December 24, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Christmas Eve Narnia Fan Fiction!

Hello everyone! I read this story on a Christmas project for Skandar that my friend made. I loved it, and asked for permission to post it on my blog. It was originally from FanFiction.net, written by "King Caspian the Seafarer." This fic takes place on the Christmas after the Pevensie children have returned to our world after the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.


Twas the Night Before Christmas

It was cold that night. The wind whirled the snow around the dark house like a blizzard, though little snow actually lay on the ground. It was late; perhaps past ten.

A small figure holding a candle walked slowly, almost noiselessly through one of the silent corridors inside the house. Her tread was padded by soft pink slippers, and the light her candle cast was so miniscule that it was certain to draw less attention than an electric torch. Besides, candles were so much more magical than electric torches. That's why she had chosen one.

And she was right too, mostly. The candle was easier to handle than a bulky electric torch. She was certain that its flame wouldn't penetrate the darkness of her older sibling's rooms. She was right, too, except that one of them was still awake and watching for her flame.

"What are you doing, Lu?"

Lucy Pevensie froze in the dark hallway, her heart skipping a beat as she heard a voice from behind her. Quickly, she whirled around, holding up her candle to see the face of the intruder.

"Edmund!"

Her brother squinted at the sudden light, taking a half step back as he held up a hand to shield his eyes from the candle flame.

"What are you doing?" he repeated sleepily, yawning and running a hand through his thick hair.

Lucy hesitated, unsure of what to do, and then relented with a sigh.

"Do you promise you won't say a word about it to the others?"

Edmund nodded. Their adventure in Narnia had completely cured him of his old ways; tale-bearing and lying were now behind him, as was his craving for Turkish Delight. Lucy leaned toward him with a mysterious smile, whispering:

"I'm going to stay up and wait for Father Christmas."

Edmund barely suppressed the urge to laugh out loud, but he could not hide the smile that crossed his face. Lucy noticed it and jerked back with a hurt expression.

"I wasn't being funny."

His grin disappeared instantly. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings; it just seemed such a funny thing to do. Staying up to wait for Father Christmas was a thing they hadn't done in ages.

"And why are you going to wait for Father Christmas?" he asked, somehow managing to sound serious.

Lucy's hurt expression almost disappeared as a hungry, almost desperate look entered in her eyes.

"Because he's been to Narnia. Perhaps he can tell us what's happening. And anyway—" she stopped abruptly, looking out the window at the swirling snow, "—I need to talk to him."

She stared outside for a moment, and then gazed curiously at him as a question formed in her mind.

"What are you doing up?"

Edmund shuddered involuntarily and glanced at the window, out at the rapidly falling snow. Lucy needed no verbal reply to know what the problem was. Her brother spoke up anyway.

"Couldn't sleep," he replied in a hollow, voice that sounded like it came from far away. "It's so cold."

Any ice that might have remained in Lucy's heart melted at the haunted look in her brother's eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him an affectionate, comforting squeeze.

"Don't worry, Edmund. She can't hurt you anymore."

Edmund returned her embrace, giving her a grateful smile.

"I know. But I can't help but remember…" He broke off suddenly, and gave her a look. "Tell you what: I'll stay up and wait with you. I wouldn't mind talking with Father Christmas myself."

Lucy's face lit up like the candle she held. Her excitement was so great that it seemed to radiate a warm glow that enveloped Edmund and calmed his raw nerves.

"Oh Edmund!"

She grabbed his arm and dragged him into the front room where the evergreen tree stood, little glass balls hanging from its piney boughs. She set her candle down on the mantle and watched it flicker for a moment before she sank to her knees beside the tree, leaning against the sofa. Edmund settled down next to her, staring at his sister until a fond smile relaxed his tight lips.

Lucy's golden hair seemed to glow in the candlelight. Her mop of curls was disorderly and wild, but it somehow made her look more Narnian than ever. Her face was like smooth ivory, except for her cheeks, which were round and tinged pink. Her big blue eyes peered out from behind long, dark lashes, filled with a sense of wonder that Edmund could never quite understand.

She glanced over at the table by the sofa and picked up a piece from the nativity set. She fingered it thoughtfully. Edmund saw that it was the baby—Jesus—that she had found.

"Ed, what do you suppose the first Christmas was like?"

Edmund met the bright blue gaze for a moment, but then looked away as he considered her question.

"I bet it was a night a lot like this," he replied, shivering slightly, though he wasn't as cold as he had been. "Dark, c-cold, and silent."

"D'you think it was snowing?"

"If it snows in Bethlehem."

Lucy wrinkled her nose at him, and then closed her eyes.

"I wonder what it would've been like to be there. Can you picture it, Edmund?"

Edmund closed his eyes and imagined as best he could. To his surprise, something happened.


Edmund saw a dark town in a dark land. The only light was from the stars. One in particular was bright—very bright. Too bright to be any ordinary star. To his right, up a gradual slope, was a small group of buildings.

He looked to his left and saw Lucy, looking ridiculous and out of place in her pink robe and slippers. She was looking past him, up toward the buildings. She glanced at him, smiled eagerly, and then turned and ran up the hill. Edmund followed her.

Slowly, they wound their way through the town. The night was odd and dreamlike; fitting, Edmund thought, for what was sure to be a dream. Lucy led him through the town, winding her way through the dirt streets like a dryad. Edmund glanced up at the sky and found himself shaking his head in amazement as he again caught sight of the brilliant star.

Suddenly, there came a cry in the night. It was quiet at first, a soft whining sob, and then wails, loud and piercing in the silence. Edmund and Lucy both gasped audibly, and exchanged a look. Lucy mouthed the word 'baby'.

