Laura Bellantoni - Narnia Landscapes

Sacred Landscapes are an important aspect in the Narnia book series.  This seemed most relevant to me in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  In his book Landscapes of the Sacred, Belden Lane writes, "the call to a life of abandonment to God is often experienced as the call of a particular place evoking that spirit of abandonment." In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Narnia is depicted as a place where it is always winter, but never Christmas.  Before the children arrive, we are led to imagine that the Narnia world is cold (literally) and rather hopeless.  Prior to Aslan's return to Narnia, the landscape reflects his absence, as Jadis has the power to manipulate the wildlife and the landscape.  However, when we think back to The Magician's Nephew, when Aslan first sings Narnia into existence, we get a very different picture of the world, indeed. The Narnia in which Aslan is present is a fruitful landscape that reflects his power and magnificence.