Mr. Tumnus

Portrayed By

James McAvoy
Jeffrey S. Perry
Leslie Phillips
Victor Spinetti

Book portrayal

Mr. Tumnus is the first Narnian Lucy meets, and that gives him a place out of all proportion to his page count. He welcomes her with tea, stories, and music, but the Witch’s shadow falls across that kindness almost at once. Tumnus has already agreed to betray any human he finds.

What saves him is repentance. He is one of the first proofs that Narnia is morally alive. Creatures in this world can be fearful, compromised, and still redeemable.

Adaptation portrayals

Adaptations often lean into Tumnus’s warmth and melancholy. James McAvoy’s version especially helped fix that blend of charm and sadness in many viewers’ minds.