celestialhost
New member
For once, Jadis is absent!
Lally, Puddleglum's niece was introduced in "The Giant Surprise" by Hiawyn Oram. To my knowledge, that was the only original Narnia story to be published outside the Chronicles. It's aimed at younger readers and is hardly a riveting tale, but I thought it was nice to see a female Marshwiggle.
Lally is grown up here and I have supposed that she is a bit less cheerful than she was as a child.
I find it impossible to read Puddleglum without imagining Tom Baker's voice. I love the way he brought the character to life in the BBC adaptation.
For the Love of a Marshwiggle
On an unusually bright day in the bleak marshes of northern Narnia, two figures made their way toward the lonely cluster of wigwams.
One of the figures was a son of Adam, a handsome young Telmarine. He wore a brown tunic and breeches tucked into high boots to keep his feet from the dampness of the marsh. His companion was a young female, though certainly not human. Her skin was a drab grey-green colour. The dark hair that fell to her waist was dull and greasy in texture. Her bare feet were broad and webbed. She was dressed in a plain grey dress. Her expression was as cheerful as a Marshwiggle's countenance can get, which is to say that she was not frowning and she was almost smiling.
The Marshwiggle girl and the young man approached one of the wigwams. The girl cried out.
"Ho there, Uncle Puddleglum!"
A old Marshwiggle emerged. He was a good deal taller than the girl and he wore a shirt and trousers that hung loosely from his thin body.
"Ho there, Lally! What brings you here today?" Puddleglum asked. "Has your mother died? Have you got in trouble with the law? If you have any problems, I doubt I shall be of any help."
"Uncle Puddleglum, I want you to meet Roop," said Lally indicating the young Telmarine.
Roop smiled at the Marshwiggle and warmly offered his hand. Puddleglum shook it very solemnly.
"Let me make you both some tea. I very much doubt Roop will like it; most likely it will be too strong for him, or else he'll taste mud or salt in the water," said Puddleglum, who had begun boiling some water.
"I have some big news for you, uncle. I know Roop is not much to look at and he's a bit too cheerful for his own good, but we have decided we are going to get married."
Puddleglum looked for a moment like he was delighted by the news and was about to warmly congratulate them, but he seemed to think better of it and frowned instead.
"Well, I suppose I ought to offer you both my congratulations," said Puddleglum. "I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how difficult it is being married. All that excitement and then you find yourselves arguing all the time. Each day reveals yet more faults in your spouse. But you must make the best of it. That's the way."
"Oh, I shall certainly make the best of it, sir. I'm sure Lally will make me happy for the rest of my life," said Roop.
"I rather doubt it, but I shall do my best," said Lally, who almost smiled at the prospect.
"So how do you make your living, Roop?" asked Puddleglum.
"I'm an apothecary, sir," he replied.
"That is how we met," added Lally. "Roop came here to find some herbs that only grow in marshes and I helped him find them. And then we sort of found we liked each other, even though I'm a plain Marshwiggle and he's a giddy human."
Puddleglum sighed.
"An apothecary. That's a difficult trade. When people are healthy, they don't need your wares. When they're not, the sickness overcomes the herb as often as not and they call you a quack. Oh, you'll have a life of poverty ahead of you, I dare say. You could always live here and catch fish, but I doubt any human could live that sort of life. You shall just have to make the best of it," said Puddleglum sadly.
"However I live, I shall be happy if I'm with Lally," said Roop, taking her hand. Lally had explained to him many times about the ways of Marshwiggles, but he was starting to find this pessimism a little exasperating.
"You're in love, which is a fine thing for a young man your age. But what about in years to come? Will you still find Lally so enchanting? She's a pretty girl for a Marshwiggle, but she's not like human maidens, with their pretty hair and soft lips. Will you not get tired of her damp skin and the smell of fish? Would you not prefer to marry a girl whose bubbly and gay like the daughers of Eve?" asked Puddleglum.
"I think Lally is quite delightful and I'm sorry that you need to talk like that," said Roop, letting his frustration show.
"Yes, I'm sure he will get weary of my damp skin and I'm sure in years to come, he'll wonder what posessed him to marry me," said Lally. "We probably will live a poor and humble life. No doubt we shall argue all the time. Perhaps when Roop sees the webbed feet on his children, he'll likely as not take to drink. But I for one don't care. I love Roop and I'm sticking with him regardless. I don't know what our marriage will bring, but I'm going to make the best of it whatever."
Puddleglum rubbed his hands with delight.
"That's my niece for you, Roop. She's a true daughter of the marsh. Always expecting the worst and making the best of it regardless. She might not be a bright young human girl, but you can always rely on her. I dare say she won't always make you happy, but she'll make a good wife and she'll stick with you through the worst of it," said the old Marshwiggle.
"Oh, I know that," said Roop, and planted a kiss on the cold, clammy cheek of his fiance.
"Yes, you have my severe congratulations and I'm sure you will both make the best of what life throws at you," said Puddleglum.