Following the sound of the cries, the two Pevensies made their way to a small dark shape. It was hardly recognizable as a building; indeed, it was more of a cave with a few planks out front than a stable, but Lucy ran forward at once, almost dancing with excitement. She froze in the doorway, standing as still as stone as she stared into the stable. Edmund followed a bit more slowly. What would he see when he reached the entrance?

When he finally stood beside Lucy, he too halted and stared.

Near the back wall of the stable lay a woman on a pile of hay. When he glanced at her a second time, Edmund realized with astonishment how young she looked. She could only have been a few years older than Peter! Her face was wan and thin, and streaked with grime and sweat. Her clothes were torn and bedraggled.

A young man stood nearby, only a few years older than her. He also looked tired and ragged. There were two other women in the stable, one young and babbling excitedly in a language neither Pevensie recognized, and the other old, wrapping a bundle that seemed to be the source of the crying.

The woman laid the baby in a rough manger which was really nothing more than a few pieces of rough wood thrown hastily together and strewn with hay for the animals to eat. The man turned toward them, and his piercing eyes seemed to look right at them. Lucy gasped and stumbled back, but Edmund grabbed her arm.

"I don't think he can see us," he told her, glancing down at their robes again.

Lucy's eyes widened, and she nodded and stepped into the stable.

As they approached the manger, Edmund wrinkled his nose as the putrid smell of animal waste filled his nostrils. It was damp and moldy in the stable. The hay the young woman was lying in was old and rotten. Lucy approached the manger reverently, eyes wide and shining. As he looked at her again, Edmund realized his sister's eyes were shining with tears.

"He's so tiny," she murmured, reaching down and stroking the baby's face gently. "Can you believe that He…He…"

Edmund swallowed the lump that was forming in his own throat and shook his head, staring down at the baby as a strange feeling rose inside him.

"He's so innocent," Lucy continued, sniffling once and carefully touching his nose, his soft hair. "So small. It's hard to believe that He's going to die someday…to save everyone."

Suddenly, the baby's eyes opened. Edmund gasped and drew back in shock. Lucy grabbed his hand and gave him a concerned look.

"What?"

Edmund moved to the side of the manger again and stared down at the child, who met his gaze evenly. The large, solemn eyes never blinked.

"His eyes…they're…they're His eyes."

Lucy's eyes widened, but then she nodded, gazing on the babe with a gentle smile.

"Of course! Imagine…He died for us in both worlds…can He love us that much?"

Edmund's own eyes filled with tears as he stared down into the deep golden eyes of the baby. Even here, even now, they were filled with a quiet knowing, a calm understanding, and something else that Edmund recognized from the Great Lion Aslan's eyes: Love.

"Eddy, open your eyes."

Edmund squeezed them tightly shut, not wanting to let go of that feeling, that warmth. But even now, as the picture in his mind of the babe and the stable faded into darkness, a deep golden voice filled his ears like music:

"Winter will pass. Remember me and hope for spring."

"Eddy?"

Reluctantly, Edmund opened his eyes. Lucy was clutching his arm tightly, staring at him with concern in her eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Edmund nodded. He glanced out the window, and was surprised to find that the cold feeling in the pit of his stomach did not return. He looked down at Lucy, and she smiled at him.

"That was amazing."

Her brother nodded again. Strangely, there didn't seem to be anything more to be said. Lucy smiled again, and then snuggled up against him, laying her head on his shoulder. In a few moments, she was asleep, breathing in and out steadily.

Five minutes later, Edmund closed his eyes.


Darkness. The wind blew snow across the rooftop and past the windows, making a soft wailing noise. A heavy breeze whispered through the patch of woods, causing the trees to appear as if they were moving. A faint shape appeared in the snowy sky.

The shape approached the roof of the house, and then made contact. The sound of hooves could be heard, as well as a soft jingle of bells. A figure leapt out of the dark shape and stepped carefully to the chimney of the house.

The house was completely dark except for one light—a small candle flame that cast a gentle, flickering glow over two sleeping children. A shadow fell across them. A hand—rough in form, yet gentle in manner—caressed one of the girl's golden curls with its fingertips and rumpled the boy's dark hair tenderly.

"Ah," murmured the figure in a soft, low voice, "Poor little things, so far from home."

The figure gazed fondly at the two for another moment, and then began placing things around the evergreen by the light of the candle. It only took a few minutes to set everything out, and when he was done, the man turned back to the children.

First, he straightened the boy's collar and brushed a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. Then, he pulled the girl's robe down over her feet and touched her golden locks once more.

"You still believed, little one," he whispered, picturing the bright blue eyes he had grown to love, and half hoping she would awake so he could see them again. "And your brother believed with you. You have faith enough for all of them, don't you?"

The man sighed and kissed the girl gently on the top of her head, tucking a slip of paper into her robe pocket at the same time.

"May the Lion be with you both, your Majesties," Father Christmas whispered, bowing and blowing out the candle as he left the little house.

Moments later, the sound of hoof-beats could be heard on the roof, and the faintest jingling of bells echoed eerily through the snowy night.

"Merry Christmas to all…long live the True King!"


Epilogue

Just before dawn, the girl stirred. Everything else in the house was still and silent. Snow was falling softly outside, and the sky was gray as it waited for the sun to rise. The girl's golden head was resting on the dark haired boy's shoulder. The boy was deep in sleep, breathing steadily in and out.

Finally, the girl squeezed her eyes tightly shut for a moment, and then sighed. Her eyes fluttered open, and she gazed around sleepily, perhaps wondering where she was. Then she saw the presents under the tree and drew in her breath quickly.

She turned to the boy and punched his arm. It was the only way to wake him, she knew. The boy stirred, yawned, and then stretched, opening his eyes.

"Hullo…is it morning?"

"We missed him," the girl told him, her blue eyes filling with tears. "He came and went while we were sleeping."

