Humans in Narnia

The fictional world of Narnia, created by CS Lewis, is populated by numerous fantastical creatures, such as fauns, dwarfs, dryads, ogres, and talking animals, but also by humans. However, humans are not 'native' to Narnia; they were not created with it, but instead entered Narnia from 'our' world, by magical means. In recognition of this, most characters refer to humans as 'Sons of Adam' and 'Daughters of Eve'. This is a reference to the biblical characters of Adam and Eve.

The first humans present in Narnia were Polly Plummer, Digory Kirke, Andrew Ketterley and Frank, who are witness to its creation. Aslan appoints Frank and his wife Helen to be King and Queen of Narnia, and they found a line of monarchs.

According to Aslan, only humans are entitled to reign in Narnia. (However, Aslan, a lion, is also described as 'King of Kings', and there are references to his father, the Emperor beyond the sea, whose nature is never explicitly made clear.) The White Witch pretends to be human, in order to lend credence to her claim of Queenship.

The country of Narnia itself rarely has a large human population, but nearby countries such as Telmar and Calormen have large human populations (and no other talking creatures that admit to it). There is little detail as to where these civilisations come from, but ultimately they are all descended from migrants from our world.

Powerful magic, guided by the will of Aslan, can bring children from our world to Narnia, generally so that they can heroically save it from peril, and become more virtuous themselves. These adventures form the basis of the Chronicles of Narnia.

Aslan describes Prince Caspian, and presumably all other humans, as descended from 'the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve... that is honour enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth'. This usage of 'Son of Adam' and 'Daughter of Eve', along with the mention of Christmas, are the only explicit references to Christianity in the series, although many implicit ones can be inferred.

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