Jadis is the main antagonist of ''
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by 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). Among all the ...
'' (1950) and ''
The Magician's Nephew'' (1955) in
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Oxford University (Magdalen College, 1925–1954) and Cambridge Univers ...
's series, ''
The Chronicles of Narnia''. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', as she is the Witch who froze Narnia in the Hundred Years Winter.
Some recent editions of the books include brief notes, added by later editors, that describe the cast of characters. As Lewis scholar Peter Schakel points out, the notes' description of Jadis and the Queen of Underland (the main antagonist of ''
The Silver Chair'') "states incorrectly that the Queen of Underland is an embodiment of Jadis". Beyond characterising the two as "Northern Witches", Lewis's text does not connect them. See ''
Lady of the Green Kirtle'' for further discussion.
Character history
Jadis was born on an unknown date long before the creation of Narnia. In ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' she is identified by a character as a descendant of giants and
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
's first wife (
Lilith):
(This reference to Lilith is a tribute to the
fantasy novel with this title by
George MacDonald, a literary hero of C.S. Lewis.) Jadis died in battle in Narnian year
1000 1000 or thousand may refer to:
* 1000 (number), a natural number
* AD 1000, a leap year in the Julian calendar
* 1000 BC, a year of the Before Christ era
* 1000 metres, a middle-distance running event
* 1000°, a German electronic dance music magazi ...
, meaning that she lived for well over 1,000 years.
''The Magician's Nephew''
In ''
The Magician's Nephew'', Jadis is introduced as the last Queen of
Charn
Charn is a fictional city appearing in the 1955 book ''The Magician's Nephew'', the sixth book published in C. S. Lewis's ''Chronicles of Narnia'', written as a prequel to ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe''. Charn, and the world of which ...
, a city in an entirely different world from Narnia. She was the last of a long line of kings and queens, who were good in the beginning but grew evil over many generations and conquered the entire world of Charn, ruling it as despots. Jadis, a powerful sorceress, fought a bloody war of rebellion against her sister. On the point of defeat, Jadis chose not to submit, but instead spoke the
Deplorable Word The Deplorable Word, as used by author C. S. Lewis in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', is a fictional magical curse which ends all life on a world except that of the one who speaks it.
Background
In ''The Magician's Nephew'', the children who are th ...
, a powerful spell which destroyed all life on Charn except her own. She then cast a spell of enchanted sleep upon herself to await someone who could rescue her from Charn.
Many years later, a 12-year-old
Digory Kirke and his friend
Polly Plummer arrive in the ruins of Charn through Digory's uncle's magic. The children find the bell that Jadis left to break the spell. Despite Polly's warning not to ring the bell, Digory does so. Jadis is awakened and by holding on to them is transported with them back to London in the year 1900. She initially aims to conquer the world to which she is transported, but finds that her magic does not work there. Digory, seeking to correct his mistake, attempts to transport her back to Charn, but they end up instead in the world of Narnia at the moment of its creation by the lion
Aslan. As Aslan approaches, she attacks him with the rod of iron she has torn from a London lamp post with her great physical strength; when this has no effect, she flees.
Jadis makes her way to the garden on a mountain west of Narnia, where she eats an apple that she believes will make her immortal and give her eternal life. However, this supposed immortality comes at a cost: her skin is bleached white, and the evil in her heart causes her eternal misery. She cannot stand the sight of the tree that Aslan has Digory plant in Narnia from the fruit of the garden, and she thus stays to the north of Narnia, working to develop her magic.
Meanwhile, the land of Narnia remains the domain of animals (chosen animals are given the ability to speak, and become pillars of society) and is not troubled by the Witch nor any other enemy for many hundreds of years.
''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''
In ''
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by 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). Among all the ...
