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Aravis
Narnia character
In-universe information
RaceHuman
TitleAravis Tarkheena / Queen of Archenland
FamilyKidrash Tarkaan (father)
Two brothers, unnamed
Rishti Tarkaan (grandfather)
Kidrash Tarkan (great-grandfather)
Illsombreh Tisroc (great-great-grandfather)
Ardeeb Tisroc (great-great-great-grandfather)
Tash (claimed ancestor)
King Lune (father-in-law)
Corin (brother-in-law)
SpousePrince Cor
ChildrenRam the Great
NationalityCalormene (later Archenlandish)

Aravis is a fictional character in the 1954 novel The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis.

Aravis is a young Tarkheena, a female member of the ruling nobility of Calormen. With her horse, Hwin, who is eventually revealed to be a talking beast from the land of Narnia, she flees her home, to escape an arranged marriage with Ahoshta Tarkaan. Aravis is a strong character whose confidence, bravery, and loyalty are offset by arrogance and self-centeredness. She is also said to be an amazing storyteller, which is partly the result of her upbringing: the art of telling stories forms part of the education of the nobility. On their journey north to freedom in Narnia, they fall into company with the talking stallion, Bree, and the boy Shasta. Aravis overhears a plot by the Calormenes to invade Archenland and Narnia, and with this intelligence, the four companions can warn the Archenlanders in time to thwart the invasion. In the process of their adventures, through a series of "lessons" and encounters, Aravis's character is transformed, and she acquires humility and sensitivity. Her companion, Shasta, is discovered to be the lost heir to the kingdom of Archenland, and, upon reaching adulthood, he and Aravis marry, and rule as king and queen. They are the parents of Ram the Great, the "most famous of all the kings of Archenland".

Fictional character biography

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In The Horse and His Boy, C. S. Lewis describes Aravis as "the only daughter of Kidrash Tarkaan, the son of Rishti Tarkaan, the son of Kidrash Tarkaan, the son of Illsombreh Tisroc, the son of Ardeeb Tisroc, who was descended in a right line from the god Tash."

Aravis has spent her youth in the heart of Calormen, presumably in Calavar, the province over which her father is lord. Her mother died of unknown causes, and her older brother, to whom she was devoted, was killed fighting rebels in "the western wars". Her father has recently married an unkind woman, who makes no attempt to disguise her dislike for her stepdaughter. Aravis also has a younger brother who is "but a child". Her already difficult home life is rendered impossible when her father announces her engagement to Ahoshta Tarkaan, a wealthy and powerful but loathsome courtier whom she despises. In response, she decides to commit suicide. However, her mare, Hwin, reveals herself as a talking horse from Narnia and persuades her to flee to Narnia instead.

As the two ride through Calormen, they meet Bree and Shasta, the eponymous horse and boy, who are also escaping to Narnia. The four try to traverse Calormen's capital of Tashbaan undetected, but they are separated. Aravis meets her friend Lasaraleen, who is also a Tarkheena. Aravis and Lasaraleen explore the Tisroc's palace, and accidentally overhear a plan by the Tisroc and his son Crown Prince Rabadash to invade Archenland. When Aravis meets Shasta and the horses again at the tombs of the ancient rulers of Calormen, they agree they must urgently warn Narnia and Archenland.

As they near the border of Archenland, they are chased by a lion who slashes Aravis's back. Her wounds force her to remain with the Hermit of the Southern March while Shasta goes alone to complete the mission. She watches the battle through the Hermit's magic pool, appalled at the danger that Shasta faces. While in the hermit's home, Aravis encounters Aslan, an event that changes her, as Aravis also learns that Aslan was the lion who slashed her in the back in retribution for the punishment administered to her slave-maid (whom Aravis dosed with a sleeping draught in order to escape).

Shasta is recognized as Cor, the eldest son of King Lune of Archenland, and Aravis comes to live at the castle of Anvard with the royal family. Many years later, Cor and Aravis marry, and she becomes queen of Archenland and mother of Ram the Great.

The character Aravis last appears in the book The Last Battle, attending the Great Reunion in Aslan's Country along with her husband, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and son.

