===Inspiration===
The landscape of Lewis's native Ireland, in particular [[Ulster]], played a large part in the creation of the Narnian landscape. In his essay ''On Stories'', Lewis wrote "I have seen landscapes, notably in the [[Mourne Mountains]] and southwards which under a particular light made me feel that at any moment a giant might raise his head over the next ridge". In a letter to his brother, Lewis would later confide "that part of [[Rostrevor]] which overlooks [[Carlingford Lough]] is my idea of Narnia". Although in adult life Lewis lived in England, he returned to Northern Ireland often and retained fond memories of the Irish scenery, saying "I yearn to see [[County Down]] in the snow; one almost expects to see a march of dwarfs dashing past. How I long to break into a world where such things were true."
==Inhabitants==
{{see also|List of The Chronicles of Narnia characters|Magical creatures in The Chronicles of Narnia}}
===Humans from Earth===
A total of eleven named humans from Earth entered Narnia: four boys, two men, four girls, and a woman. Humans from Earth are sometimes referred to as Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve by Narnians, a reference to first humans in the Biblical account of creation.
The four Pevensie children are the best known: [[Peter Pevensie]] (High King Peter the Magnificent), [[Susan Pevensie]] (Queen Susan the Gentle), [[Edmund Pevensie]] (King Edmund the Just), and [[Lucy Pevensie]] (Queen Lucy the Valiant). All of them appear in ''[[The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]'' and in ''[[Prince Caspian]]''. Edmund and Lucy appear in ''[[The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]'' and three (all except Peter, who is out fighting giants on the northern frontier) appear as adults in ''[[The Horse and his Boy]]''. Likewise, all appear in ''[[The Last Battle]]''.
Others from Earth include [[King Frank]], formerly a cabman in London, and his wife [[Queen Helen (Narnia)|Queen Helen]], who were the first King and Queen of Narnia and whose descendants lived in Narnia for many generations. They, together with [[Andrew Ketterley]], [[Digory Kirke]], and [[Polly Plummer]] appear in ''[[The Magician's Nephew]]''. [[Eustace Scrubb]], a cousin of the Pevensies, appears in ''[[The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]'' and ''[[The Silver Chair]]'', and [[Jill Pole]], a schoolmate of Scrubb's, also appears in ''[[The Silver Chair]]''. All appear in the Last Battle]]''.
Six pirates and six women came from Earth to the unpeopled land of Telmar and founded the race of the Telmarines. As Aslan says in ''[[Prince Caspian]]'', they accidentally found in a cave "one of the chinks or chasms between that world and this", and he adds, "There were many chinks or chasms between worlds in old times, but they have grown rarer. This was one of the last: I do not say ''the'' last." So quite possibly others came to Narnia from Earth as well, but Lewis did not record their histories for us.
Jadis, the white witch, is said to be descended from [[Adam]]'s first wife [[Lilith]] (see below).
===Dwarfs===
[[Dwarf (folklore)|Dwarfs]] are native to Narnia. They are called Sons of Earth by Aslan, as opposed to humans, who are called Sons of Adam or Daughters of Eve. Dwarfs exist in at least two varieties: Black Dwarfs and Red Dwarfs, distinguished by the colour of their hair. While many Red Dwarfs are kind and loyal to Aslan, Black Dwarfs appear to be more selfish and hostile, and most fight on the White Witch's side. Dwarfs appearing in the books are male and live together in [[communities]], although they are known to mingle with and reproduce with humans. For example, Prince Caspian's Tutor Cornelius is a half-dwarf, and Caspian's former nurse is described as "a little old woman who looked as if she had dwarf blood in her".
Dwarfs, like [[faun]]s, [[satyr]]s, the [[Potamoi|river god]] and his [[Naiad]] daughters and the tree people ([[deity|deities]] of the woods) stepped forth when Aslan (in ''[[The Magician's Nephew]]'') called for Narnia to "Awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters."<ref name="ReferenceA">''[[The Magician's Nephew]]'', Ch. 14</ref> The dwarfs were presumably born of the earth, as the [[Dryad]]s were of the trees and the Naiads of the waters. Dwarfs appear as the King's train-bearers at the coronation of King Frank. ([[Naiad]]s held Queen Helen's robes.<ref name="ReferenceA" />) In keeping with their character as sons of Earth, the dwarfs are skilled and prolific [[smith (metalwork)|smiths]], [[miner]]s, and [[carpenter]]s. In battle, they are renowned as deadly [[archery|archers]]. A Dwarf can walk all day and night.<ref>''[[Prince Caspian]]'', Ch. 8</ref>
Lewis's dwarfs bear some resemblance—though are not identical with—those depicted by his friend [[Tolkien]] in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''; both draw on the depiction of dwarfs in [[Germanic mythology]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}
===Talking animals===
Strawberry, the cabman's horse, also entered Narnia from Earth and there was chosen to be a talking beast and transformed into the [[Pegasus|winged horse]] Fledge.
