The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe | Chapter 12: Peter's First Battle

Chapter Summary:

As Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and the three children continue their march to the Stone Table, they notice that the snow is melting and know that the Witch's spell is going awry. Soon, they reach the Stone Table, where Aslan is standing with a smattering of animals and mythological creatures (centaurs, Dryads, Naiads, etc.).

Peter, Susan, and Lucy meet Aslan. Lucy asks if anything can be done to save Edmund, and Aslan says that there is, but it will be a great cost. Aslan then takes Peter to the top of a hill so that he can look upon Cair Paravel for the first time. Aslan tells Peter that this is where he will be High King of Narnia.

Suddenly, the sound of Susan's horn is heard. Aslan tells the animals and creatures to stand back, while Peter rushes to Susan's rescue. Peter finds Susan stuck in a tree just above a ferocious wolf (Maugrim, presumably), who is biting at her ankles. Peter uses his sword to kill the wolf. Several other wolves flee, and Aslan tells the animals to follow the fleeing wolves to find Edmund and the Witch. In reuniting with Susan, Peter is told by Aslan that he has forgotten to clean his sword, and must always remember to do so. Aslan knights Peter as Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane.

Reflection:

This is most definitely an interesting chapter from the perspective of predestination. It's something that I keep coming back to in my reflections in this book, probably because it's one of the most debatable questions of the story--how much of this had to happen? And if it had to happen, did it have to happen exactly this way? It gets interesting when you start looking at Aslan's behavior in this chapter--and what he does/doesn't say or do.

First of all, it is clear that Aslan knows exactly what must occur as a result of Edmund's betrayal. Actually--let's back up. First--when the Beavers and Peter, Susan, and Lucy first appear before Aslan, he asks where Edmund is. Peter tells Aslan that Edmund is with the Witch. So, either Aslan did not know where Edmund was--or, Aslan wanted Peter to tell him where Edmund was, even though he already knew. (The second option seems a little absurd, so I assume the first while reading.) Immediately afterward, Lucy asks whether Edmund can be saved, and Aslan says that he can, but at a great cost.

So--what I'm reading is this: Aslan didn't know that Edmund had betrayed them and was with the Witch, but the second he learns that this is the case, he knows what the cost will be to save Edmund. It's an interesting dilemma--Aslan seems to both have awareness of future events, but at the same time an unawareness of present events.

That's interesting enough as it is. Now, consider that Aslan grabs Peter to bring him to the top of the hill to take a look at Cair Paravel. When suddenly Susan's horn blows. Does Aslan know this will happen? Has he taken Peter to the top of the hill so that his sisters can be left alone and need rescuing? This seems pretty far-fetched, but when Susan's horn blows, Aslan does nothing except look at Peter and tell him that the noise is his sister's horn. Peter springs into action, along with all of the animals and other mythological creatures--but Aslan tells all of them to hold back, and "let the Prince win his spurs" (p. 115). Thus, Peter alone kills Maugrim and is then knighted by Aslan. So, the question is, did Aslan know this was going to happen? At the least, Aslan seemed 100% confident that Peter (a boy, remember, who was just given his first sword this morning) would be successful in his fight against the wolf.

It all seems a little fishy and perplexing to me. It seems that Aslan knows some of what's going to happen, but not all. The theological implications are complex (and I'll leave them alone), and it will continue to be interesting to watch Aslan as we try to decide how much of this story was inevitable.