'', set 1,000 Narnian years after the events of ''The Magician's Nephew'', the tree that kept Jadis at bay has died, and Jadis has usurped power over Narnia. She is now known as the White Witch, and is served by various races including
Wolves (who make up her
secret police), Black
Dwarves,
Giants,
Werewolves,
Tree Spirits that are on her side,
Ghouls,
Boggles,
Ogres,
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...
s, Cruels,
Hags,
Spectre
Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to:
Religion and spirituality
* Vision (spirituality)
* Apparitional experience
* Ghost
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...
s, People of the Toadstools,
Incubi,
Wraith
Wraith is one of several traditional terms for a ghost or spirit. Wraith, Wraiths, or The Wraith may also refer to:
Fiction Characters
* Wraith (G.I. Joe), a Cobra mercenary in ''G.I. Joe: America's Elite''
* Wraith (Image Comics), a comic book s ...
s, Horrors,
Efreets, Orknies,
Sprites, Wooses,
Ettins, Poisonous Plant Spirits, Evil
Apes, Giant
Bats,
Vultures, and creatures that (as Lewis writes) are "so horrible that if I told you, your parents probably wouldn't let you read this book."
The Witch's magic is now powerful, and with her wand she can turn
enemies to stone. Many good Narnians who have objected to her rule have ended up being captured by the Witch and her forces and turned into stone in the courtyard or the interior of her castle, which stands isolated between two hills in the north of Narnia. Stories of this grim fate has spread around Narnia from the few Narnians who were lucky enough to be taken in there and who were released or managed to escape.
She styles herself "Her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia,
Chatelaine
Chatelaine may refer to:
* Chatelaine (chain), a set of short chains on a belt worn by women and men for carrying keys, thimble and/or sewing kit, etc.
*Chatelaine (horse), a racehorse
* ''Chatelaine'' (magazine), an English-language Canadian wom ...
of
Cair Paravel, Empress of the
Lone Islands", and she casts Narnia into an
endless winter
"Endless Winter" is a 2020 crossover event in DC Comics publications. Written by Andy Lanning and Ron Marz, the story follows the Frost King's efforts to cause an eternal global winter and the Justice League's efforts to stop him. The story appear ...
with no
Christmas. She fears a prophecy that four humans – two sons of
Adam
Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...
and two daughters of
Eve – will bring about the end of her reign and ultimately her life, and orders all Narnians to bring any human they come across to her.
By the time the Pevensie children arrive in Narnia, Jadis has ruled for
100 years 100 Years may refer to:
* "100 Years" (song), 2003 song by Five For Fighting
* ''100 Years'' (film), film due to be released in 2115, one hundred years after production of the film
See also
*Century
*Year 100
__NOTOC__
AD 100 ( C) was a leap ...
, although a mere 40 years have passed on Earth. The children were staying as wartime evacuees at the country home of Digory Kirke, now an ageing professor.
She first meets
Edmund Pevensie while riding on her sledge through the land of Narnia, enchants him with magical
Turkish delight, and tempts him to betray his siblings by offering to make him her heir. She wants all four of them, although at this stage only Edmund and his sister Lucy have been in Narnia. The four Pevensie children arrive together in Narnia soon afterwards, and Edmund strays to the Witch after he and the other children are taken in by Mr and Mrs Beaver. While he understands now that the "Queen of Narnia" (as she had introduced herself) and the White Witch are one and the same, he is still determined to taste more Turkish Delight – and remains convinced that the Witch would keep her promise to make him heir to her throne. In the meantime, her Secret Police had captured Tumnus the faun, who had harboured Lucy on her first visit to Narnia, after discovering that he had disobeyed the Witch’s orders to hand over any humans to her.
But with the approach of Aslan, her magical winter thaws. Edmund receives a hostile reception from the White Witch upon arriving at her castle without his siblings, who is even angrier when he informs her that Aslan has arrived in Narnia. The harshness of the Witch's winter makes Edmund realise that he has been wrong in thinking that her side was the right side, and he realises the full extent of her evil when he witnesses her angrily turning a party of creatures into stone after their revelation that
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and typically considered to be synonymous with Santa Claus, he was originally part of a much older and unrel ...
had been in Narnia.
A wolf eventually reaches Jadis and informs her that Edmund's siblings have reached Aslan's camp and that one of them killed
Maugrim
Maugrim is a fictional character in the 1950 novel ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' by C. S. Lewis. A Narnian wolf, he is the Captain of the White Witch's Secret Police. In early American editions of the book, Lewis changed the name to ...