The boy stared at her for a full five seconds, and then wrapped her in a warm embrace. They stayed like that for a moment or so, her head on his shoulder. The boy rubbed her back soothingly, and murmured, "There, there, Lu. It'll be all right. We'll stay up and see him next year."

The girl sniffed once and held her brother tightly.

"But I wanted to see him so much. Just one word from him would've been enough to bring back all those wonderful memories…"

She pulled back, and their eyes met.

"We can still remember, Lu," the older brother told her. "Nothing can stop us from remembering. We'll make some new memories this year, and the year after that, and so on. Life goes on, even though we've left the past behind."

He straightened and stared out the window at the falling snow.

"We'll see him again someday. I'm sure of it. But until then, let's just be grateful with what we have. Aslan knows what he's doing. We saw that last night."

The girl nodded, and then fingered the little baby from the nativity set gently. She had fallen asleep holding onto it, and now she smiled.

"Yes, we did. That's one thing about this Christmas I'll never forget."

She pulled her knees up to her chest, but then stopped as a strange look crossed her brother's face. He seemed to be listening for something.

"What is it, Ed?"

He glanced down at her robe, and shook his head.

"It sounded like paper crunching when you moved. Is there something in your pocket?"

The girl's eyes widened, and slowly, she reached into her robe pocket. As she drew out a packet made of ancient parchment, she gasped and exchanged an excited look with the boy.

"Oh! He didn't forget! He didn't!"

She tore open the seal, noticing with pounding heart that the letter was sealed with red wax, stamped in the shape of a lion: the royal seal that she had seen every time she sealed a message in the land she had ruled with her brothers and sister.

As the girl scanned the letter, written in an elegant, old fashioned script, she began to smile.

"Ed…he says he's sorry I wasn't able to see him in our world…said that nobody ever has seen him in our world except a few grownups, and they always dismiss it as their imagination. But he said…" she paused, "said to remember, even in our sorrow, that Aslan is here, with us in this world, and that Christmas especially should be a time to remember that."

Her brother nodded, glancing at the figurine of the Christ child in her hands, and then at the nativity set on the table.

"He's with us in both worlds," he murmured. "Now there's a thing I'm awfully glad for."

The girl folded the letter and returned it to her robe pocket. And then she smiled, a bright, happy, joyful smile that seemed to radiate warmth and bliss. She leaned forward and embraced her brother.

"Merry Christmas, Edmund."

He smiled and held her close.

"Merry Christmas, Lu."

fin.



Merry Christmas, everyone! Long Live the True King!


December 9, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Anniversary of the LWW film!

What's special about today? Well, six years ago on this date, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe came out in theatres! This was the first Narnia film produced by Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures, and it happens to be my favorite. :)

What is special about it? For me, it really brought Narnia to life! I was an avid Narnia fan before then, having read the books growing up, had the paper dolls and calendar, etc. I had watched the BBC Narnia films a few times, but not often enough to make them classics in our house.

I remember watching the LWW trailer for the first time online. The part I remember (besides the excitement that one of my favorite stories was coming to life on screen so beautifully and wonderfully) was thinking the Stone Table scene with the witch looked scary. Haha!



I saw the film for the first time with some friends on December 15th, 2005. As the logos faded away and dark clouds appeared, I remember squeezing my friend's hand and thinking, "This is gonna be good!!!!"

And boy, was it good! It was so faithful to the book! Every part of it was absolutely magical! The story of salvation was so clear in Aslan's sacrifice for Edmund. I fell in love with the Narnian dresses (and the 40's clothes too)! The kids were all so perfect for their parts, the music was awesome, the cinematography was awesome, and everything else!!

I saw the movie twice more in theatres (that was the first time I'd seen any movie in theatres more than once!), once on Christmas Eve, and again in January. The movie made 745 million dollars worldwide altogether!

It was an amazing movie. I was so glad they did such an amazing job transferring this book to film. And I think it will remain a classic for a long while! You will love it whether you're a life-long Narnia fan like me or not!


Some more fun to celebrate today:

What's your favorite scene from LWW? Vote at NarniaWeb!

Here's a Narnia Music Video I made in honor of LWW earlier this year. Enjoy!



And one more thing (as a reward for reading all the way to the end ;)), here's the "Super Trailer" for LWW that was released a little while after the first official trailer. It has lots more in it. It basically tells the whole story of the movie in nine minutes. I love the music and the clips used at the end, (starting around 7:00)! Aahh! I love this movie. :D

November 26, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Christmas in Narnia

Hello everyone! Thanksgiving is over, and Christmas is coming up fast! I decided to change the header of my blog to something Chrismassy (which I made), and I changed the color scheme as well. If you're interested, here's a post of all of my former blog headers.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a very Christmassy book. Maybe it's because the first three times you see Narnia it is covered in beautiful wintery snow. Or maybe because C.S. Lewis actually added a character called "Father Christmas." Why do you think he did that? I think it's fascinating. He incorporated lots of mythical creatures from ancient folklore into Narnia, such as fawns and dryads and seapeople. But he also added a few characters that we recognize, like Bacchus (in Prince Caspian), and Father Christmas in LWW, who has continued to permeate our culture to this day. Nowadays, Santa Claus displays are everywhere at Christmastime; he is on TV; he meets kids at malls; and most every kid, at one point or another, if not believes in him, wishes he was real. The Pevensies get to actually meet Father Christmas in person (even if it is in another world) and receive gifts from him! In this scene in the movie, Lucy, the youngest sibling and the one with the most faith, turns to her older sister and says, "Told you he was real." I appreciate that Father Christmas in the movie points to Aslan as the true king, saying, "Long live Aslan!" before driving off in his sleigh.

