Among my favorite facets of Lewis' "Space Trilogy" is his inclusion of mythical figures in the stories. As the reader learns, Mars and Venus are real beings, the chief eldils of their respective planets, the beings with whom Dr. Ransom comes into contact in the first two novels. Lewis particularly emphasizes the mythical qualities of the series in the second book, Perelandra. Whereas the first, Out of the Silent Planet, reads more like a familiar science fiction novel, Perelandra is heavily populated with mythical ideas. The most obvious of these is the sort of planet Venus is: it is a paradise very reminiscent of the garden of Eden. But there is also included, for example, a reference to the garden of the Hesperides, which is found in Greek mythology.
Lewis uses these mythical references not merely to color his stories, but also in order that he may make an argument. Dr. Ransom notes that human mythology bears an extraordinary similarity to these actual worlds like Venus and to their inhabitants. Human mythology tells different stories, but they distinctly resemble real things. Lewis is arguing, as he does in several other works, that mythology tells stories that enable humans to grasp various features of their world that they may otherwise not perceive.
But the use of these mythical references does indeed add significant depth to his stories, even if one were not to examine them with a philosophical eye. The books, after all, are meant to be read for entertainment, too (not that I am suggesting that philosophy is not entertaining!). The mythological quality in the "Space Trilogy" makes Lewis' worlds seem familiar, even though they are indeed alien planets. They become worlds of beauty, particularly Perelandra (Venus), though even the relatively barren Malacandra (Mars) is enchantingly beautiful. They are not entirely alien, for we are able to connect some of our humanity to these worlds through this mythological quality. The aliens contained within these stories are the same sort of creatures we are, and, therefore, perhaps the term "human" is far too limiting. There is a mutual understanding between them and Dr. Ransom, and understanding with which we, too, can sympathize. And I think that fact is what makes these such fascinating stories: while remaining fundamentally human, they nevertheless allow us to imagine beings that are beyond the human, or even, perhaps, more than human. For no doubt Lewis wishes the reader to take away the idea that all creatures, whether they belong to the same world or not, have a fundamental quality in common: they are all creatures in the original sense of the word, beings created by and therefore united in a Creator.
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