Many of the animals found on Earth can also be found in Narnia. In addition, there are talking versions of most of these animals. When [[Aslan]] breathed upon the first animal [[pairs]], some not only gained thought and speech, but changed in size as well. Smaller animals ([[rodent]]s, [[bird]]s and small [[mammal]]s) are larger than their non-talking [[Kinship|relatives]] and larger animals are slightly smaller. Talking beasts can be divided into three main categories: [[Bird|Avian]], [[Mammal]], and [[Reptile]]. There are no talking [[fish]] or [[insect]]s.
It is specifically mentioned that there were no talking mice to begin with, and that Aslan added them later as a reward for the mice's kindness in cutting his ropes after he was killed by the White Witch.
In Narnian law and custom, talking animals are persons, fully the equal of humans; killing and eating them is tantamount to murder and cannibalism. On the other hand, killing and eating a non-talking animal is a completely acceptable act. Thus, for example, three talking bears are among the loyal adherents of [[Prince Caspian]], but later on in the same book a non-talking bear is killed and eaten, and Lewis gives a detailed description of how its flesh was cooked.
===Witches===
Two [[witchcraft|Witches]] appear as characters in the Narnian books, the [[White Witch]] (Jadis, Empress of [[Charn]], or the "White Lady") and the [[Lady of the Green Kirtle]] (or "the Green Lady"). Long after Lewis's death, character sketches appeared in later editions of the books that seem to indicate that these two witches are the same, but these notes are not due to Lewis (See the [[Lady of the Green Kirtle]]).
Jadis has the appearance of a very tall human woman but is actually the last scion of the royal house of Charn as shown in ''The Magician's Nephew''. In later Narnian times her origin on Charn is not known to her subjects. Jadis claims human descent to legitimize her rule, but in Chapter 8 of ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'' Mr. Beaver describes her as descended from [[Lilith]], a [[Jinn]] and Adam's first wife, and from giants, thus having no human blood at all.
When Jadis entered the Narnian world at its [[#Creation of Narnia|creation]], she ate a fruit that gave her [[immortality in fiction|immortality]]. Then she fled to the north. Another fruit from the same tree was planted in Narnia, and Aslan said that while the tree that grew from it flourished, Jadis would not return to Narnia.<ref>''The Magician's Nephew'', Chapter 14.</ref> Jadis spent 900 years away from Narnia, then returned to conquer it and conjure the 100-year winter. She was killed by Aslan in the First Battle of Beruna.
The Green Lady transforms herself into a huge green serpent twice in ''[[The Silver Chair]]'': once when she kills [[Rilian]]'s mother, and once when she tries to kill Rilian and his companions. Most of her other powers seem to be related to [[seduction]] and [[enslavement]]; she has bewitched and enslaved Rilian and an army of underground gnomes, and almost succeeds in bewitching [[Jill Pole|Jill]], [[Eustace Scrubb|Eustace]], and [[Puddleglum]] using magic powder and a musical instrument.
===Mythological creatures===
Other inhabitants of the Narnian world based on known mythological or folkloric creatures include [[Boggart|Boggles]], [[Centaur]]s, Cruels, [[Dragon]]s, [[Dryad]]s, Earthmen (the Narnian version of [[gnome]]s), [[Ifrit|Efreet]]s, [[Jötunn|Ettin]]s, [[Faun]]s, [[Giant]]s, [[Ghoul]]s, [[Griffin]]s, [[Hag]]s, [[Hamadryad]]s, Horrors, [[Incubus|Incubi]], [[Maenad]]s, [[Merpeople]], [[Minotaur]]s, [[Monopod (creature)|Monopod]]s, [[Naiad]]s, [[Ogre]]s, Orknies (perhaps from Old English ''orcneas'' "walking dead"),<ref>Schakel, Peter J. ''The Way into Narnia: A Reader's Guide'', p. 128.</ref> [[Pegasus|Winged Horse]]s, People of the Toadstools, [[Phoenix (mythology)|Phoenix]], [[Salamanders in folklore|Salamanders]], [[Satyr]]s, Sea Peoples (a version of the [[merman|merpeople]]), [[Sea serpent]]s, Sylvans, [[Ghost#Terminology|Spectre]]s, [[Sprite (creature)|Sprite]]s, Star People, [[Unicorn]]s, [[Werewolf|Werewolves]], Wooses, and [[Ghost#Terminology|Wraith]]s. These are a free mix of creatures from Greco-Roman sources and others from native British tradition.<ref>Briggs, K. M. ''The Fairies in English Tradition and Literature'', p. 209 University of Chicago Press, London, 1967.</ref>
===Other creatures and inhabitants===
Narnia is inhabited by Marsh-wiggles (creatures of Lewis's own invention) and Dufflepuds (adapted from [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]]'s [[Monopod (creature)|Monopods]]) live on a distant island. There are also many singular beings who frequent or inhabit Narnia and its surrounding countries including: the [[Potamoi|River god]], [[Dionysus|Bacchus]], [[Father Christmas]], [[Father Time]], [[Pomona (mythology)|Pomona]], [[Silenus]], and [[Tash (Narnia)|Tash]]. It should also be noted that the Stars themselves are sentient beings within Narnia. The magician [[Coriakin]], who rules over the Dufflepud/Monopods, and [[Ramandu]], whose daughter marries [[Caspian X]], are both stars who, for various reasons, are earth-bound. Both of these individuals were encountered in ''[[The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]''.