When asked by a young fan what Aslan's "other name" was, C.S. Lewis included Christmas in his explanation:
"As to Aslan's other name, well I want you to guess. Has there never been anyone in this world who (1.) Arrived at the same time as Father Christmas. (2.) Said that he was the Son of the Great Emperor. (3.) Gave himself up for someone else's fault to be jeered at and killed by wicked people. (4.) Came to life again. (5.) Is sometimes spoken of as a Lamb (see the end of the Dawn Treader). Don't you really know His name in this world?"
That's right, Christmas is also when Jesus arrived on our Earth! And he is way more exciting than Father Christmas! Imagine you wanted and wanted to believe that God was real; then, at Christmas, he gives us the most precious gift he could ever give: his own Son. Jesus, who is God, came to our world as a human! He actually set foot on this Earth! He was God, born as a baby in Bethlehem. I can picture one little shepherd at the stable whispering to a buddy, "Told you He was real."

In The Last Battle, Lucy (Narnia's example of faith) says,
"Yes," said Queen Lucy. "In our world, too, a Stable once held something inside it that was bigger than our whole world."
Once again, an acknowledgment of Christmas and Christianity and Christ in the Chronicles. Yay, C.S. Lewis!!

Maybe you should re-read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this December! Another great story is Luke 1 and 2, the story of the first Christmas. (And the whole Bible, of course! :)) You can conveniently read Luke online here.

And just for fun... Narnia Christmas Gift Ideas:

Narnia Fans Apparel


Fox Shop Official Merchandise

Narnia gifts from Zazzle

Narnia gifts from Cafepress

Narnia replicas and toys on Amazon

Wardrobe Necklace

Narnia Radio Theatre


The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie
October 11, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Sadness and Blessings

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share this video that I made about a month ago when there were some sad things effecting my life, especially something one of my friends was going through. I edited the video while thinking of the situation. It's the first time I've done one based on real life.

Anyway, today something sad has come up again, and, strangely enough, today RJ (who creates Narnia graphics, which I did a post about here) made a Narnia graphic inspired by my video.

I just felt so blessed, first because she would make a graphic based on my video, but secondly because she did it today, of all days. That's one way God blesses people, I guess. :)

This led to more views and a lovely comment from one of my YouTube friends on my video today. Thank you so much! I really feel blessed by God because I have blessed other people with this video. I'm amazed that it could bless so many different people, when I just made it because of something one friend was going through. That may be why it was so powerful. It's called, "King Caspian - Storm." The music is by Lifehouse.



Sorry it's a short post. Still not much Narnia news in the world today... :p Well, there was a rumor that Magician's Nephew was in pre-production and Silver Chair was in the script-writing phase, which means they're still a long way away from the screen, but it hasn't been officially denied or affirmed.... Here's a NarniaFans post saying where we're at now, which is uncertainty. :/ I want to know what happened to the funding that Perry Moore got for Magician's Nephew and how that plays into all this.
August 29, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Reasons for Neglect, and making up for it!!

Hello All!
It's almost the end of August, so I thought I'd post something. :) When I started this blog, it was mostly to let my excitement about Narnia out! Especially right around the release of Dawn Treader! :) I also wanted to post things like Character profiles and devotionals and quotes and things. I would love to get to these soon, so stay tuned!

Reasons for my neglect:

1. There hasn't been much Narnia news at all! Here's one of my Aslan's Country friends' interpretation of the situation:



We are stuck at where we were months ago... Waiting for Fox and Walden (or someone else) to decide to do another film! The last thing we heard was they wanted to do Magician's Nephew next. At this point, I don't care so much which one they do next, I just want another one! Actually I want four more!!!! :D

NarniaWeb and YouTube's Glumpuddle posted an analysis on the situation and possible routes the franchise could take. I thought it was really interesting, so I'm posting it here:



2. I'm producing a movie! Yep, you heard me. We've made two smaller-scale films before with friends: "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" in 2006 and "The Silver Chair" in 2008. (I can't believe I haven't posted on this blog about them yet!) Both were so much fun! Over the years, we've learned more techniques through short film projects and a film club our church hosted. Now, with the help of many adults and teens from our area, I am producing, "First Impressions," which is based on Pride and Prejudice. This is the other blog on my profile. (Check it out here.)

3. It's summer!!! And this means I'm busy. :) I have managed to dig up a few interesting articles and sites for you though.

First, Did you know you can download the Narnia font?!?! I just found out! It's the one they use for the official movie logo. Click here to check it out! I made the image below with the Narnia font. :)


Second, a Narnia Cookbook is coming out!! The writer of the "Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook" is now writing a Narnia version. Here is the article where she mentions her next book, but I saw it first on Facebook. Can't wait to see what's in it! :)


Third, I'm having fun hosting a contest on YouTube! You make a rules video, then people post their videos as video responses to your contest video, then you get to watch them all and decide who passes to the next round! It's pretty fun. I'm posting my most recent video below. (I've also been neglecting editing because of the film.... :/) You can always find my "Narnia Music Vids" on the sidebar of this blog. :)



Fourth, my sister found this cool site called "Wordle" which you can use to make pictures with words. Just click "Create" up at the top, then put in your blog url! You can customize the words, layout, and colors. :) Below is one I made by pasting in my blog's url. Try it! It's amazing! :)


Last, and certainly most exciting, I GOT TO GO TO THE NARNIA EXHIBITION IN PORTLAND!!!!!!! Yes. I know. It deserves its own post! :) I'll make a post for it when I upload our Narnia Nerds of the Northwest video that Hannah and I took while we were there. For now, let me recap the most exciting parts for me:
  1. Getting to go there with the Dokupils was AWESOMENESS. It was so fun to be with my fellow Narnia freak, so we could oooh and aaah together! :)
  2. Being allowed (after many phonecalls and talking to staff) to take pictures and video inside the exhibit!! Matthew (Aslan's Country boss) called Walden to get permission because we were going to write a report on our site. The OMSI people finally let us, and we got press passes. :)
  3. Getting to see the ACTUAL props from the films!!! When we first walked in, we saw Edmund's flashlight from "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." Skandar has touched it. I know that sounds weird. We're not weird Skandarfans, it's just awesome to think that that's the one they used in the films! After more costume displays, we spotted The Book of Incantations. Yup. The actual one!! We plopped down in front of that for about five minutes. :) Other original items: The White Witch's dress and crown, Susan's coronation crown, and the door and door frame from Tumnus' house!
  4. Overall, it was just so amazing to get to go there. I would have been very sad if I couldn't have gone. If you have a chance to visit, I definitely recommend it. :)
You can read our report on Aslan's Country here. Hannah did an awesome job writing it, and Matthew made an amazing slideshow! :) Enjoy! And more coming soon!
July 15, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

I know! It's not Narnia...

