This forum was closed on October 1st, 2010. However, the archives are open to the public and filled with vast amounts of good reading and information for you to enjoy. If you wish to meet some Wardrobians, please visit the Into the Wardrobe Facebook group.

the meaning of Tumnus

Please don't close the door behind you.

the meaning of Tumnus

Postby the lampost » August 17th, 2007, 3:59 pm

I heard or read somewhere that Tumnus the faun is a symbol of C. S. Lewis. When Lucy first meets Mr. Tumnus, he is carrying several packages and looks as if he has been Christmas shopping. However, because there is no Christmas in Narnia, he has no one to give his gifts to. C. S. Lewis also had many gifts. He was a very talented individual, but because he was an atheist, he had no one to give his gifts to. When he finally accepted Christ, he had someone to give his gifts to. I can no longer remember where I read this, though. Can someone tell me where this idea comes from? Has anyone else heard this idea also?
Thanks
the lampost
 

Postby Stanley Anderson » August 17th, 2007, 5:32 pm

I've never heard of the idea, but it is a nice thought. It reminds me a bit of something I've mentioned here in the past about Lewis' concept of Joy.

The Scriptural concept of Hope, for me, is different from our earthly concept of hope in that our earthly hope seems to have two components -- one, a desire or longing for something, and two, the quality of uncertainty, ie, we "hope" something will happen but we can't be sure it will happen.

It is this second aspect of earthly hope, the feeling of uncertainty, that I think is not really a component of Scriptural Hope (I've had disagreements from others about this -- it is debatable, but not important for my point here). For me, the first quality, the desire or intense longing for God is the key part of Scriptural Hope.

And it struck me at one time that Lewis' concept of Joy is a sort of "pre-conversion" version of Scriptural Hope, since Lewis' definition of "Joy" as he uses it in Surprized by Joy, is an intense longing for "I know not what". Every time he thought (before he was a Christian) he knew what the object of the longing was for, whether a distant hillside or musical strain, or a passage from a book, it turned out that that was not it after all. It was only when he realized that the "longing" was there to guide him to God that the object could be identified.

And it is my contention that this idea of "Joy" is simply what Scriptural Hope "looks like" to us before we are Christians.

Anyway, sidetracking from your question, I realize, but fun to think about.

--Stanley
…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
User avatar
Stanley Anderson
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3251
Joined: Aug 1996
Location: Southern California

Postby Mornamoice » August 17th, 2007, 5:32 pm

I have not heard that idea before, but it sounds to me like an interpretation someone else might have projected onto the Chronicles of Narnia. From what I have read, Lewis would not have inserted himself into his work that way.
Image
Thank you for the pix, A# Minor!
Mornamoice
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 666
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Southern California

Postby Stanley Anderson » August 17th, 2007, 6:43 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
User avatar
Stanley Anderson
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3251
Joined: Aug 1996
Location: Southern California

Postby carol » August 20th, 2007, 11:03 am

Image
carol
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3673
Joined: Apr 1999
Location: New Zealand

Postby loeee » August 20th, 2007, 4:58 pm

"You can't go walking through Mordor in naught but your skin."
Put on the full armor of God.
User avatar
loeee
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 930
Joined: Jul 2004
Location: California

Postby the lampost » August 21st, 2007, 1:44 pm

Oh, but I like it. It probably is someone else's idea, not Lewis'; but I still think it sounds nice. Anyone else agree with me?
the lampost
 

Postby Stanley Anderson » August 21st, 2007, 2:22 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
User avatar
Stanley Anderson
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3251
Joined: Aug 1996
Location: Southern California

Postby carol » August 21st, 2007, 8:02 pm

Didn't the faun image come to Lewis as a dream? I thought he saw the faun, not saw himself as a faun.
Image
carol
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3673
Joined: Apr 1999
Location: New Zealand

Postby Stanley Anderson » August 21st, 2007, 8:07 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
User avatar
Stanley Anderson
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3251
Joined: Aug 1996
Location: Southern California

Postby john » August 21st, 2007, 9:49 pm

Should I move this thread to the Chronicles of Narnia forum? Seems to be turning more into a discussion, rather than a simple Q&A.
john
Chief Wardrobian
User avatar
john
Chief Wardrobian
 
Posts: 6495
Joined: Jul 1996
Location: near seattle

Postby Stanley Anderson » August 21st, 2007, 10:07 pm

…on a night of rain Frodo smelled a sweet fragrance on the air and heard the sound of singing that came over the water. And then it seemed to him that as in his dream in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a fair green country under a swift sunrise.
User avatar
Stanley Anderson
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3251
Joined: Aug 1996
Location: Southern California

Postby john » August 21st, 2007, 10:52 pm

john
Chief Wardrobian
User avatar
john
Chief Wardrobian
 
Posts: 6495
Joined: Jul 1996
Location: near seattle

Postby carol » August 22nd, 2007, 9:26 am

Image
carol
Wardrobian
 
Posts: 3673
Joined: Apr 1999
Location: New Zealand

Postby Mr. Tumnus » August 22nd, 2007, 6:18 pm

Mr. Tumnus
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Aug 2007

Next

Return to The Chronicles of Narnia

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered members and 26 guests

cron