Race issues

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Several writers, including Philip Pullman,[1][2] Kyrie O'Connor,[3] and Gregg Easterbrook,[4] consider the use of Calormene characters as villains to be evidence of racism. Aravis is often presented as a counterexample to this (along with Emeth, who is accepted in Aslan's country for good deeds worthy of Aslan), since she is sympathetically portrayed as a largely virtuous Calormene heroine.

References

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Further reading

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Aravis

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from Grokipedia
The Aravis Range (French: Chaîne des Aravis) is a mountain chain in the French Prealps spanning the departments of and in southeastern . It forms the northern section of the broader Aravis massif, characterized by rugged peaks, alpine meadows, and deep valleys that support both summer and winter activities. The range's highest summit, Pointe Percée, rises to 2,750 meters, offering panoramic views and serving as a focal point for . Renowned for its ski resorts such as La Clusaz, , and Manigod, the Aravis attracts visitors for downhill skiing, cross-country trails, and après-ski culture, with interconnected lifts facilitating access across four main stations. The area's pastures also contribute to France's dairy heritage, notably through the production of cheese from local herds grazing at elevations up to 2,000 meters. Etymologically linked to "elders" or "ancestors" in regional lore, the range's stems from tectonic uplift in the epoch, resulting in its distinctive features and cliffs. While popular for tourism, the Aravis faces environmental pressures from , including retreat and shifting snow patterns that impact seasonal sports and .

Character Description

Physical Appearance and Noble Status

Aravis bears the title of Tarkheena, denoting her position as a noblewoman in the stratified society of , where such honorifics are reserved for females of aristocratic lineage paralleling the male Tarkaan. She introduces herself as "the only daughter of Kidrash Tarkaan, the son of Rishti Tarkaan, the son of Kidrash Tarkaan, the son of Ilsombreh Tisroc," emphasizing a genealogy linking her directly to the ruling Tisroc through multiple paternal lines, which affirms her elite status and the associated duties, including prospective marriages arranged for political advantage. In the narrative, Aravis first appears as a slight, agile figure clad in her brother's armor, riding with proficiency on her Hwin, such that the Shasta initially perceives her as a beardless youth rather than a of approximately his own age. While in Tashbaan, she disguises herself as a high-status slave- in a wealthy , donning a to conceal her face and adopting attire befitting such a role to avoid pursuit by her father's agents. Following an attack by a during her flight northward, Aravis sustains deep gashes across her shoulders and back, leaving her with lasting scars that the narrative notes as disfiguring and a source of future humility, treated by the Hermit of the Southern March but never fully healed. The text omits specifics on her facial features, hair, or skin tone, focusing instead on her poised demeanor and physical resilience indicative of noble training in horsemanship and .

Core Personality Traits

Aravis exhibits pronounced pride as a foundational trait, derived from her upbringing as a Tarkheena in the hierarchical society of , where she initially views individuals of inferior status with disdain, such as her sharp retort to Shasta: "And what business is it of yours if I am only a ?" This manifests in her recounting of personal history with the "grand Calormene manner," underscoring an aristocratic self-assurance that borders on haughtiness. Complementing this is her , demonstrated decisively when she flees Tashbaan to evade a to the aged and obese Ahoshta Tarkaan, declaring her willingness to face death rather than submission. She endures physical peril, including a lion's attack during her journey, persisting without retreat and later displaying valor recognized by King Lune of Archenland. Independence defines her agency, rejecting the opulent life offered by Ahoshta—"He can keep his pearls and palaces"—in favor of self-directed flight on her mare Hwin, initially undertaken solo before allying with Shasta and Bree. This trait aligns with her aversion to traditional feminine pursuits like , preferring martial skills such as swordplay and horsemanship, which equip her for survival in hostile terrains. While these qualities form her initial core, Aravis's encounters foster as an evolving yet integral response to her pride; after reveals the suffering of her flogged slave girl Lasaraleen, she assumes fault—"It’s my fault"—and accepts scarring as just , marking a pivot toward . This development, culminating in her equitable to Shasta (Cor) and wise rule as queen, integrates humility without effacing her noble resolve.