... but it makes me happy. :)


I never really got into "The Lord of the Rings," written by J.R.R. Tolkien, a good friend of C.S. Lewis. I read the first book and watched the first movie. Then I started reading the second book and got distracted and never finished it. :p

What I did really enjoy, though, was "The Hobbit," the prequel to LOTR. He uses a different writing style, and a more fun fantasy-like adventure.

This is why I'm pretty excited about the new movie coming out from the makers of LOTR: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." Part two will be called, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again."


Here is a link to the official blog, where they post news about the production.

I wanted to share with you a couple things that made me happy.

First is the picture at the top of Bilbo. Nice picture! It came from Entertainment Weekly.com. Martin Freeman is playing young Bilbo who gets surprised by the arrival of Gandalf and thirteen dwarves at his small home in the Shire. You can see more Hobbit pictures here.

Second, is a Production Video filmed by the Director, Peter Jackson. What I like about him is he really cares about the series. Andrew Adamson cared about Narnia (at least LWW) a lot, but I don't think Michael Apted did. I heard Peter Jackson was a major LOTR fan and that's why he was chosen to be the director and that's why the films are so true to the book. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) I also like that he cares about his fans. He took time out of his busy schedule to film a video for us, so we can be updated on the status of the film. The first video you can watch below.



The second Production Video came out recently, and it's also very good.



I won't always be posting about Hobbit stuff. It just has been on my mind, and I thought I'd share these pictures and videos with you. :)
July 9, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Happy Birthday, Georgie!

Today is Georgie Henley's Sweet Sixteen birthday! She has so much experience and talent and beauty that it's hard to believe she's only 16! From interviews and premiere footage, Georgie seems sweet and kind and fun! Here's a couple interview videos to watch if you'd like:

BAFTA Children's Awards 2010 - before the VDT premiere
"Four Things You Didn't Know About Georgie Henley"
Aslan's Country's exclusive interview with Georgie and Will

She certainly loves and is loved by everyone she works with, especially her Pevensie siblings!

Happy Birthday to the girl who first brought us into Narnia, the girl we know and love as Queen Lucy the Valiant. :)

Below is my little birthday project for her.



Click the links below to see more Georgie sites and birthday projects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgie_Henley
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1670137/

http://georgie-henley.us/
Georgie's Sweet 16 Birthday Card - 2011

http://georgie-henley.com/
http://georgieh.com/
http://totally-georgie.com/
http://georgiehenley.us/

Yeah... she's popular. :)
June 23, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Permit me to freak out...... AAH!

Yesterday I was very upset by some news......

Walden Media Pulls Out of Narnia


Bear with me as I tell my tale.

I first saw it on Facebook on friends' news feeds...
the future of Narnia is in the balance.

WALDEN MEDIA JUST PULLED OUT OF THE NARNIA FRANCHISE. MY LIFE IS OVER

So Walden Media just pulled out of the Narnia franchise. For those of you that don't understand what this means, it's like if Warner Brothers dropped out of the Harry Potter movies. Yes, it's kind of a big deal.

After I told my friend that Walden dropped out of the Narnia franchise, he sent an e-mail to Walden Media. "Hello, Would you sell me the Narnia franchise? ...Thanks!"

my first thought:

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!
I checked with my co-workers at Aslan's Country. They were all freaking out like me. By the time I found out about it yesterday, the news was pretty old, and there was an update that the report wasn't true. It was still very unsure, with nothing settled.

I was freaking out anyway. I hate reading comments on NarniaWeb because half of the people say such horrible things that I totally don't agree with, and I'd love to just give them a talking to! For example, the first comment on the NarniaWeb story is,
Not a surprise really. Great efforts, Walden Media! But I agree it is just not meant to be right now.
AAAAAAAA! What are you thinking? Narnia has a huge fanbase, and the last movie made over 400 million! You can't stop now! You have to make the whole series!

My hope that I always held on to when talking about the future of the Narnia franchise, was that Walden Media wants to make all seven. Perry Moore was quoted as wanting to produce all seven. But then he died. I thought they would make at least one more, in honor of him! And I still held on to my opinion that Walden wanted to produce the whole series! My belief has never wavered.

Until now. Now it is shattered.

People are not surprised at all that Walden would drop Narnia. Even the slight possibility of that makes me upset!

I am content that the rumor has been contradicted by the officials at Walden Media. Our admin contacted Walden and got an official statement, which you can see in our story. This makes me happy. But why did they have to go and scare us like that? NarniaWeb didn't cite their source, and it's not April Fools Day. Who came up with this rumor? We may never know. Maybe it does have grounds. I'm not sure. I'm just glad that it has been refuted for now.

I like the story below because we're the good guys. :) No offense to NarniaWeb, I'm just proud of Aslan's Country.
http://live.hollywoodjesus.com/?p=8101
Walden Out Of Narnia? ...Not So Fast
Narnia News Blog Update
Mark Sommer | 06/22/11 | News, Blogs, Narnia News

Early this morning, NarniaWeb.com reported that a source “close to the production” told them that Walden Media has pulled out of the Narnia franchise. As of this writing, they had been unable to confirm this.

