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The Horse and His Boy is a novel by C.S. Lewis. It was published in 1954, making it the fifth of seven books published in Lewis' series The Chronicles of Narnia. The books in this series are sometimes ordered chronologically in relation to the events in the books as opposed to the dates of their original publication. In this alternate ordering, The Horse and His Boy is the third book, being a midquel of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Although it was published after The Silver Chair, it was written before it, so in written order it is fourth. The story is also referred to as a story-within-a-story in the fourth published book, The Silver Chair. The Horse and His Boy is the only Narnia book which does not feature children from our world as the story's main characters, although the adult Queen Lucy, Queen Susan, and King Edmund, (all of whom first appear in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) do appear in the book.
Synopsis
A young boy called Shasta has been found and raised by Arsheesh, a Calormene fisherman. Arsheesh agrees to sell the boy to a powerful Calormene feudal noble. Shasta is glad to hear that he is not the fisherman's true son, and awaits his new master in the donkey stable outside the fisherman's house. As he muses aloud, the noble's stallion, Bree, begins to talk to Shasta, who is astounded. Together the pair decide to escape the cruel Calormen by riding north for Narnia. They meet another pair of escaping travellers, a young Calormene royal, Aravis, and her talking horse, Hwin.
When the four arrive at the capital city of Calormen, Tashbaan, they are forced to travel through it. They encounter a procession of visiting Narnian royalty, who see Shasta and mistake him for Corin, a prince of Archenland, who was traveling with the Narnians but had run away. Shasta is too scared to protest. He discovers that the Narnians are planning to escape from Calormen for fear of being kept prisoner if Queen Susan refuses to marry the Calormene prince, Rabadash. When Shasta is alone, the real Prince Corin climbs through the window and tells Shasta how to leave the city.
Meanwhile, Aravis has been spotted by her noblewoman friend Lasaraleen, but warns the girl not to tell anyone that she has seen her. Lasaraleen agrees, although she cannot understand why Aravis would want to leave the luxurious life of the Calormene nobility. She helps Aravis to escape through the palace, although they are frightened when they realise that they have stumbled into the room of the Tisroc. They briefly hide behind a chair, and overhear the Tisroc planning to attack Archenland as a means of later invading Narnia.
Once outside the city, Aravis meets Shasta and the Horses. The four of them make the unpleasant journey across the desert to try and warn the people of Archenland and Narnia that the Calormenes are coming to wage war on them. A pursuing lion forces the travellers into moving at great speed, although in the process, Aravis is injured and the horses become exhausted. These three rest with an old hermit while Shasta continues alone. He meets and warns the Archenland army, who are able to defeat the Calormenes. King Lune of Archenland sees that Shasta is really Cor, the long lost twin of Prince Corin. Aravis and Cor live in Archenland thereafter and eventually marry years later.
Commentary
Shasta resembles Moses in much the same way that some of Lewis' other Narnia books resemble events in the life of Jesus.
The association of Cor with horses, and his twin brother Corin with boxing, recalls the traditional associations of the Spartan twins Castor and Pollux of Greek mythology.
The relationship between Aravis and Lasaraleen is similar to the dynamic between the sisters Antigone and Ismene in Greek tragedy.
Notes and Connections to Other Narnia Books
While The Horse and His Boy was the fifth book published (and third one in chronological order), it was actually the fourth book written See Paul E. Ford's Companion to Narnia. This explains the two references to the adventures in The Horse and His Boy in The Silver Chair. In addition, both books have strong female characters: Aravis, and Jill Pole in The Silver Chair.
Corin, Cor (or Shasta) and Aravis all appear in the great reunion in The Last Battle.
Adaptations
Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media currently retain the option to make The Horse and His Boy in the future.
External Links
Twentieth century British novels | 1954 novels | Narnia books
Брий и неговото момче | Der Ritt nach Narnia | Le Cheval et son écuyer | Il cavallo e il ragazzo | הסוס ונערו | Kuda dan Budaknya | Het paard en de jongen | 馬と少年 | O Cavalo e seu Menino | Hästen och hans pojke
"The Horse and His Boy"