King, has the final word. In order to stall the war long enough for Lucy to find Aslan and awaken the Narnians, Peter claims the right to a one-on-one duel with the Telmarine king, Miraz. After the Pevensie children help defeat the Telmarines, Peter formally gives Caspian the authority to rule a free Narnia. Aslan gives Caspian the authority to "rule under Us and under the High King". However, Peter later confides to Lucy and Edmund that he was told by Aslan that he and Susan will never return to Narnia, as they are now too old, and have learned all that they can from that world. The four children returned to their world, in which they were waiting for their trains to go to their respective boarding schools. It is learned in this book that Lucy is his favorite sister, a fact that was fairly obvious throughout the series.


In ''Voyage of the Dawn Treader''

While not physically present in the book, it was mentioned that Peter was under the tutelage of Professor Kirke in preparation for exams, but the other three children were unable to stay with him because he had moved out of the large house with the wardrobe and was now living in a much smaller house. In the film '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', Peter makes a cameo appearance at a party. When Lucy transforms herself into Susan, neither Peter nor Edmund know of Lucy or Narnia.


In ''The Last Battle''

Peter has a minor role in the story. He was the only one to address Tirian, the king of Narnia at the time, in Tirian's vision of the Seven Friends of Narnia. After attending a dinner with the other Friends, Peter and Edmund went to London to retrieve the magic rings that Professor Digory Kirke buried in the Ketterleys' yard, hoping to use them to get Eustace and Jill to Narnia. Both were waiting for Lucy, Eustace, Jill, Digory, and Polly at the station platform when the train crashed and killed them all, temporarily transporting Jill and Eustace to Narnia until the end of the world, upon which they make their way to the real Narnia, or heaven, and are reunited with Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Digory, and Polly. Peter is described by Tirian as having the face of a king and a warrior. After Tirian passed through the stable door and saw Tash for the first time, Peter calmly ordered the demon to leave with his prey. After passing judgement on all the inhabitants of Narnia, Aslan orders Peter to shut the door, ending the world. Peter is one of many others allowed to stay in Aslan's Country including the parents of Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy.


Christian elements

Lewis, himself an expert on
allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...
, did not consider ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' allegory. He saw them as "suppositional" answering the question, "What might Christ become like, if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours? This is not allegory at all." While not allegorical, Narnia does present significant parallels with elements from
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
. There are similarities between Peter Pevensie and St. Peter, who was one of Jesus's original twelve disciples. Like St. Peter, who was given that name from Christ, Peter Pevensie is given the name Sir Peter Wolfsbane by Aslan. As the traditional first
Bishop of Rome The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...
, St. Peter and his successors, are ''
primus inter pares is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their seniority in office. H ...
'', or first-among-equals with the other leaders of the church. Similarly, Peter Pevensie is given the title of High King. Lastly the biblical St. Peter, according to Catholic tradition, was given the "keys to the kingdom of heaven" and Peter Pevensie shut the door, locking it with a golden key, sealing the destroyed Narnia after the judgment in ''
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, ...
''.


Portrayals

* In the 1967 TV serial, he is portrayed by Paul Waller. * In the 1988 television serial produced by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, ''
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 ...
'', he is portrayed by actor Richard Dempsey. * In
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
's live-action films, he is portrayed by William Moseley as a child; and Noah Huntley as an adult in the end of the first film. * In the late-1990s/early-2000s radio adaptations produced by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre, he is voiced as a child by Freddie Findlay and by Peter Moreton as an adult. * In the parody film '' Epic Movie'', he is spoofed by Adam Campbell under the name "Peter Pervertski".


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * *


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pevensie, Peter The Chronicles of Narnia characters Kings and Queens of Narnia Literary characters introduced in 1950 Child characters in literature Fictional child soldiers Fictional English people Fictional kings Fictional knights Fictional swordfighters in literature Teenage characters in film