Narrative Role and Biography

Origins in Calormen

Aravis Tarkheena was a noblewoman of , born as the daughter of a Tarkaan, a high-ranking lord in the rigidly hierarchical society of that empire. Her upbringing reflected the privileges and expectations of Calormene aristocracy, including education in , , and the use of weapons such as the curved , which she wielded proficiently from horseback. She took pride in her lineage, tracing it back through generations of Tisrocs and Tarkaans, including an ancestor named Ardeeb Tisroc, whom Calormene tradition held to be directly descended from the cruel god Tash. Following the death of her mother, Aravis's father remarried a who bore him a son, shifting family dynamics to favor the male heir and diminishing Aravis's position within the household. To secure alliances and remove her from considerations, her father arranged her to Ahoshta Tarkaan, the Grand —a much older man described as possessing a "cruel, proud face" with false teeth and a reputation for ambition over merit. Aravis, viewing the union as intolerable due to Ahoshta's age, appearance, and character, resolved to flee rather than submit, embodying a rare defiance against Calormene customs that prioritized obedience and arranged unions among the elite. In preparation for her escape from the city of Tashbaan, Aravis confided in her close friend Lasaraleen Tarkheena, another noblewoman known for her wealth and social connections, who provided temporary refuge in her palatial home and assisted in disguising Aravis as a servant. She also appropriated her own mare, —a Narnian talking stolen years earlier and unbeknownst to Aravis's family—and killed a slave girl who had discovered her plans, an act Aravis justified under Calormene norms permitting such punishments for disloyalty but which later prompted reflection on mercy. These events, occurring amid the opulent yet oppressive environment of , marked the culmination of her origins and propelled her northward toward Archenland.

Flight and Initial Adventures

Aravis fled her family home in at age thirteen to evade an to Ahoshta Tarkaan, an elderly, battle-scarred noble she found repulsive, after her father arranged the union following her brother's death in battle. Her mare Hwin, a Narnian stolen years earlier and now capable of speech, convinced Aravis to escape northward toward the Free Lands rather than commit , equipping her with a , provisions, and a plan to travel by night. Aravis rode out under darkness, leaving behind a household slave she had ordered beaten for , a decision that later contributed to her remorse. En route north, Aravis and Hwin encountered Shasta and Bree—a boy and talking stallion also fleeing northward—after a lion pursued each pair separately across a river, forcing them into alliance for safety. The four camped at the Tombs of the Ancient Kings, where Aravis revealed her noble Tarkheena heritage and disdain for Calormene customs, including arranged marriages and the worship of Tash, while the group bonded over their shared goal of reaching Narnia or Archenland. Aravis's pride initially clashed with Shasta's humble origins, but practical necessity forged their cooperation. To bypass the capital Tashbaan undetected, they joined a merchant caravan, with Aravis, Shasta, and the horses posing as attendants to a wealthy trader. Inside the city, the group separated amid crowds; Aravis sought shelter with her vain friend Lasaraleen Tarkheena, hiding in her palanquin and while overhearing Prince Rabadash conspire with the Tisroc to invade Archenland under pretense of pursuing of Narnia. Lasaraleen's superficial gossip and fear of scandal provided temporary cover but no strategic insight, underscoring Aravis's growing awareness of Calormene intrigue. Aravis escaped Tashbaan at dusk with Hwin and Bree, reuniting with Shasta at and relaying the invasion plot, which accelerated their flight across the despite risks of and pursuit. This phase marked Aravis's shift from solitary defiance to collective peril, tested by physical exhaustion and the lion's recurring interventions.