However, AslansCountry.com was able to reach a Walden Media representative, who confirmed “Walden has not pulled out of the franchise. Walden and Fox and the Lewis Estate are continuing in their discussions about the next Narnia film.”

In conclusion, I am extremely glad the danger has passed, at least for now. We have still not heard the "yes" or "no" on the next film, but I hope there will be another one. Right now they're still at the stage they have been for months: negotiating about doing another film. I had a lot of emotions running through me when I heard the news, and I had to write a blog post! Thanks for reading!
June 8, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

My Narnia Speech

Hello everyone!

I realized I never shared with you the speech I wrote and performed about Narnia. Well, I competed in the NCFCA my Junior and Senior years. NCFCA is a National Christian Homeschool Speech and Debate league that is amazingly awesome! In 2008 I had to write an Expository Speech (using boards as visuals) about anything. I chose Narnia. :) I entitled my speech "Hidden in Narnia," and it was about the Christian parallels in the Chronicles. My points were Aslan and Our Savior, Edmund and Our Problem, and Caspian and Our Faith. It was fun, Christian, applicable, and it was Narnia!

At my very first tournament (January 2009) I won first place with my Narnia speech! I was so surprised! God sure blessed me a lot! (To the right is a picture of just my club from that tournament.) I went to only one other tournament (March 2009) with it. I could have gone to Regionals, and I had great plans for my boards (how to make them look like an old-fashioned book with pages and pictures and things that slid in and out). But Colorado was a long way away, and my parents decided against it. Overall, i think this was my most fun speech to write, prepare for, and perform. I've pasted in the text of the speech below.

Hidden in Narnia

“Let us suppose that there were a land like Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a Man in our world, became a lion there, and then imagine what would happen.” C. S. Lewis said this about his Chronicles of Narnia. Besides being fun fantasy adventure books, the seven Chronicles of Narnia have stories hidden inside the stories. Inside Narnian characters, places, and things are hidden messages that teach us something about our world, our God, and even about ourselves.
I’d like to tell you about three characters and the hidden meanings in each of them. They are: Number one, Aslan. Number two, Edmund. And Number three, Caspian.

First, Aslan and our Savior. Aslan is the most important character in the Chronicles and the only character to appear in all seven books. Aslan is a talking lion and the Son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Aslan is not a tame lion; he does what he wants to do and is very powerful. But he is good. He is also wise, gentle, and compassionate.
Aslan has a hidden meaning. He represents someone from our world! In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Aslan tells Lucy and Edmund they will not come back to Narnia again. Lucy cries and realizes that when she goes back to her own world, Earth, it isn’t Narnia she will miss, it’s Aslan. Lucy says to Aslan, “We shan’t meet you there. And how can we live never meeting you?“ “But you shall meet me, dear one,” says Aslan. “Are you there too, Sir?” “I am,” he says. “But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name.” This means Aslan is patterned after someone from our world. Who is it? C. S. Lewis says it’s the Son of God. So, Aslan represents Jesus! Aslan goes on to say, “This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.” What C. S. Lewis is telling us, is that by studying Aslan in Narnia, we may know Jesus better here on Earth. There are many similarities between Aslan and Jesus.
Jesus is the Son of God who came to Earth as a man to be our Savior. He is all powerful, but He is also wise, gentle, compassionate, and good. Aslan was never created, but has lived and will live forever; Just as Jesus has always existed and always will exist. Before the world began, Jesus was there, and He created the world. The Bible, in the book of Colossians, says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth.” (Col. 1:16) In the book, The Magician’s Nephew, Aslan sings Narnia into existence and appoints a king and queen to name the creatures, rule over them, and protect them, just like God gave Adam and Eve that job in Genesis 1.
Aslan has wonderful relationships with those who believe in him. Aslan loves to play with, talk to, and encourage the creatures he loves. He rejoices when they rejoice, and hurts when they hurt. He also corrects them, and probably most important, He forgives them when they do the wrong thing. Jesus also always forgives his followers each time they ask for forgiveness. 1 John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Secondly, Edmund and our problem. Edmund is one of the four Pevensie children who come into Narnia through the wardrobe, in the book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. They have a mission: to defeat the white witch and put an end to her 100 year winter.
When the Witch meets Edmund, she deceives him by promising to make him a prince. And he falls for it! Edmund’s selfishness, his greed, and his pride cause him to believe her. He has betrayed his siblings, and the unchangeable laws of Narnia, set up by the Emperor-beyond-the-Sea, say that every traitor has to die. The white witch knew this, and came to Aslan’s camp to claim Edmund. His blood was rightfully hers, and she knew that Aslan would have to comply. Everyone was distressed, and knew that for his deed, Edmund would have to die. No one could do anything about it. Except Aslan. He spoke to the witch alone and offered his own life in place of Edmund’s. Aslan’s death would save Edmund and fulfill the law. So it was agreed that Aslan would come to the stone table that night to be killed. Aslan kept his promise and died that very night on the sacred table, and the witch thought she had triumphed! But had she?
Carved into the stone table was a Narnian law that said when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards. Aslan, because he willingly suffered and died for Edmund, fulfilled this and death worked backwards as the table cracked and Aslan miraculously came back to life! In the end, life conquered over death, the witch was killed, peace was restored, and the Pevensies were crowned kings and queens of Narnia.
The hidden meaning to this story is that each of us is an Edmund. God created us to have relationship with him. But he is good, just, and holy, so He cannot tolerate wrongdoing, or sin. And the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) Just like Edmund, we are selfish, greedy, and prideful. We fall for the Devil’s lie that sin is OK, and that there is no consequence for it. But there is an unavoidable consequence. In Hebrews it says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Heb. 9:22) In other words, blood must be shed as a penalty for sin. So what is the consequence of sin? “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom. 6:23) Guess what? You and I are no better off than Edmund. We need a Savior! Edmund deserved to die, and for my deeds, I deserve to die, too. No one can do anything about it. Except Jesus. Jesus loves me so much, he was willing to die in my place, just like Aslan did for Edmund. Romans says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) Isn’t that amazing! Jesus died for you and for me, even though we don’t deserve it.
Jesus, like Aslan, was a willing victim who had committed no treachery and who was killed in a traitor’s stead, and Death itself worked backward. He came back to life! First Corinthians says, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:54-55) Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the power of sin and death is broken, and everyone who believes in Jesus and his sacrifice for them, will be saved from eternal punishment.

