Maugrim is a fictional character in the 1950 novel ''
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 ...
'' by
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 ...
. A
Narnian wolf, he is the Captain of the
White Witch
Jadis is the main antagonist of '' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (1950) and ''The Magician's Nephew'' (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in ''The Lion, the Witch an ...
's Secret Police. In early American editions of the book, Lewis changed the name to Fenris Ulf (a reference to
Fenrisúlfr, a wolf from Norse mythology),
but when
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
took over the books they took out Lewis' revisions, and the name ''Maugrim'' has been used in all editions since 1994.
Maugrim is one of the few Talking Animals who sided with the Witch during the
Hundred-Year Winter
''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been adapted for radio, telev ...
.
Nikabrik
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 ...
in ''
Prince Caspian
''Prince Caspian'' (originally published as ''Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia'') is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1951. It was the second published of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of N ...
'' indicates that Narnian wolves have no loyalty to the lion
Aslan
Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...
.
History
In ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''
Maugrim is first mentioned when the Pevensie children arrive at
Mr. Tumnus
Tumnus is a faun in the ''Narnia'' books written by C. S. Lewis, primarily in '' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' but also briefly in ''The Horse and His Boy'' and in ''The Last Battle''. He is the first creature Lucy Pevensie meets in N ...
's ransacked cave, announcing the faun's arrest by the
Secret Police
Secret police (or political police) are intelligence, security or police agencies that engage in covert operations against a government's political, religious, or social opponents and dissidents. Secret police organizations are characteristic of a ...
for not handing over
Lucy Pevensie
Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in '' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''. Of ...
to the White Witch.
He is first seen when guarding the entrance to the White Witch's castle; he takes
Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name or surname 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 ...
's message to the witch and allows to come inside. Maugrim is subsequently described as ''"a huge grey beast – its eyes flaming – far too big to be a dog"''.
The White Witch then sends Maugrim and the fastest of his wolves to the Beavers' house, to "kill whatever they find there", and to make "all speed" to the Stone Table if the Beavers and Edmund's siblings have already left. The wolves find the house empty, and the harshness of the witch's imposed winter prevents them from finding any tracks or scent.
As instructed, they head through the snowy night until they reach the Stone Table to wait for the witch, but by the time they reach it, the snow has melted and the witch has been forced to continue on foot.
As Aslan's army assembles near the Stone Table, Maugrim pounces out of the bushes and attacks
Susan Pevensie
Susan Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Susan is the elder sister and the second eldest Pevensie child. She appears in three of the seven books—as a child in '' The Lion, the Witch and the ...
, and is killed by
Peter Pevensie
Peter Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' 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'' and ''Prince Caspian'' ...
, for which the latter is given the title "Sir Peter Wolfsbane". Aslan's creatures then follow Maugrim's subordinate wolf to the White Witch, enabling them to rescue Edmund.
When informed about Maugrim's death, the White Witch sends the same wolf to rally her army so that they can meet her at her current position as speedily as they can.
In ''Prince Caspian''
Maugrim is mentioned in ''
Prince Caspian
''Prince Caspian'' (originally published as ''Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia'') is a high fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1951. It was the second published of seven novels in ''The Chronicles of N ...
'' when Peter retrieves his sword from the treasury of
Cair Paravel
Narnia is a fantasy world created by C. S. Lewis as the primary location for his series of seven fantasy novels for children, ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. The world is named after the country of Narnia, where much of the ''Chronicles'' takes ...
, stating, "''It is my sword Rhindon ... with it, I killed the Wolf''".
Media appearances
* In the
1967 TV serial, Maugrim was portrayed by Robert Booth.
* In the
1979 animated adaptation, the character is named "Fenris Ulf" (the name used in early U.S. editions of the book).
* Maugrim appears in the 1988 BBC production on ''
The Chronicles of Narnia
''The Chronicles of Narnia'' is a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' has been adapted for radio, telev ...
'', portrayed by Canadian actor Martin Stone. He assumes the form of a humanoid wolf-like creature when speaking or fighting, and an actual wolf when standing guard at the Witch's castle, traveling, or mortally wounded. As in the book, he is killed by Peter after appearing at the Stone Table, where he has been sent on the White Witch's orders after Edmund informs her than his siblings and Aslan have reached Narnia.
* Martin Stone returned a year later in ''Prince Caspian'' as the werewolf who Peter and Edmund Pevensie slew, alongside a hag (played by
Barbara Kellerman
Barbara Rose Kellerman (originally spelt Kellermann; born 30 December 1949) is an English actress, known for her film and television roles. She trained at Rose Bruford College.
Kellerman was born in Manchester, Lancashire. Her Jewish fath ...
, who had previously played the White Witch) and the dwarf Nikabrik, who had enlisted their help in an attempt to resurrect the White Witch as part of the battle to defeat the evil Narnian 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 ...
– who was indeed an evil ruler, but in the words of Caspian (Miraz's own nephew) was "the cruellest enemy of all – a tyrant a hundred times worse than Miraz himself".
* Maugrim appears in the 2005 motion picture ''
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', voiced by
Michael Madsen
Michael Søren Madsen (born September 25, 1957) is an American actor. He has starred in many films and television series, frequently collaborating with director Quentin Tarantino, most famously in the latter's debut film ''Reservoir Dogs'' (19 ...
. In sequences invented for the film, Maugrim and his wolves attempt to intimidate a
red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...
into revealing the children's whereabouts after they leave the Beavers' house. Maugrim and another wolf catch up to the Pevensies at Aslan's camp where he attacks Susan and Lucy. While Aslan pins the wolf down and holds some members of his army back, Peter duels with Maugrim. Maugrim later taunts Peter, citing an earlier confrontation (at a river that had been defrosted, where Peter did not have the courage to kill Maugrim), but Peter kills him as in the book and the earlier BBC adaptation.
* Maugrim is mentioned in
Susanne Sundfør's song "Turkish Delight" from her second album ''
The Brothel
''The Brothel'' is the second studio album by Norwegian musician Susanne Sundfør, released on 15 March 2010 in Norway, through EMI Music Norway and Grönland Records. The album sees a shift from the piano driven pop from previous releases towa ...
''.
See also
*
G'mork
*
List of individual wolves
References
External links
{{Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia characters
Fictional assassins
Literary characters introduced in 1950
Fictional police officers
Fictional wolves
Fantasy film characters
Talking animals in fiction
Wolves in literature
Male film villains
Male literary villains