Key Events During the Journey North

In Tashbaan, Aravis sought refuge with her friend Lasaraleen Tarkheena, a wealthy noblewoman, where she inadvertently overheard Prince Rabadash plotting an invasion of Archenland under the guise of pursuing the Narnian delegation. This intelligence revealed Rabadash's deception toward King Lune, prompting Aravis to escape through the palace at night and rejoin Shasta, Bree, and Hwin at the ancient Tombs north of the city, where the group reunited to hasten northward. Pressing on across the parched lowlands bordering the desert, the companions faced exhaustion and pursuit by a —later identified as —which first separated Shasta, directing him alone to Anvard to warn of the . The beast then attacked Aravis and Hwin; while Hwin carried the wounded Aravis onward, the lion inflicted five parallel scratches across her back, mirroring the flogging her servant had endured after Aravis drugged her to facilitate the initial escape from her home. Bree, panicked by the encounter, fled temporarily before regrouping, as the incident forced Aravis to confront her prior indifference to the maid's suffering. Hwin bore the injured Aravis to the cottage of the of the Southern March, a wise recluse who tended her wounds with herbal remedies and provided shelter. From this vantage, the Hermit observed the approaching Calormene forces via his reflective pool, confirming the invasion's progression toward Anvard. Aravis remained under his care during the ensuing battle, where Archenland's defenses, bolstered by Narnian aid alerted by Shasta, repelled Rabadash's army, effectively ending the journey north and securing the travelers' arrival in Archenland.

Integration into Archenland and Later Life

Upon the successful defense of Anvard against the Calormene invasion led by Prince Rabadash, Aravis received in Archenland from King Lune, who acknowledged her role in averting disaster despite her Calormene origins. , manifesting to explain the scratches inflicted earlier on her back—intended as retribution for her whipping of her servant girl—assured her that the wounds would heal into scars that would "make [her] a great " unfit for a cruel husband but ideal for a noble one, symbolizing her transition from Tarkheena pride to . These permanent marks prevented her from resuming Calormene veils and seclusion, compelling adaptation to Archenland's more egalitarian customs and fostering her moral growth. Aravis eventually married Cor (formerly Shasta), the newly recognized crown prince and King Lune's long-lost son, solidifying her integration into the royal family. Following Lune's death, Cor ascended the throne, with Aravis as ; their reign, alongside talking horses Bree and Hwin who retired nearby, emphasized justice and prosperity in Archenland. The couple's relationship featured youthful "quarrels (and, I'm afraid, even fights)" that they invariably reconciled, maturing into the "happy husband and wife" praised in chronicles of their era. They produced heirs, including their son Ram, who later ruled as Ram the Great and expanded Archenland's influence through alliances and conquests. Aravis's later years reflected her enduring scars as badges of transformation, contributing to a legacy of wise governance unmarred by her prior cultural detachment.

Thematic Significance

Pride, Humility, and Moral Growth

Aravis begins her journey characterized by the pride inherent to her status as a Tarkheena, a noblewoman of , viewing those of lower social standing, such as the escaped slave Shasta, with disdain and self-assured superiority. This arrogance manifests in her initial interactions, where she prioritizes her own escape from an over consideration for others' suffering, exemplified by her act of knocking out her servant girl to facilitate her flight, leaving the maid to face severe punishment. A pivotal moment of enforced occurs during the group's evasion of pursuit, when a —later revealed as —attacks and inflicts nine parallel scratches across Aravis's shoulders, mirroring the lashes her servant endured as for the maid's supposed in the escape. Aslan explains this intervention as a deliberate means to cultivate , stating that the wounds serve to make Aravis "know what it is to know" the pain inflicted on the innocent servant due to her deceit, thereby dismantling her unreflective pride and compelling her to confront the causal consequences of her actions. This physical and psychological trial marks a turning point, prompting Aravis to acknowledge her fault without evasion, fostering an internal moral reckoning aligned with principles of and . Through subsequent trials, including the rigors of the and the battle at Anvarin, Aravis's character evolves toward greater and communal orientation, as she forms genuine bonds with Shasta (revealed as Prince Cor) and the talking horses, relinquishing her earlier for mutual reliance and trust. This arc culminates in her integration into Archenland, where she eschews ambitions of restored nobility or romantic elevation—rejecting a potential union with Cor in favor of a "sisterly" role—and embraces a life of quiet virtue under Aslan's providence, embodying a transformation from self-regarding to selfless moral maturity. Analyses of narrative frame this development as illustrative of 's redemptive power over pride, drawing on the author's broader ethical framework without implying flawless execution but grounded in the text's causal progression of events.