Thirdly, Caspian and our faith. There are many admirable characters in the Chronicles of Narnia with strong faith in Aslan. One of these is Prince Caspian. But we must start before him, with his mentors. When he was very little, his nurse told him stories of Aslan, the Narnian creatures, the white witch, and the four children. Caspian loved listening to these stories of Old Narnia and believed they were true. Through listening to them, he came to believe in Aslan, and when his tutor, Doctor Cornelius, reassured him they were true, he was overjoyed. Caspian‘s faith in Aslan is amazing because, unlike most of the other Narnian characters, Caspian believed in Aslan long before he ever met him!
Evidence of Caspian’s strong faith is also seen in his son, Prince Rilian. Rilian had heard stories about Aslan all his life, from his father, and was able to defeat evil because he believed in Aslan. Caspian diligently taught his son the truth, and it didn’t stop there! Rilian taught his son, who taught his son, who taught his son, and on down the line to King Tirian, the last king of Narnia, who, because of the stories he’s heard, believes in and fights for Aslan with all his might. The faith of Caspian and his descendants represents the multi-generational faith of Christians who pass their beliefs down to their children, and their children’s children, and so on.
Caspian followed Aslan all of his life. In the book, The Silver Chair, he dies and appears in Aslan’s country lying in a stream, dead. But, Aslan has his paw pierced and when a drop of his blood falls onto Caspian’s body it starts to change. His body grows younger and younger until Caspian jumps out of the stream to greet Aslan. He lives in Aslan’s Country forever with everyone else who had faith in Aslan. Hidden in this story is the most exciting message of Narnia. Caspian represents us, and Aslan represents Jesus. Again, Jesus’ blood is what brings us back to life. When those who belong to Jesus die, they will begin their new life in Jesus’ Country: Heaven! And this life will never end.

In conclusion: We’ve uncovered some of the hidden meanings of the Chronicles of Narnia by looking at Aslan as our Savior, Edmund, as a representative of each of us, and Caspian and his deep faith.
The next time you read The Chronicles of Narnia “suppose that there is a land called Narnia and that the Son of God, as He became a Man in our world, became a lion there.” (C. S. Lewis) Dive into that wonderful world to learn more about your own world, yourself, and your Creator.
June 6, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Happy Birthday, Aslan's Country!

Today is a special day in the life of Aslan's Country.com! Exactly two years ago, Matthew (and friends) launched the site, which would soon become the third largest Narnia News Blog/Website in the world.

To the right is the "Coming Soon" page... I wasn't around then, but I do remember reading AC posts years ago... especially about the new Narnia film coming out and seeing pictures of the "Dawn Treader" being built! It was very exciting for me.


June 2010 (one year ago) the site looked like this:


This was about when I met Hannah Dokupil and we started talking. I wasn't on the team until October of last year. Things I remember in my experience with AC:

Writing my first couple posts about Carrie Underwood and Joe McElderr
y's song "There's a Place for Us." with the help of AslansLily.
Reporting more and more about contests, promotional events, prescreenings and movie clips!
Spending the whole of November 30 online with Hannah and AslansLily trying to snap pictures of stars from a lousy webcam during the red-carpet portion of the World Premiere in London!

Controversy, controversy! All Narnia fans will think differently on something... here's the post that took the longest for me to write, about the reactions to Liam Neeson's quote about Aslan.

Making a "Narnia Christmas Tribute" scrapbook for the cast and crew.


Reviews piled in, then award nominations!

Watching the Box Office Tracker slowly cross 400 million!

My Dad told me first thing in the morning one day that Perry Moore, the excecutive producer of the first three Narnia films, had died. I wrote this post about him.

We heard bittersweet news that Magician's Nephew would be made next. Here are my responses to this. We are still waiting for more news on that.

I posted my movie review after seeing it the day it came out.

I posted my "double dvd pack" review after buying it the day it came out.

Our April Fools day fun! We had the funniest story and the most serious story (which everyone believed!!)

Getting Turkish Delight at Christmas and Film Cells at Easter... :)

And just fun chats and conversations on Facebook with the AC staff! You know who you are.... :D

Our site today:

Here's our current stats on social media sites. Be a fan if you are on any of them! :)

Aslan's Country Fans on Facebook: 6,313
Aslan's Country Followers on Twitter: 2308
Aslan's Country Subscribers on YouTube: 172

And don't forget to follow Aslan's Country.com if you have a Blogger account!


Why is Aslan's Country special? This is taken from our website:

Why Aslan’s Country?
In C.S. Lewis’ book The Last Battle, the children travel to Aslan’s Country. While we don’t claim to be the real Aslan’s Country, we do hope you find it to be a place where you will not only find the latest Narnia news, but also where you will feel welcomed and enjoy yourself.

