The Voyage of the Dawn Treader | Chapter 13: The Three Sleepers

Chapter Summary:

The Dawn Treader sails onward until one night at sunset land appears in the distance. A place is found to anchor the ship, and Caspian, Drinian, Lucy, Edmund, Eustace, and Reepicheep go to explore the island. They quickly come across a massive table filled with the best food. Sitting at the table are three men who have clearly been in an enchanted sleep for a very long time. Everyone is careful not to touch the food, certain that it has caused the enchanted sleep. After examining the men, it is clear that they are Lords Revilian, Argoz, and Mavramorn--the last of the three Lords for whom Caspian has been searching.

It is decided (primarily by Reepicheep) that everyone but Drinian should stay at the table throughout the night for what adventures may come. In the middle of the night, a door opens on a nearby hill. A beautiful girl comes from the hill with a candle. She approaches the table. 

The girl greets the Narnians. The girl tells them that the three sleeping Lords had not been enchanted by the food, and that the Narnians should eat from Aslan's table. What had occurred is that the three Lords began to argue about whether or not to continue east or sail back to Narnia. One of the three Lords had grabbed a knife from the table to use as a weapon, and as soon as he had touched the knife, all three of them fell asleep. The knife, previously unnoticed, is still sitting on the table, and is the very knife that the White Witch had used to kill Aslan (identified first by Lucy). 

Reepicheep and then the others, sensing the goodness of the girl, eat the food from the table. Lucy asks why the table is called Aslan's table, and the girl says that it was placed there by Aslan for those who come so far. The girl says that the island they are on is known as the World's End, though they can sail further still. 

The Narnians ask what they can do about the enchanted sleepers, and the girls says that they will have to ask her father. All eyes turn back to the doorway in the hillside.

Reflection:

What I am enjoying most about The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is how very random it is--much in the way a ship sails, this tale takes us from island to island, and we never know what we should expect to find there. In addition, there is really no one antagonist in this story. Several have come and gone--and some, like the Dufflepuds and the magician Coriakin, turned out not to be enemies at all. But with every passing chapter the tension increases, because we know that this story must culminate in something. Chances are, it's not going to be a huge battle like we have seen in several of the other TCON stories. This story is much more about the magic of Narnia and the eastern seas than it is about a protagonist and antagonist. And of course, what I am waiting for the most (and I suspect that you are as well) is the culmination of Eustace's increasing bravery.

So that's the question with this story--what will it all amount to? Why does it matter? Beyond honor and adventure, what is the point, and what is accomplished? Yes, the seven Lords will have been found, but this is not much of a culminating event. Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, there's an interesting little detail about this chapter that I want to discuss. I don't think I'm missing anything, but I've searched the great Internet for answers and have found none. No doubt this has been observed before, but check out this quote from Reepicheep. Context really isn't needed.

"'Depend upon it,' said Reepicheep, 'it was from eating this food that these three lords came by a seven years' sleep'" (p. 353).

Now, what makes this quote interesting is a couple of things. First, Reepicheep is incorrect--the food is not what caused the Lords to fall into their enchanted sleep. But, Reepicheep is correct that the Lords have been asleep for seven years. What's interesting is that the Narnians have absolutely no context for making this guess. It has been previously noted that the Lords have clearly been asleep for a long time, but how Reepicheep correctly guesses that they have slept for seven years is unknown. Indeed, the girl who emerges from the hillside confirms this length of time, without any reference to Reepicheep's correct guess. How Reepicheep has this knowledge, we do not know. It is another mystery of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.