Rynelf

Alignment: Good

Book Appearances: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Movie Appearances: Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (BBC)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Book portrayal

Rynelf is one of the sailors on the Dawn Treader, and Lewis gives him one of the voyage’s best speeches. When the company reaches Ramandu’s island and fear starts to compete with courage, Rynelf reminds the others that they chose this journey freely and once counted it an honor to sail east with Caspian.

That moment makes him more than background crew. He becomes the ordinary sailor who says plainly what the expedition means. His words help steady the company and push the voyage forward when retreat begins to sound sensible.

Adaptation portrayals

Adaptations usually keep Rynelf among the visible ship’s crew, though the amount of dialogue and emphasis can vary from one version to another.

Favorite Quote(s): “Your Majesties and gentlemen and ladies all,” said Rynelf, “there’s just one thing I want to say. There’s not one of us chaps as was pressed on this journey. We’re volunteers. And there’s some here chat are looking very hard at that table and thinking about king’s feasts who were talking very loud about adventures on the day we sailed from Cair Paravel, and swearing they wouldn’t come home till we’d found the end of the world. And there were some standing on the quay who would have given all they had to come with us. It was thought a finer thing then to have a cabin-boy’s berth on the Dawn Treader than to wear a knight’s belt. I don’t know if you get the hang of what I’m saying. But what I mean is that I think chaps who set out like us will look as silly as – as those Dufflepuds – if we come home and say we got to the beginning of the world’s end and hadn’t the heart to go further.”