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A Tale of Two Dwarfs (and a Badger)


 Under the rule of the tyrant Miraz, the “sad realm of Narnia” and its inhabitants await rescue and renewal. While Prince Caspian primarily follows the path of its titular character and the Pevensies, C.S. Lewis also tells of Narnians in hiding. Early in the story, Caspian wakes up in a cave and meets the dwarfs Nikabrik and Trumpkin and the badger Trufflehunter. These Narnians illustrate three different dispositions we see throughout the novel: bitterness, faithfulness, and skepticism. Their responses to Aslan and the old tales mirror responses we see to the risen Christ and his gospel of salvation.

 When Prince Caspian wakes up inside the cave, Nikabrik greets him with bitterness and suspicion. His suggestion upon bringing Caspian inside is to kill him. “We can’t let it live,” he says. “It would betray us.” Where Trufflehunter hospitably offers a drink, Nikabrik offers only scorn. Surprisingly, however, this scorn is directed not only at Telmarines but even at the stories of “Old Narnia.”

Caspian admits to his love of the old tales, and we see that these Narnians, in different ways, each receive – or reject – the old stories. “‘I don’t like it,’ said Nikabrik, ‘I didn’t know there were stories about us still told among the Humans. The less they know about us the better…’” Nikabrik prefers ignorance of the old things, undoubtedly thanks to his hatred and fear of humans. Meanwhile, Trufflehunter shows himself to be a faithful defender of the “true King, coming back to true Narnia.” He rebukes Nikabrik, saying:

“You Dwarfs are as forgetful and changeable as the Humans themselves. I’m a beast, I am, and a Badger what’s more. We don’t change. We hold on…We beasts remember, even if Dwarfs forget, that Narnia was never right except when a Son of Adam was King.”

In this scene, we find that memory is a key difference between Nikabrik and Trufflehunter. The dwarf wishes for the stories to be forgotten, at least among the humans. The badger, however, maintains that “great good” will come of Caspian, the rightful king, remembering and loving the stories. The badger notes that dwarfs are forgetful, unlike the Talking Beasts who hold on to memories of the old days.

 The old stories, or memories, demand a response. Trufflehunter’s response is to pledge his loyalty to Caspian as the rightful king, so long as Caspian is “true to Old Narnia.” We see later, however, that Nikabrik’s response is to dismiss the stories as false or utilitarian. The dwarf looks to Aslan only as a potential means for defeating the Telmarines; this is no true belief in the Lion. When Caspian asks Nikabrik if he believes in Aslan, the dwarf says “I’ll believe in anyone or anything that’ll batter these cursed Telmarine barbarians to pieces…Anyone or anything. Aslan or the White Witch…” Indeed, this pragmatic approach later leads Nikabrik to enlist a hag and werewolf to attempt calling the Witch back from the dead. While he and Caspian share a desire to defeat the Telmarines, the common bond goes no further. Caspian seeks their defeat from the positive vision of reestablishing the old ways, but Nikabrik looks no further than the removal of the Telmarines (indeed, he and Trumpkin bristle against Trufflehunter’s claim that a man ought to be king of Narnia).

 This is not to say Nikabrik is without hope. After the dwarf is killed, Caspian notes: “He had gone sour inside from long suffering and hating. If we had won quickly he might have become a good Dwarf in the days of peace.” Where Trufflehunter is led by a vision of renewal and of goodness, Nikabrik is led by a vision of hatred and fear, which keeps him from sharing the faith of his badger companion. Nikabrik’s story ends tragically, but the other dwarf finds grace.

Trumpkin, despite his disbelief in Aslan, seems to fall somewhere between Nikabrik and the badger. True, he is no believer in the Lion, at first. “Who believes in Aslan nowadays?” he questions Trufflehunter in their cave. Trumpkin, the skeptic, refuses to believe in Aslan even after he seeks out and finds the Pevensie children of the old tales (not to mention the ruins of Cair Paravel). When Lucy claims to see Aslan, Trumpkin responds in irreverent jest: “He’d be a pretty elderly lion by now if he’s one you knew when you were here before. And if it could be the same one, what’s to prevent him having gone wild and witless…?” [emphases mine]. Trumpkin still allows—even after the truth of the old tales is confirmed in the Pevensies—that there is no such person as Aslan.

Trumpkin may not believe in Aslan, but the Lion knows the dwarf. Aslan graciously shows himself to Trumpkin—only after revealing himself to each of the four Pevensies. In this encounter, we see faith conquering skepticism (not dissimilar to Christ’s appearance to the Apostle Thomas after his resurrection):

“Come here, Son of Earth, come HERE!” and the last word was no longer the hint of a roar but almost the real thing.

…[Trumpkin] did the only sensible thing he could have done; this is, instead of bolting, he tottered towards Aslan.

Trumpkin sees Aslan in person and he obeys the call of the Lion. The skeptic, met with the reality, must respond. The dwarf is right to tremble, though the children can see that Aslan likes the dwarf. Aslan playfully shakes Trumpkin from his mouth, throws him in the air, and catches him safely. There is a physical encounter before Aslan asks, “Shall we be friends?” to which Trumpkin, breathless, agrees. Again, this is reminiscent of Christ’s appearance to Thomas in John 20: “Peace be with you…Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Nikabrik’s bitterness prevented him from true belief; Trufflehunter believes though he has not seen Aslan (as Christ says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”); and Trumpkin believes after he has seen. Trumpkin’s skepticism does not ultimately prevent him from arriving at a place of faith, alongside the badger.

 Believers, like faithful Narnians, who proclaim the reality of the Incarnation and the Resurrection are blessed. The Apostle Peter confessed, according to Matthew, that Jesus of Nazareth is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Immediately, Jesus proclaims him blessed, since God has revealed this to him. One might think, in contrast, of many Jews who expected a Messiah not so much as a Savior but as a Revolutionary who could free them from Roman bondage. Nikabrik took this short-sighted view, believing himself only in need of one kind of rescue. We are reminded every Advent, and every Easter, that Christ came primarily for a different kind of rescue. In Luke 19, when Zaccheus responds to the Savior in faith, Christ says, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Like the Narnians, we who are wandering, albeit waiting faithfully, will find joy and gladness in the renewal from our Lord and Savior.

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