What is Calormen based on?
C.S. Lewis may have based Calormen off of the Middle East, especially the Ottoman Empire, as well as Ancient Persia and India. Both have arid climates with dark-skinned inhabitants, although the Persians and many northern Indians have lighter skin.
Is Calormen a real place?
Calormen is one of the nation-states portrayed in the fictional world created by C. S. Lewis in his series of short children's novels The Chronicles of Narnia , the most well-known of which is The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe .
Who do the Calormenes represent?
This project analyzes the theological importance of Calormenes, the Witch figure, and Telmarines, finding Calormenes represent the religious lost, the Witch figure represents Lilith and Satan the Tempter, and the Telmarines represent an atheistic worldview.
Is Archenland part of Narnia?
Archenland is a mountainous country south of Narnia. It is bordered on the north by Narnia and on the south by the Winding Arrow river. The seat of government is at Anvard, in the heart of the country, a fortified area. Calormen is a semi-arid empire in the south of the world of Narnia.
Where did the other humans in Narnia come from?
Most of the known humans to enter into Narnia were from England. One exception is the Telmarines's ancestors, who were pirates. They entered Narnia accidentally through one of the chasms between Narnia and Earth, which had been plentiful in the past, but were then dwindling.
Who does Tash represent in Narnia?
At the end of the series, Tash is revealed as the antithesis of Aslan (who represents Jesus), and appears as a terrible demon, with a skeletal, humanoid body, a vulture-like head, and four taloned arms. Tash (or taş) means stone in Turkish....Tash (Narnia)TashChildrenThe first Tisroc (Claimed)NationalityCalormen5 more rows
Who are the Telmarines based on?
Telmarine leaders of Narnia in Prince Caspian are King Miraz (brother of the late Caspian IX), Queen Prunaprismia, Lord Glozelle, and Lord Sopespian....Telmarines.Narnia under Telmarine MonarchyCoat of arms of Narnia under Telmarine monarchy Based on illustration by Pauline BaynesCreated byC. S. LewisGenreJuvenile fantasy8 more rows
What is Telmar in Narnia?
Telmar is the ancient homeland of the Telmarines. It is a land that is across the sea from Narnia, and the human ancestors of the people who would become the Telmarines found their way to Telmar—which was uninhabited at the time—through a chasm between worlds.
What is money called in Narnia?
Currency. Narnia's currency is the lion, which is divided into an indeterminate number of trees.
Why did Susan stop believing in Narnia?
There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick. She's become irreligious basically because she found sex.
How long is 1 year in Narnia?
The entire Narnian timeline, from its creation to its end (1–2555), ran parallel to 49 Earth-years (1900–1949), thus on average a year on Earth meant 5,214 years in Narnia.
Why did Aslan destroy Narnia?
Destruction of Narnia 2,555 years after Narnia's creation, the world of Narnia was destroyed after the ape Shift attempted to deceive the inhabitants of Narnia into thinking that a donkey, Puzzle, was the actual Aslan. Shift also made an alliance with Calormen, and ended up inadvertently summoning the evil god Tash.
What is Telmar in Narnia?
Telmar is the ancient homeland of the Telmarines. It is a land that is across the sea from Narnia, and the human ancestors of the people who would become the Telmarines found their way to Telmar—which was uninhabited at the time—through a chasm between worlds.
Who created Charn?
C. S. LewisCharnFirst appearanceThe Magician's NephewCreated byC. S. LewisGenreJuvenile fantasyIn-universe information3 more rows
What is money called in Narnia?
Currency. Narnia's currency is the lion, which is divided into an indeterminate number of trees.
Who is Tisroc in the horse and his boy?
The Tisroc is the king of Calormen, and the two girls find themselves in danger when they sneak into his palace at night. The Tisroc and his son, Prince Rabadash, walk into the room where the girls are hiding, and they overhear the Prince's plans to attack Archenland and Narnia.
Who founded Calormen?
According to the Narnian timeline published by Walter Hooper, Calormen was founded by Archen outlaws, who traveled over the Great Desert to the south some 24 years after Archenland 's founding.
What are the Calormenes?
Calormenes are described as dark-skinned, with the men mostly bearded. Flowing robes, turbans and wooden shoes with an upturned point at the toe are common items of clothing, and the preferred weapon is the scimitar. Lavish palaces are present in the Calormene capital Tashbaan. The overall leitmotif of Calormene culture is portrayed as ornate to the point of ostentation. The people of Calormen are concerned with maintaining honour and precedent, often speaking in maxims and quoting their ancient poets. Veneration of elders and absolute deference to power are marks of Calormene society. Power and wealth determine class and social standing, and slavery is commonplace. The unit of currency is the Crescent. Narnians hold Calormenes in disdain for their treatment of animals and slaves. Conversely, Calormenes refer to the human inhabitants of Narnia as "barbarians". All of this appears quite consistent with the Osmanli Turkish Ottoman Empire (1299-1923), its known and purported splendor, rigid class structure, and the always-volatile relationship with many of its European neighbors.