Lally, Puddleglum's niece was introduced in "The Giant Surprise" by Hiawyn Oram. To my knowledge, that was the only original Narnia story to be published outside the Chronicles. It's aimed at younger readers and is hardly a riveting tale, but I thought it was nice to see a female Marshwiggle.
Lally is grown up here and I have supposed that she is a bit less cheerful than she was as a child.
I find it impossible to read Puddleglum without imagining Tom Baker's voice. I love the way he brought the character to life in the BBC adaptation.
For the Love of a Marshwiggle
On an unusually bright day in the bleak marshes of northern Narnia, two figures made their way toward the lonely cluster of wigwams.
One of the figures was a son of Adam, a handsome young Telmarine. He wore a brown tunic and breeches tucked into high boots to keep his feet from the dampness of the marsh. His companion was a young female, though certainly not human. Her skin was a drab grey-green colour. The dark hair that fell to her waist was dull and greasy in texture. Her bare feet were broad and webbed. She was dressed in a plain grey dress. Her expression was as cheerful as a Marshwiggle's countenance can get, which is to say that she was not frowning and she was almost smiling.
The Marshwiggle girl and the young man approached one of the wigwams. The girl cried out.
"Ho there, Uncle Puddleglum!"
A old Marshwiggle emerged. He was a good deal taller than the girl and he wore a shirt and trousers that hung loosely from his thin body.
"Ho there, Lally! What brings you here today?" Puddleglum asked. "Has your mother died? Have you got in trouble with the law? If you have any problems, I doubt I shall be of any help."
"Uncle Puddleglum, I want you to meet Roop," said Lally indicating the young Telmarine.
Roop smiled at the Marshwiggle and warmly offered his hand. Puddleglum shook it very solemnly.
"Let me make you both some tea. I very much doubt Roop will like it; most likely it will be too strong for him, or else he'll taste mud or salt in the water," said Puddleglum, who had begun boiling some water.
"I have some big news for you, uncle. I know Roop is not much to look at and he's a bit too cheerful for his own good, but we have decided we are going to get married."
Puddleglum looked for a moment like he was delighted by the news and was about to warmly congratulate them, but he seemed to think better of it and frowned instead.
"Well, I suppose I ought to offer you both my congratulations," said Puddleglum. "I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how difficult it is being married. All that excitement and then you find yourselves arguing all the time. Each day reveals yet more faults in your spouse. But you must make the best of it. That's the way."
"Oh, I shall certainly make the best of it, sir. I'm sure Lally will make me happy for the rest of my life," said Roop.
"I rather doubt it, but I shall do my best," said Lally, who almost smiled at the prospect.
"So how do you make your living, Roop?" asked Puddleglum.
"I'm an apothecary, sir," he replied.
"That is how we met," added Lally. "Roop came here to find some herbs that only grow in marshes and I helped him find them. And then we sort of found we liked each other, even though I'm a plain Marshwiggle and he's a giddy human."
Puddleglum sighed.
"An apothecary. That's a difficult trade. When people are healthy, they don't need your wares. When they're not, the sickness overcomes the herb as often as not and they call you a quack. Oh, you'll have a life of poverty ahead of you, I dare say. You could always live here and catch fish, but I doubt any human could live that sort of life. You shall just have to make the best of it," said Puddleglum sadly.
"However I live, I shall be happy if I'm with Lally," said Roop, taking her hand. Lally had explained to him many times about the ways of Marshwiggles, but he was starting to find this pessimism a little exasperating.
"You're in love, which is a fine thing for a young man your age. But what about in years to come? Will you still find Lally so enchanting? She's a pretty girl for a Marshwiggle, but she's not like human maidens, with their pretty hair and soft lips. Will you not get tired of her damp skin and the smell of fish? Would you not prefer to marry a girl whose bubbly and gay like the daughers of Eve?" asked Puddleglum.
"I think Lally is quite delightful and I'm sorry that you need to talk like that," said Roop, letting his frustration show.
"Yes, I'm sure he will get weary of my damp skin and I'm sure in years to come, he'll wonder what posessed him to marry me," said Lally. "We probably will live a poor and humble life. No doubt we shall argue all the time. Perhaps when Roop sees the webbed feet on his children, he'll likely as not take to drink. But I for one don't care. I love Roop and I'm sticking with him regardless. I don't know what our marriage will bring, but I'm going to make the best of it whatever."
Puddleglum rubbed his hands with delight.
"That's my niece for you, Roop. She's a true daughter of the marsh. Always expecting the worst and making the best of it regardless. She might not be a bright young human girl, but you can always rely on her. I dare say she won't always make you happy, but she'll make a good wife and she'll stick with you through the worst of it," said the old Marshwiggle.
"Oh, I know that," said Roop, and planted a kiss on the cold, clammy cheek of his fiance.
"Yes, you have my severe congratulations and I'm sure you will both make the best of what life throws at you," said Puddleglum.
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