Contrast with Narnian Values

Aravis's initial , forged in 's rigid aristocratic , starkly opposes core Narnian principles of and . In , social order demands absolute obedience to superiors, including tolerance for and punitive cruelty toward subordinates, as evidenced by Aravis's casual of her slave's impending beating after drugging her to cover her escape. This indifference to the suffering of those deemed inferior clashes with Narnia's rejection of and its recognition of inherent dignity for all talking creatures under Aslan's sovereignty, where supplants hierarchical brutality. Religiously, Aravis embodies Calormene devotion to Tash—a god associated with and —contrasting Narnia's monotheistic fealty to , who embodies sacrificial love and providential justice rather than fatalistic submission to cruel deities. Calormene culture's polytheistic rituals and expansionist imperialism further highlight this divide, portraying a society that exalts power and conquest over Narnia's values of stewardship and peaceable coexistence among diverse beings. Aravis's prideful , a hallmark of Calormene , initially resists Narnian and gratitude toward , as seen in her defensive reaction to Shasta's moral outrage over the slave incident. Yet, her transformative lash from enforces a humbling parallel to the slave's , compelling her to reckon with Calormene callousness and embrace Narnian virtues of and accountability to a higher moral law. This evolution underscores Lewis's portrayal of Narnian values as morally superior, rooted in individual over collectivist conformity.

Gender and Agency in Lewis's Worldview

Aravis's portrayal in (1954) demonstrates C.S. Lewis's affirmation of female agency through her proactive defiance of Calormene customs, including her flight from an to the elderly Ahoshta Tarkaan, her disguise as a traveler, and her strategic alliance with Shasta, Bree, and Hwin during perilous travels. Despite Calormen's patriarchal structure, where noblewomen like Tarkheenas are veiled and denied public authority, Aravis exhibits self-directed resourcefulness, wielding a for and navigating survival challenges such as the lion's attacks and the Tashbaan escape. This reflects Lewis's complementarian framework, rooted in , wherein women hold equal dignity and rational capacity to men but exercise agency in alignment with moral and providential ends rather than autonomous . Lewis integrates Aravis's independence with accountability to higher authority, as her prideful whipping of a slave girl incurs parallel scratches from , enforcing and as prerequisites for authentic moral action. Her arc culminates not in perpetual solitude but in voluntary partnership—marrying Cor (Shasta) as equals in Archenland's —illustrating view that female agency flourishes within complementary relations and communal virtue, distinct from Calormene or unchecked . This contrasts with modern egalitarian critiques, which often misread traditionalism as diminishment, yet his depiction empowers Aravis as a heroic figure whose decisions propel the plot and embody redemptive growth. In broader Narnian theology, Aravis parallels figures like , affirming women's capacity for intellectual discernment and courage without erasing , which Lewis saw as revelatory of divine order. Her integration into Archenland signifies liberation from pagan toward Christian , where agency involves submission to Aslan's will, underscoring Lewis's causal realism: human volition operates within divine sovereignty, enabling women to enact and . Academic analyses noting Lewis's progression toward less stereotyped heroines in Aravis support this, as her avoids passivity, instead highlighting purposeful initiative tempered by .

Portrayals in Adaptations

Stage and Radio Versions

A full-cast radio dramatization of aired on in 1994, produced and directed by John Taylor as part of the station's adaptations of series. In this version, Aravis is depicted as a resolute and aristocratic Calormene少女 whose voice conveys her initial haughtiness and subsequent transformation through trials, including her whipping by , remaining faithful to Lewis's portrayal of her cultural pride yielding to . Focus on the Family released a Radio Theatre production in , in collaboration with the Company, featuring orchestral scoring and sound effects to evoke the novel's journeys and encounters. Aravis's role underscores her and moral reckoning, with her interactions with Shasta and the talking highlighting themes of providence, portrayed through that preserves her sharp wit and evolving deference to higher authority. Stage adaptations of have been limited but notable, with the Logos Theatre in premiering a production in 2015 that toured widely, including performances at the in 2024. Aravis is enacted by young actresses, such as Hope Barr in the 2019 run and Liliana Groth in a 2023 staging, dressed in period-inspired Calormene robes to emphasize her noble background, with accentuating her physical during the escape and her claw-marked reckoning as a pivotal moment of character development. The in mounted a production in , incorporating immersive elements and for the horses, where Aravis's portrayal focused on her agency as a fleeing noblewoman, blending verbal sparring with Shasta and visual cues of her cultural to the Narnian audience. These stage versions generally cast Aravis with performers of Middle Eastern descent to align with her Tarkaan heritage, prioritizing fidelity to Lewis's depiction of her as intellectually capable yet initially self-reliant, rather than altering her arc for modern sensibilities.

