Ruler of Cair Paravel and Emperor of the Lone Islands?

Lucy Fan

Lucy Fan

New member
Why were sons of Adams who were named King also emperor of the Lone Islands? I finished reading Prince Caspian from my new book set with beautifully colored pictures in tradepaperback and it mentions King Peter and later King Caspian being ruler or Cair Paravel and emperor of Lone Islands or something like that. I always thought of the Lone Islands as a completely different place or are the Lone Islands part of Narnia?
 
Yes, they belong to Narnia. In the early books, no explanation is given for this. In The Last Battle, it is explained that, in the time before the White Witch, a Narnian king, King Gale, had rescued the Lone Islands from a dragon, and in return the islanders had made him emperor of the islands.

Peeps
 
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Peepiceek said:
Yes, they belong to Narnia. In the early books, no explanation is given for this. In The Last Battle, it is explained that, in the time before the White Witch, a Narnian king, King Gale, had rescued the Lone Islands from a dragon, and in return the islanders had made him emperor of the islands.

Peeps
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I see. So, maybe they are like territories of Narnia?
 
Yes, exactly. I always felt they were modelled on the Falkland Islands, though that may of course be my post-1982 perspective... in Lewis's day there were plenty of other overseas territories of the UK to act as a model.

Peeps
 
Peepiceek said:
Yes, exactly. I always felt they were modelled on the Falkland Islands, though that may of course be my post-1982 perspective... in Lewis's day there were plenty of other overseas territories of the UK to act as a model.

Peeps
Click to expand...


It makes sense now, thanks. :)
 
In our world, there have been times when a nation strong enough to have distant colonies was itself invaded and occupied, but the colonies were not directly affected. For instance, during the nineteenth century, Portugal was controlled by Spain; but Brazil, then Portugal's largest colony, remained free of Spanish control. In fact, Portuguese leaders established a "government in exile" in Brazil, until Portugal was free again.

The hundred-year occupation of Narnia by Jadis would have been a similar situation. Since Jadis could not extend her power across the Eastern Ocean, the Lone Islands would have lived on in freedom. And although Lewis does not tell us, it would have been conceivable for some human escapees from Narnia to resettle in the Lone Islands. Indeed, their presence could be responsible for the locals still feeling some identification with distant Narnia.
 
Indeed. And with the Telmarine invasion too, there must have been some contact initially with the Lone Islands, for two reasons. Firstly, that Caspian had some record of the previous contact (it is unlikely that the Telmarines would have kept pre-invasion records); and secondly that he estimates the period of no contact at 150 years - assuming an average generation length to be around 25-30 years (or even only 20), and there having been at least nine generations between Caspian I and Caspian X, there must have been contact with the Lone Islands during the reigns of the early Caspians, before the Telmarines cut themselves off from the sea.

Peeps
 
Quite some time ago, I read a story on TDL in The professors Writing Club, in which Jadis actually visited the Lone Islands during her time as Queen of Narnia. Although they were ruled in an authoritarian manner, in her name, they were treated considerably better than those on mainland Narnia, and even more importantly, there was no Great Winter. Is it not possible that this could have happened, possibly after those sympathetic to the White Witch staged a coup d'état to establish a kind of puppet government. Is it not also possible that this government was supplying Jadis and her minions with food and other commodities, necessary to keep Narnia functioning. Is it not also possible that Jadis did indeed visit the Lone Islands on one or more occasions? If they were being governed by her supporters, she would have no need to crack down as hard as she did in Narnia, whether she was able to or not.
 
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