==Cosmology==
===General characteristics===
The world of Narnia is a [[Flat Earth|flat world]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Duriez |first=Colin |date=2013 |title=A Field Guide to Narnia |location=Strould, Gloucestershire |publisher=[[The History Press]] |isbn=978-0-7524-9554-5}}</ref> in a [[geocentric]] system. Its sky is a dome that mortal creatures cannot penetrate.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} Traveling eastwards, characters in ''[[The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]'' eventually reach a literal end of the world, where the sky reaches the sea.
Narnia's [[star]]s are shining [[Sentience|sentient]] beings that occasionally come to the various worlds in [[humanoid]] form. Its [[constellation]]s are the result of a mystical dance upon the sky, performed by the stars to announce the works and comings of [[Aslan]], Narnia's creator. The stars also arrange themselves to allow seers to foretell certain future events.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lewis|first=C. S.|url=https://archive.org/details/lastbattle1994lewi|title=The Last Battle|publisher=Harper Collins Publishers|year=1956|isbn=0-06-023493-8|location=New York, NY|page=[https://archive.org/details/lastbattle1994lewi/page/189 189]|url-access=registration}}</ref> [[Constellation]]s include the Ship, the Hammer, and the Leopard.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lewis|first=C. S.|url=https://archive.org/details/princecaspian00lewi|title=Prince Caspian|publisher=Macmillan| year=1951|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/princecaspian00lewi/page/95 95]|url-access=registration}}</ref>
The Narnian sun is a flaming disc that revolves around the world once daily. The sun has its own [[ecosystem]] and is thought to be inhabited by great white birds, which appear in ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader''. Some of the [[vegetation]] on the sun is known to contain healing properties. For example, the extract of a fire-flower found in the mountains can heal any wound or [[disease|sickness]], and a fire-berry that grows in its valleys, when eaten by the fallen star Ramandu, works to reverse the effects of age.
The moon of Narnia is larger than Earth's [[moon]].<ref name="Lewis2000">{{Cite book|last=C. S. Lewis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QqMwaDgN0RIC&q=moon&pg=PA137|title=Prince Caspian (full color)|date=22 August 2000|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-440944-5|page=137}} (page 113 in 1951 Macmillan edition)</ref>
Passages in several of the books suggest that the ground of Narnia may be living. In ''[[The Silver Chair]]'', the main characters find a land named [[Bism]] many miles below Narnia, where diamonds and other jewels provide juice when crushed or squeezed. They find the idea unbelievable until a [[gnome]] explains that the precious stones found in Bism are real, not dead like the ones found in the "shallow" mines made by dwarfs and others who live on the surface.
===The worlds of Narnia===
{{Main|Wood between the Worlds}}
The Narnian world is part of a series of many fictional worlds including Earth and the world of [[Charn]]. These are connected by a linking room known as the [[Wood between the Worlds]], a nexus that existed outside all the other worlds. This space takes the form of a dense forest with many [[pond|pools]] of water. With appropriate magic (or a device such as rings made from the soil), each pool leads to a different world. The Wood between the Worlds seems to affect the magic and strength of the [[White Witch]], who becomes weak and ill when taken there.
===Time===
Earth visitors to Narnia typically find that a visit to Narnia lasts longer in Narnia (sometimes much longer) than the corresponding period of their absence from Earth. How much longer appears to be inconsistent. For example, in ''The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'', Lucy's first visit to Narnia lasts for several hours, while just seconds pass on Earth. The four children's main adventure there lasts for many years - long enough for them to grow into adults and almost forget their childhood on Earth, where just minutes pass.
Visiting Narnia, one always finds that more time has passed there than on Earth, but there does not seem a fixed rate: between ''The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'' and ''Prince Caspian'' centuries have passed in Narnia despite only a year passing on Earth, but between that and ''The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'' only three years pass, although just days pass on Earth. Then comes ''The Silver Chair'', 50 years later in Narnia but no more than a year on Earth.
<!---"Temporal ''order'', however, seems to be preserved: a person crossing between the worlds arrives ''after'' people who have crossed previously, and ''before'' people who cross later." Have commented this out, as it isn't true: in the Last Battle Eustance enters the door first, then the dwarves, then Jill; they come *out* in the order: dwarves, Jill, Eustance. This is plot relevant, as it allows Lucy to have a conversation with the dwarves without knowing what has happened in the original Narnia.--><!---commented out until we can find a source for this--But some think{{Citation needed|date=March 2008}} Lewis intended the South Sea pirates to be men involved in the [[Mutiny on the Bounty]], which occurred in the South Pacific in the ''18th'' century.-->
==History==
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