Visual and Audio Interpretations

Aravis's visual depictions derive chiefly from the illustrations by , whom personally commissioned for series, including the 1954 Geoffrey Bles edition of . Baynes portrayed Aravis as a poised adolescent noblewoman with sharp features, long dark hair, and attire evoking Calormene opulence—flowing robes, veils, and occasionally a —emphasizing her initial pride through erect posture and stern gaze, which evolve to reflect humility in later scenes. Key illustrations capture her evading pursuit on Hwin, conversing amid cushions with Lasaraleen in Tashbaan, and recoiling from the lion's assault, the latter showing parallel claw marks on her back mirroring Shasta's. These line drawings, rendered in a whimsical yet detailed style consistent with Baynes's work for Tolkien, have defined canonical imagery, appearing in subsequent printings and influencing . No major cinematic or televisual adaptations of exist as of 2025, limiting screen portrayals of Aravis to unofficial fan productions or speculative trailers, which lack authoritative status. In audio interpretations, the 2001 Radio Theatre dramatization assigns the role of Aravis to Jody , whose performance employs a clipped, imperious for early dialogues—conveying Tarkheena entitlement during encounters with Shasta and Bree—transitioning to subdued post-lion attack, augmented by sound effects of hoofbeats and winds for immersion. This full-cast production, spanning over three hours with original score, adheres closely to the text's events. Straightforward audiobook renditions further interpret Aravis via narrator emphasis on her lines. In the HarperAudio unabridged version, reads her parts with a refined, slightly exotic —evoking Calormene formality through precise enunciation—highlighting shifts from defiant retorts to reflective admissions of fault, as in her with Cor. This approach prioritizes textual fidelity over character voices, running approximately four hours.

Critical Analysis and Debates

Literary Strengths and

Aravis begins the as a proud and self-assured Tarkheena of nobility, characterized by her independence, martial skills in , horsemanship, and swordplay, and a disdain for subservience, prompting her flight from an to the elderly Ahoshta Tarkaan. Her initial indifference to the suffering of others is evident when she drugs her servant girl to facilitate her escape, justifying it as necessary without remorse for the lashes the servant would endure. This portrayal establishes her as a capable but flawed , embodying classical heroic traits of and resourcefulness tempered by cultural and . Central to her arc is the providential intervention by , who inflicts scratches on her back mirroring the ten lashes her servant received, enforcing a direct lesson in : "tear for tear, throb for throb." This physical and moral reckoning, coupled with shared perils like the lion attack and desert hardships, erodes her hauteur; she apologizes to Shasta (later Cor) for prior snubs, acknowledging his bravery and her own errors. Her development progresses from a classical reliant on personal prowess to a figure of spiritual , integrating Calormene heritage with Narnian values of mercy and community. Lewis's literary strength lies in Aravis's authentic transformation, which avoids abrupt conversion by grounding it in experiential consequences and relational dynamics, such as her eventual to Cor after years of bickering, yielding a lineage including the renowned Ram the Great. As a foil to Shasta's humble origins, she illustrates parallel paths to self-knowledge under divine guidance, highlighting themes of free agency within providence without diminishing her agency or reducing her to passivity. This nuanced arc exemplifies Lewis's skill in crafting multidimensional female characters who evolve through trial, earning respect in Narnia's egalitarian society, as seen in her later camaraderie with .