Our Mission Statement:
Our goal as Aslan’s Country is to provide current and accurate Narnia news; to unite Narnia fans in a common, safe, and enjoyable environment; to provide communication, dedication, and the willingness to work with others; and ultimately to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Our Commitment to an Ad-Free Website, and What It Means for Us Financially
As you browse the site, you’ll notice that we aren’t supported financially by advertisements. We believe that by not placing ads on our site, we improve our design and layout and make it easier to find the content you want and not make it distracting. However, this also means that we do not have a steady flow of income to pay the bills to keep Aslan’s Country online and serving you. If you feel led to, we would be so grateful to receive a donation from you—a way of saying “thank you” to the unpaid staff at Aslan’s Country. If you would like to make a donation, please email matthew@aslanscountry.com. Thank you so much for supporting the ongoing efforts at Aslan’s Country!
May 30, 2011 | By: TiannaJE

Happy Lately :)

Below are some Narnia-related things that have made me happy recently. Well, more than that. Excited. Giddy. That quivery inside feeling that C.S. Lewis would call Joy. Anyway… sorry this is rather long!!!!!!! :D

The Narnia Exhibition is coming to town!!! Well not really, but closer than it’s ever been. :D I got to write the story on Aslan’s Country that OMSI in Portland has been added to their schedule! I have been wanting to see the exhibition, of course, for a long time. Ever since we went on a trip across America last September and saw lots of things (including numerous museums), I have had a dream of starting the first-ever permanent Narnia Museum! Anyway, even if I never do, this will be super fun to see! I’m hoping to meet up with my friend Hannah (from Aslan’s Country) at the exhibition. Yay!

I hadn’t learned about this song until recently. It’s by Toby Mac, and it’s called “New World." It was included on the "Music Inspired by Narnia" CD, which was released right before LWW came out in theatres. Anyway, it’s not the song that brings me joy so much, it’s this video. Containing clips from both Disney Narnia movies (LWW and PC), it just completely sums up what Narnia is and what you go through when you watch those two films. It’s extremely well-edited and probably my favorite Narnia Music Video of all time. Enjoy!



Font: I just got this font called, “The King and Queen” (demonstration below), which just looks cool. I use it for my username on YouTube.


Costume Chronicles.” Have you heard of that? I found this “webzine” the end of last year when they had a Jane Austen issue. (Jane Austen is my second favorite book/movie series by the way.) One of my friends alerted me to their current issue, which is about C.S. Lewis!! They only have one article on the clothes and costumes of Narnia, which is kind of odd. But I can’t complain because the rest is really good! The editor is a Christian, and the articles are commentaries on the books, movies, and characters of Narnia, often from a Christian viewpoint. I liked what the authors had to say. There is also an article about “Jack,” one about the film, “Shadowlands” (about C.S. Lewis), and one about “Til We Have Faces,” his strangest and most adult work of fiction. You can download and read it here.

A friend lent me his four-disc version of the LWW, so I finally got to see the extended edition of the LWW! It’s basically more traveling shots, and the battle is extended. One thing I really liked is the addition of more sad kids and mothers in the train station scene. It makes you feel for more kids in England, not just the four, and yet it makes the Pevensies more real, because you realize what they’re going through actually happened to a lot of kids. They didn’t put in any of the coronation dance, which I know they shot, since it’s in the trailer and the outtakes! The best thing was the “Complete Production Experience,” which was a full movie commentary with interviews and behind-the-scenes pictures and videos going on during the movie! There’s also a movie about C.S. Lewis, which I liked. :)


I also recently watched the “Prince Caspian” cast & director commentary, which I own, but just never watched! It was very insightful and entertaining. :) I was surprised how many crew members and family members played extras! A couple parts made me laugh out loud! For example, the scene entitled, “Edmund Saves the Day” is the one where Edmund stabs the ice wall with the White Witch in it. At the end Georgie (Lucy) quoted part of the script, “Two boys. Two kings. Two failures.” Skandar (Edmund) responded, “And on the other hand, Edmund saves the day!!” Hahaha… One part I thought was interesting was that Anna (Susan) and Ben (Caspian) were glad the archery scene where Susan and Caspian are flirting was cut out. They said that, besides it being a happy scene in the middle of this intense preparing-for-battle section, it played up the romance too much; It added yet another scene developing this relationship that wasn’t even in the book. Anna said that! I was so proud. I totally agree! :)

I’ve been having fun being on YouTube and connecting with other Narniacs who make Narnia Music Videos. I wanted to get a cooler background, so I found one I liked that someone else made, then used it as a template and imported my own pictures, cropped them, and colorized them, using Photoshop. It was really fun! The sides I made fade from green to purple and on them I typed lines from the Chronicles. On the left side is the first couple sentences of each book, and on the right side are all of the last lines of each book! It was very fun to make. :D Click here to see it on YouTube. :)


I’m pretty sure It’s legal to make a digital copy of a DVD you own to put on your ipod. Well I downloaded the “Magic DVD Ripper,” which someone mentioned on YouTube, and ripped the three Narnia films!! This makes it a lot easier to make music videos (because before I had all of these trailers and film clips and stuff I’d taken from online). So this opens up wide possibilities. :D The “I’m Reading a Book” video was the first one I put online that I edited from the digital copy.

Well, I haven’t played it recently, but I really enjoy playing this tetris game on “Spareoom.net”. You use the arrow keys to direct the pieces. There’s a lot of other Narnia games online. Maybe I’ll do a blog post on “The Games of Narnia” someday. :)


Have you ever seen the movie, “Swan Princess”? It’s loosely based on the ballet “Swan Lake,” and it has animation and songs like an old Disney film. Anyway, there’s this cute song called “This is My Idea,” where Prince Derek and Princess Odette are lamenting having to marry each other when they grow up, and all of the sudden they realize they love each other. Someone on YouTube edited a video to this song using Edmund and Lucy as they grow up in LWW and PC. It’s really cute!



And here’s a couple of pictures that I like. They're all from different places and made by different people. This first one is by my friend Nicky. It's awesome. :)






















(look at the necklace!)



Wow, those pictures were random. Yep! But they are joyful!!! :)
That’s all. Have a nice day! :)