. Jadis sends the wolf off to rally her army as speedily as they can, as she prepares to kill Edmund as a traitor. Aslan's army advances to rescue Edmund as Jadis uses a spell to conceal herself and her dwarf.
Jadis then arrives at the Stone Table, and meets Aslan for a parley, and insists on her right, as the first to rebel against Aslan, to take the life of Edmund as a traitor. She accepts Aslan's offer of his own life as substitute, knowing that without him the Pevensies cannot stand against her. Aslan keeps this pact secret from his followers. Jadis has Aslan bound at the Stone Table, and an ogre shaves his mane. She tells him that his sacrifice won't save Edmund and that he has given her Narnia forever. Then she kills him with a stone knife. Susan and Lucy, who followed Aslan from their encampment, witness his death from bushes nearby.
Jadis is unaware, however, of a deeper magic from before Narnia's founding. As a willing innocent victim who has offered his life in a traitor's stead, Aslan is revived. He then heads to her castle and restores all her statues to life. He brings them as reinforcements to the battle at Beruna against the witch's army, who are already battling against Aslan’s followers. Her army is defeated, and Aslan himself kills Jadis. Most of her followers are killed and the remnants of her army who do not surrender flee and are later killed by Aslan's followers.
References and comparisons in other Narnia books
In ''
Prince Caspian'', 1,300 years after the Witch's death, Narnia has been conquered by the
Telmarines
The Telmarines are a people in the fictional world of Narnia created by the British author C. S. Lewis for his series ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. Hailing from Telmar, the Telmarines are prominent in the book ''Prince Caspian'', the second book ...
, a human race who believe they have wiped out Narnia's population of mythical beings and talking animals. The old Narnians, however, are still very much alive and have been driven into hiding, and they rebel under the leadership of the disinherited Telmarine heir, Prince Caspian.
When their fight against the Telmarines gets off to a bad start, a black dwarf (Nikabrik), a hag, and a wer-wolf (to use Lewis's spelling) plan to resurrect Jadis to fight for them, as they consider her a lesser evil than the current ruler,
King Miraz
Miraz is a fictional character from C. S. Lewis's fantasy series ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. He is the main antagonist in the book ''Prince Caspian'', and is the uncle of the book's protagonist.
Miraz killed his brother, Caspian IX, allowin ...
, despite Caspian’s insistence that the Witch was far worse than Miraz, and his tutor’s insistence that the Witch is dead.
They are then killed in a melee which involves Caspian, his tutor Dr Cornelius, and Peter and Edmund, who have been recalled to Narnia after Caspian blows Susan's horn. On the orders of Aslan and the newly-crowned King Caspian, Narnia is now a land in which humans and talking animals are encouraged to integrate and have equal rights.
Jadis does not appear in ''
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', though the stone knife she used to kill Aslan at the Stone Table has been found on
Ramandu's island by three of the
Seven Great Lords of Narnia who had been banished there several years earlier. Disagreeing on what course to take, one of them takes up the knife to use against the other two, whereupon all three fall into an enchanted sleep. The knife may be intended as an analogy to the
Holy Lance
The Holy Lance, also known as the Lance of Longinus (named after Saint Longinus), the Spear of Destiny, or the Holy Spear, is the lance that pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross during his crucifixion.
Biblical references
The l ...
, the spear used to pierce
Jesus Christ, according to the
Gospel of John.
In ''
The Silver Chair'', 1,356 years after her death, Jadis is described as one of the "Northern Witches", along with the
Lady of the Green Kirtle - a new enemy to the good animals and humans who now inhabit Narnia. Glimfeather the Owl speculates that the Green Lady may be "of the same crew" as the White Witch. This has led to speculation by some readers that Jadis and the Lady of the Green Kirtle may be the same person. Lewis's text does not support this (See ''
Lady of the Green Kirtle'' for further discussion). Lewis never clarifies the Green Lady's origins, or what connection she has to the White Witch.
