Tea and Fauns Who Drink It
I have C. S. Lewis to thank for my early introduction to the English ritual of tea. Proper tea is not just the actual tea. It is scones, small sandwiches, crackers and spread and smoked goodies and whatever else happens to be available. It is a fourth meal in a world that only has room for three. Coffee has been condensed into a drive-thru at Starbucks or an hour-old pot sitting on a counter, whereas tea makes you sit and wait while it steeps before you can enjoy it. High tea really is a fourth meal and if you leave feeling less than full, you've done it wrong.
Tea also has a certain mysticism about it. It was cultivated in the far east and brought back for consumption by those who could afford blends with exotic sounding names like Assam, Dimbuta, Nilgiri and Darjeeling. It also is the source for my favorite quote from Toy Story, by Buzz Lightyear (who just found out he was only a toy): "One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and, suddenly, you find yourself sucking down Darjeeling with Marie Antoinette... and her little sister."
Today, I enjoy green tea as it helps alleviate my Fibromyalgia symptoms. While I drink it for the curative powers, humans and--as luck would have it--polite fauns drink it as a way to be social and hospitable.
Tumnus introduces himself to Lucy and he's unsure at first what to do when he learns that she's a human girl. We find out later that he has general instructions from the White Witch to kidnap any humans he finds and bring them to her. Tumnus slips into the role of "traitor" with only a moment's hesitation. He almost says, "That is to say, delighted ...if we weren't under the curse and control of the White Witch, who, by the way, wants to kill you." That's an awkward way to start off a conversation. He doesn't want Lucy's friendship at all at first. He immediately begins luring her back to his cave to feed her and put her to sleep to kidnap her. Because she's from an age where anyone with manners would be assumed to have wholesome intentions, Lucy believes the faun. She's innocent, trusting and more filled with wonder than fright in this new land.
Jack's description of the cave is the antithesis of what we would call a cave. Where all the caves I've been in are cold, dank and dark, this one is immediately cozy and warm with rugs, a fire, furniture and bookcases filled with strange titles like,"Is Man a Myth?" It gives explanation for the fright Tumnus has. He meets Lucy with the same composure as we would if we were to meet Sasquatch or the Loch Ness monster.
Tumnus tells her tales of Narnia that is really our only indication in this book of what Narnia once was before the spell of the White Witch. He is quite nostalgic over the memories he has. The author draws from Greco-Roman mythology as well as the mythology used by his friend, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Tumnus then plays a flute for Lucy and uses an enchantment to put her to sleep. Lewis never lets us know how successful he is in doing so because he plays it from Lucy's point of view, and she is never aware that she is enchanted, merely that she was there for what must have been hours and then she shook herself. It could be that Tumnus allowed Lucy to awaken or it may have been Aslan's intervention, as the recent LWW movie implies. At any rate, Tumnus is overcome with regret and contrition as he comes to realize that humans are harmless and how his betrayal of such a harmless being is reprehensible and vile.
We see from Lucy's point of view when Tumnus reveals his treachery to her. She is horrified at the prospect of such a sinister action and Tumnus is redeemed by his risking his life to return Lucy to her world. Realizing that the White Witch's power extends throughout Narnia turns a bright and snowy land to a cruel, cold world. Lucy's escape is a breathless one.
Of Fauns And Men
Again, Lewis brings so much in such a short time. The world of Narnia is implied to have an economy (the parcels Tumnus carries), publishers and authors (because of the books in his cave), teachers and sciences (school and geography), family history and other structures similar to our world, and yet none of it is ever seen in LWW and very little elsewhere in the Chronicles of Narnia. It's not essential to the story, so I think Jack included it to make Tumnus much more "human" so we would later feel Lucy's urgency in trying to rescue Tumnus from the clutches of the witch.
Additionally, most folks, even children can relate to a trust betrayed or even a betrayal. It's the first of two betrayals, both in the favor of the White Witch. Jack wants us to revile her from the start. She is evil and rules by evil means. Jack would never do this to a human, so he makes her unhuman to compliment her inhumanity. But that's for later chapters.
Please comment with what you think.
