Is Narnia Christian? C.S. Lewis, Aslan and the Fairy Tale

Quick answer. Yes, the Narnia books are Christian, though not as allegory. C.S. Lewis said the Christian element "pushed itself in of its own accord" as he wrote, and he described Aslan as a "supposal": an imagined answer to the question of what Christ might become like in a world like Narnia. 

The Chronicles of Narnia 

In the Narnia series, readers of all ages will encounter goodness and sin, danger and delight, sacrificial death and resurrected life, longing for home and journeying in far-off lands. The images, characters and storylines that Lewis paints will form a part of how you view the world and will shape you for the better. 

But how did the Christian story find its way into a children's fairy tale? And is Aslan meant to be Jesus? Lewis answered both questions himself. 

Christian Fairy Tales 

It was images in the imagination, not Christian themes, that first inspired the writing of these books. Lewis wrote: 

Everything began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn't even anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord. 

— C.S. Lewis, "Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to Be Said", The New York Times, 1956 

The Christian element did push its way in, though Lewis was firm that the Narnia stories are not allegory. They are myth or Fairy Story, which seek to present a "supposal", his own word for an imagined "what if". In a letter to Mrs Hook in December 1958, Lewis wrote that Aslan: 

is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, 'What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?' 

— C.S. Lewis, letter to Mrs Hook, December 1958, in Letters of C.S. Lewis 

This causes the stories to be rich and relatable, giving us echoes of the truths of our world, and the reality of Christianity, reminding us of tastes and smells we long for. 

Lewis chose the fairy tale for a reason. He wanted to get past the stiff reverence that can make Christian truth feel distant, especially to children: 

I thought I saw how stories of this kind could steal past a certain inhibition which had paralysed much of my own religion in childhood. […] An obligation to feel can freeze feelings. And reverence itself did harm. The whole subject was associated with lowered voices; almost as if it were something medical. But supposing that by casting all these things into an imaginary world, stripping them of their stained-glass and Sunday school associations, one could make them for the first time appear in their real potency? Could one not thus steal past those watchful dragons? I thought one could. 

— C.S. Lewis, "Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to Be Said", The New York Times, 1956 

He was also clear that fairy tales aren’t only for the young. In the dedication of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis wrote to his goddaughter Lucy Barfield that she had grown too old for fairy tales by the time the book was printed. He then added: 

But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. 

— C.S. Lewis, dedication to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) 

That’s why a family can read Narnia together and parents will find the stories speaking to them as much as to their children. 

What Is Narnia? 

Lewis tells his story in a land of his own making. Several children and a few adults travel from our world to the world of Narnia throughout the series. It’s a place where men, animals and mythical creatures coexist and talk with one another. There are evil forces at play: the White Witch, the wicked god Tash, King Miraz of the Telmarines and more. But each story in the series tells of the triumph of good over evil. 

This sort of story is critical for children, as G.K. Chesterton describes: 

Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon. 

— G.K. Chesterton, "The Red Angel", Tremendous Trifles (1909), free at Project Gutenberg 

Take up and read. Narnia will feed your soul. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Narnia and Christianity 

Are the Narnia books Christian? 

Yes, though not as allegory. Lewis said the Christian element "pushed itself in of its own accord" as he wrote, and described Narnia as a "supposal" of what the incarnation, death and resurrection of Christ might look like in a world like Narnia. 

Is Aslan Jesus? 

Lewis wrote that Aslan is "not allegory at all". He is an imaginary answer to the question of what Christ might become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate, die and rise again in that world. 

Is Narnia an allegory? 

No. Lewis said that if Aslan simply represented God, he would be an allegorical figure. Instead, Narnia asks a "what if", and Aslan is the answer: Christ as He might be known in a world of talking beasts. 

Did Lewis write Narnia for children? 

He wrote fairy tales, which he did not think belonged only to children. Lewis said he never wrote down to anyone, and that "a book worth reading only in childhood is not worth reading even then." 

— C.S. Lewis, "Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to Be Said", The New York Times, 1956 

Where to Go from Here 

As you read, may the echoes of Narnia lead you back to Christ himself, who in our own world came, died and rose again. 

Ready to begin? Our guide to which order to read the Narnia books in and which edition to buy will help you choose. 

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