The "Green Lady" had first entered Narnia in serpent form and killed the wife of King Caspian, and later re-emerged in human form to lure away Caspian's son Rilian and place him under an enchantment in the underworld. Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole reach the underworld with their guide,
Puddleglum the marshwiggle, and rescue Rilian - who kills the Green Lady before they return to Narnia.
Characteristics
An extraordinarily beautiful, tall, and imposing woman, Jadis enchants
Digory Kirke,
Andrew Ketterley
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 ...
and
Edmund Pevensie on first encounters. She is seven feet tall, as were all members of the Royal Family of Charn. After eating the fruit of eternal life, her skin becomes as white as paper.
A natural-born sorceress and a cunning strategist, Jadis is arrogant and cruel, considering herself above all rules and viewing others as tools to be used or obstacles to be demolished. After she eats the Fruit of Everlasting Life, selfishly and against the written admonition on the gate, she discovers that her sense of inner power and life is amplified. Her callousness and sense of entitlement are most clearly demonstrated when she uses the
Deplorable Word The Deplorable Word, as used by author C. S. Lewis in ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', is a fictional magical curse which ends all life on a world except that of the one who speaks it.
Background
In ''The Magician's Nephew'', the children who are th ...
in Charn to vanquish her sister, even though the Word would eradicate all life in that world but her own. She prefers to destroy that entire world than submit to her sister's authority and shows afterward a remorseless pride in her actions.
Though her magic disappears when she leaves Charn, she manages to build it up again in Narnia's world, exercising both her previous experience and her privilege to witness a new world's dawning to become again a sorceress of formidable power, though she is still outclassed by Aslan. She eventually usurps the throne of Narnia, using her magic to cast the land into perpetual winter. Her most feared weapon is her wand, whose magic is capable of turning people into stone. The petrified remains of her enemies decorate the halls of her castle. For the brief time that Jadis is on Earth, she has no magical power but retains her phenomenal strength. This is demonstrated when she battles with Metropolitan Police in London, wielding the cross-bar she wrenched from a lamp post. The same cross-bar is taken into the new world that would become Narnia and grows into the full lamp post encountered by Lucy Pevensie many years later.
Portrayals
Radio
The voice of Jadis was provided by
Elizabeth Counsell
Elizabeth Counsell (born 7 June 1942) is an English actress, best known for starring in the BBC television series ''Brush Strokes'', and for her work in classical theatre.
Career
She played Lady Macbeth to Michael Gambon's Macbeth at the Forum ...
in
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations ...
's radio drama versions of ''
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' is a fantasy novel for children by 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). Among all the ...
'' and ''
The Magician's Nephew''. Counsell also made a cameo appearance as a lamb in ''
The Last Battle''. The distribution rights to this version were later purchased by the BBC.
In an earlier 1988 BBC radio version, she was played by
Rosemary Martin.
Television
* The White Witch was played by
Elizabeth Wallace
Elizabeth Wallace is an American television writer. She was married to Art Wallace.
Positions held
''All My Children''
*Writer (1981–1989)
Awards and nominations
Wallace has been nominated for five Daytime Emmy awards for her work on ''Al ...
in the 1967 British TV series ''
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe''.
* In the sixth episode of ''
The Young Ones'', during a game of hide-and-seek, Vyvyan attempts to hide in a wardrobe. He ends up in Narnia, and meets the White Witch, portrayed by actress
Justine Lord
Justine Lord (born Jennifer Schooling; 8 March 1937) is an English actress, active on television throughout the 1960s.
She began her acting career in repertory theatre, and in the 1960s made guest appearances in “Live Now Pay Later” (1962 ...
. She approaches him much the same way as with Edmund in the book, but Vyvyan is uninterested, and tries to hide in an empty tree that leads back to the apartment, against her protests.
* American actress
Beth Porter
Beth Jane Porter (born May 23, 1942) is an American stage, film and television actress and writer, who has worked in Britain for most of her career. She became a British citizen in 2014.