Allegations of Cultural and Racial Stereotyping

Critics applying Edward Said's framework of have argued that Aravis's depiction as a Calormene noblewoman reinforces stereotypes of Eastern cultures as despotic, cruel, and in need of Western moral enlightenment. In (published 1954), Aravis flees an to an elderly noble, a plot element interpreted as evoking tropes of subjugated Oriental women requiring rescue, akin to narratives critiqued in Lila Abu-Lughod's analysis of saving Muslim women from patriarchal traditions. Aravis's initial actions, such as whipping her slave to ensure silence before fleeing, have been cited as exemplifying alleged racial and portraying Calormene as inherently barbaric and slave-dependent, contrasting with the freedom of Narnian society. This incident leads to her punishment by Aslan's claws, which some commentators claim disproportionately penalizes her cultural norms compared to Narnian characters' moral failings, implying an ethnocentric judgment of Calormene inferiority. The character's physical description—dark-faced with a "hawk's beak" nose and a "cruel and haughty" expression—has drawn accusations of invoking exoticized, othering typical of mid-20th-century Western views of Middle Eastern peoples, aligning with stereotyped featuring turbans, veils, and polytheistic under the Tash. Aravis's flowery, verbose speech patterns, including ritualistic phrases like invocations of the Tisroc's eternal life, are alleged to caricature Eastern as pretentious and insincere, furthering a binary of noble, plain-spoken Northerners versus verbose Southerners. Her narrative arc, culminating in rejection of Calormene customs, adoption of Archenlandi values, and marriage to Cor (formerly Shasta), has been interpreted as promoting as redemption, thereby stereotyping non-European identities as morally deficient until aligned with a Christian-inspired Northern ideal. Such views, prominent in post-1970s postcolonial literary analysis, posit that Lewis unwittingly drew on British imperial-era stereotypes of Ottoman or Persian societies to construct as a foil, embedding racial hierarchies in the character's transformation.

Rebuttals Emphasizing Moral and Religious Contrasts

Defenders of Lewis's portrayal contend that the depiction of Calormenes, including Aravis's origins, prioritizes and religious antitheses over racial attributes, drawing from Christian critiques of and tyranny rather than ethnic prejudice. Calormene society embodies systemic vices such as routine , ritual to the Tash, and a fatalistic that stifles individual agency, contrasting sharply with Narnia's of freedom under Aslan's benevolent rule, which echoes Christian notions of grace and accountability. This framework aligns with Lewis's broader theological aim to illustrate how false religions foster cruelty and hierarchy, as seen in Calormene poetry that extols and , while Narnian values promote and . Aravis's narrative arc exemplifies this religious-moral pivot: initially steeped in Calormene pride and entitlement—she beats her slave and views escape as a noble exploit—her transformation occurs through encounters with Narnian and Aslan's providential discipline, such as the lion's wounds mirroring her slave's lashes, compelling self-reflection and . Her eventual integration into Archenland, marked by to Cor, underscores that moral redemption transcends cultural origins, achievable via alignment with Aslan's truth rather than inherent racial traits. This rebuts charges of immutable stereotyping by showing Calormene flaws as culturally contingent on polytheistic and , not ; Lewis reinforces this in The Last Battle, where the Calormene , devout to Tash yet sincere in virtue, enters Aslan's presence, affirming that authentic seeking of goodness pierces religious veils irrespective of nationality. Critics alleging racial animus overlook Lewis's portrayal of prejudice as a vice across groups—Narnian dwarves exhibit speciesism and ethnocentrism in The Silver Chair, deemed evil—while Calormene antagonism stems from ideological opposition, akin to historical Christian analyses of imperial paganism, not modern racial categories. Lewis's own anti-racist stance in non-fiction, decrying prejudice as contrary to imago Dei, further evidences that Calormen serves didactic purposes: contrasting coerced obedience to idols with voluntary service to a personal God, thereby privileging spiritual causation over superficial traits. Such interpretations, rooted in Lewis's corpus, maintain that the narrative's tensions arise from ethical incompatibilities, like Calormene disregard for talking beasts versus Narnia's harmony, mirroring biblical oppositions between covenant fidelity and idolatry.

References

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  17. http://narniareflection.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-horse-and-his-boy-chapter-7-aravis.html
  18. https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/horse-and-his-boy/
  19. https://www.enotes.com/topics/horse-his/questions/summary-and-analysis-of-the-horse-and-his-boy-3138891
  20. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/28690-aravis-also-had-many-quarrels-and-i-m-afraid-even-fights
  21. https://narniafans.com/forum/threads/cor-and-aravis.29486/
  22. http://narniareflection.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-horse-and-his-boy-chapter-15.html
  23. http://robertvelarde.blogspot.com/2008/08/heart-of-narnia-humility-and-pride.html
  24. https://exnarnian.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/top-ten-narnia-scenes-for-understanding-aslan-no-7/
  25. http://alegacyofgrace.blogspot.com/2011/05/timeless-lessons-from-narnia-wounding.html
  26. https://gospelaccordingtosuperheroes.weebly.com/posts/at-the-back-of-all-stories-the-horse-and-his-boy-chapter-14
  27. https://sobrief.com/books/the-horse-and-his-boy
  28. https://storytellergirlgrace.com/2016/05/25/strong-women-of-fantasy-aravis-from-the-chronicles-of-narnia/
  29. http://www.samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/PDFs/Horse&HisBoy_CSL.pdf
  30. https://apilgriminnarnia.com/2021/09/15/narnia-and-race-whyte/
  31. https://www.quora.com/Is-Narnia-superior-over-Calormen-in-The-Horse-and-His-Boy-by-C-S-Lewis
  32. https://reactormag.com/ethnocentrism-heathens-and-heretics-in-the-horse-and-his-boy/
  33. https://www.quora.com/Why-did-Aslan-attack-Aravis-in-The-Horse-and-His-Boy
  34. https://solomonsays.net/2025/01/05/kingliness-v-the-treehouse-in-the-horse-his-boy/
  35. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-horse-and-his-boy/themes/gender-roles
  36. https://www.epm.org/resources/2017/Jan/30/c-s-lewis-view-women/
  37. https://www.acton.org/religion-liberty/volume-33-number-4/cs-lewis-and-apocalypse-gender
  38. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=honors-theses
  39. https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/99094/GRADU-1464350817.pdf?sequence=1
  40. https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstreams/b94862bf-28da-44a4-a417-58a6a550fd54/download
  41. https://dspace.cuni.cz/bitstream/handle/20.500.11956/185323/130369259.pdf?sequence=1
  42. https://www.discogs.com/release/26940062-CS-Lewis-The-Chronicles-Of-Narnia-The-Horse-And-His-Boy-A-BBC-Radio-4-Full-Cast-Dramatisation
  43. https://narnia.fandom.com/wiki/The_Horse_and_His_Boy_%28Focus_on_the_Family_Radio_Theatre%29
  44. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1315&context=cslewisjournal
  45. https://dctheaterarts.org/2023/06/06/theres-plenty-to-be-wowed-and-stirred-by-in-the-horse-and-his-boy/
  46. https://arkencounter.com/blog/2024/09/12/horse-and-his-boy-returns/
  47. https://mommygearest.com/the-horse-and-his-boy-review-shaw-festival/
  48. https://www.narniaweb.com/2019/02/first-look-at-shasta-and-bree-in-the-horse-and-his-boy-stage-play/
  49. https://www.paulinebaynes.com/?what=artifacts&image_id=571&cat=69
  50. http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/pauline-baynes-queen-of-narnia-and.html
  51. https://tylerhuckabee.blog/2015/06/03/casting-the-inevitable-the-horse-his-boy-movie/
  52. https://www.amazon.com/Horse-His-Boy-Audio-Drama/dp/B00EA0911K
  53. https://www.christianbook.com/horse-his-boy-radio-theatre-cds/c-s-lewis/9781624053603/pd/053603
  54. https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Horse-and-His-Boy-Audiobook/B002V57SW0
  55. https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstreams/a3054eab-b320-464e-986d-ba713e313e78/download
  56. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-horse-and-his-boy/chapter-15
  57. https://christinefolch.com/2017/12/07/troubling-foundations-orientalism-in-c-s-lewis-narnia/
  58. https://dspace.uni.lodz.pl:8443/xmlui/bitstream/11089/28813/1/201-215%2520Wicher_The%2520Discourse%2520of%2520Orientalism.pdf
  59. https://hayleyism.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/revisiting-narnia-aravis-the-tarkheena/
  60. https://salvationist.ca/articles/c-s-lewis-and-racism/
  61. https://www.pintswithjack.com/the-chronicles-of-narnia-c-s-lewis-and-race/
  62. https://lorehaven.com/speculativefaith/my-time-in-calormen/
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