Early life
Beth Porter made her first professional appea ...
provided the voice of the White Witch for the
1979 animated television adaptation of ''The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'' (for the British release,
Sheila Hancock
Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock (born 22 February 1933) is an English actress, singer, and author. Hancock trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art before starting her career in repertory theatre. Hancock went on to perform in plays and musica ...
's voice was dubbed in). In that version, Aslan lunges towards the White Witch and she disappears in a cloud of smoke upon her defeat.
* English actress
Barbara Kellerman played the White Witch in the 1988
BBC miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...
''The Chronicles of Narnia''
season 1, ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (Kellerman was retained as the hag in
season 2 and the
Lady of the Green Kirtle in
season 3, characters from the second and fourth Narnia novels). After her wand is broken, she runs up the ravine, only for Aslan to arrive with reinforcements and roar enough for the ground to shake and the White Witch to lose her balance and fall to her death. In the original novel, it is stated that Jadis is half-
Djinn and half-giant.
Theatrical film series
In the 2005
Walt Disney Pictures feature film ''
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', she was portrayed by British actress
Tilda Swinton. Swinton's performance won particular acclaim among fans and critics. BBC film critic Stella Papamichael wrote:
Jadis is viewed as significantly more psychopathic and malevolent, possessing an instinctively violent streak and the expressed disregard for the lives of others - during the Battle of Beruna, she declares that no prisoners are to be taken simply since she has no interest in taking any. She is also hinted to have a cynical, dry sense of humour.
Tilda Swinton was nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for her performance as the White Witch in ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', but lost to
Hayden Christensen for his performance as
Anakin Skywalker
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
/
Darth Vader in ''
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith''.
Swinton reprised her role as the White Witch in the 2008 Disney Movie sequel ''
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian''. In a departure from the novel, Nikabrik and his fellow conspirators (a hag and werewolf) use the White Witch's retrieved wand to conjure an apparition of Jadis within a mystical wall of ice. She tries to coax Caspian and then Peter into offering her a drop of their blood so that she can come back to life, promising to lend her powers to their fight against King Miraz once she is made whole. However, Edmund shatters the ice, and the apparition vanishes.
Swinton reprised White Witch again in the 20th Century Fox film adaptation of ''
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader'', only as a manifestation of the Dark Island preying on Edmund's fears, a mental test that Edmund overcomes as he manages to kill the Dark Island's
sea serpent, a manifestation of his fear. The apparition disappears, screaming in defeat.
Swinton has expressed interest in returning to the role once more in a
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...
of ''
The Magician's Nephew''.
Literature
Jadis appears in the
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...
short story "The Problem of
Susan
Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...
" which appeared in the 2006 collection ''
Fragile Things
''Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders'' is a collection of short stories and poetry by English author Neil Gaiman. It was published in the US and UK in 2006 by HarperCollins and Headline Review.
Most of the stories in this book are repr ...
''.
Commemoration
In 2011, the White Witch was one of eight British magical figures, which included the wizards
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
(from Arthurian legend),
Albus Dumbledore (from ''Harry Potter'') and
Rincewind
Rincewind is a fictional character appearing in several of the ''Discworld'' novels by Terry Pratchett. He is a failed student at the Unseen University for wizards in Ankh-Morpork, and is often described by scholars as "the magical equivalent to ...
(from
Terry Pratchett's ''
Discworld''), commemorated on a
series of UK postage stamps issued by the
Royal Mail
, kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga
, logo = Royal Mail.svg
, logo_size = 250px
, type = Public limited company
, traded_as =
, foundation =
, founder = Henry VIII
, location = London, England, UK
, key_people = * Keith Williams ...
.
See also
* "
The Snow Queen"
References
External links
{{Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia characters
Female film villains
Female literary villains
Fictional characters who can manipulate time
Fictional characters with ice or cold abilities
Fictional characters with immortality
Fictional characters with superhuman strength
Fictional deicides
Fictional dictators
Fictional characters with gigantism
Fictional half-giants
Fictional hybrids
Fictional illusionists
Fictional kidnappers
Fictional mass murderers
Fictional queens
Fictional genies
Fictional telepaths
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Kings and Queens of Narnia
Literary characters introduced in 1950