What was the name of the island that became a major source of slaves for Calormen?
As narrated in that book, after the Telmarine kings cut Narnia off from the sea, the Lone Islands —though in theory remaining a Narnian possession—fell into the Calormene sphere of influence, becoming a major source of slaves for Calormen and adopting the Calormene Crescent as the islands' currency.
What does Lewis mean by "calormene"?
When using the name as an adjective or an ethnonym, Lewis spelled the name with an 'e' at the end: a Calormene / kəˈlɔːrmən / soldier; "The Calormenes have dark faces and long beards.". Narnia and Calormen are separated by the country of Archenland and a large desert.
What does Calormenes disparage?
Calormenes disparage Narnian poetry, contending that it is all about things like love and war and not about useful maxims, but when the Calormen-raised Cor and Aravis first hear Narnian (or Cor's native Archenlandish) poetry they find it much more exciting.
What is the leitmotif of Calormene culture?
The overall leitmotif of Calormene culture is portrayed as ornate to the point of ostentation. The people of Calormen are concerned with maintaining honour and precedent, often speaking in maxims and quoting their ancient poets. Veneration of elders and absolute deference to power are marks of Calormene society.
What is the capital of Calormen?
The capital of Calormen is the walled city of Tashbaan, situated on a river mouth located on the southern verge of the great desert dividing the empire from the northern states of Narnia and Archenland. Tashbaan is described as one of the wonders of the world.
History
The Calormene Empire was founded after certain exiled outlaws from Archenland fled across the southern desert and arrived in a then uninhabitated land. They founded the Calormen Empire in this new land in the year 204. Over the years, the Calormenes expanded their empire greatly, conquering many southern countries.
Culture
Calormenes were known as dark-skinned, with the men mostly bearded. Flowing robes, turbans and wooden shoes with an upturned point at the toe were common items of clothing, and the preferred weapon was the Calormene scimitar. Lavish palaces were present in the Calormene capital Tashbaan.
Trivia
"Calor" is Spanish for "heat" which seems to suggest how the name of the warm desert country was developed.
Who founded Calormen?
According to the Narnian timeline published by Walter Hooper, Calormen was founded by Archenlander outlaws , who traveled over the Great Desert to the south some 24 years after Archenland's founding; however, some have disputed the 'authenticity' of that timeline. The Calormenes speak a flowery version of the standard English favoured by both human and animal Narnians, which might support this argument; however, Jadis also speaks English. The reason for the ancient Persian, Mughal, and Ottoman Turkish aspects of Calormene culture, or the origin of their religion, has not been satisfactorily explained; this might be seen as supporting an argument that Calormen was founded, at least partially, by an independent group of travelers from Earth, who possibly intermarried with the English-speaking Archenlanders and took their language. (It should be noted that there is no trace of Islam in Calormene religion, which actually appears to be closer to paganism, and in particular Carthaginian religion, than Islam.)
What are the Calormenes?
Calormenes are described as dark-skinned, with the men mostly bearded. Flowing robes, turbans and wooden shoes with an upturned point at the toe are common items of clothing, and the preferred weapon is the scimitar. Lavish palaces are present in the Calormene capital Tashbaan. The overall leitmotif of Calormene culture is portrayed as ornate to the point of ostentation. The people of Calormen are concerned with maintaining honour and precedent, often speaking in maxims and quoting their ancient poets. Veneration of elders and absolute deference to power are marks of Calormene society. Power and wealth determine class and social standing, and slavery is commonplace. The unit of currency is the Crescent. Narnians hold Calormenes in disdain for their treatment of animals and slaves. Conversely, Calormenes refer to the human inhabitants of Narnia as "barbarians".
What is Calormen's poetry?
The poetry of Calormen is prolix, sententious, and moralizing, "full of choice apophthegms and useful maxims". It includes such pithy sentiments as the following, which doubtless lose something in the translation:
Where is Calormen in The Horse and His Boy?
Calormen is a vast nation to the south of Narnia which serves as the primary setting for The Horse and His Boy .
What is Calormen in the Chronicles of Narnia?
S. Lewis in his series of short children's novels The Chronicles of Narnia, the most well-known of which is The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
Overview
In C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Calormen /kəˈlɔːrmən/ is a large country to the southeast of Narnia. Lewis probably derived its name from the Latin calor, meaning "heat". When using the name as an adjective or an ethnonym, Lewis spelled the name with an 'e' at the end: a Calormene /kəˈlɔːrmən/ soldier; "The Calormenes have dark faces and long beards."
Narnia and Calormen are separated by the country of Archenland and a large desert. In The Horse …
History
The country of Calormen was first mentioned by Lewis in a passing reference in chapter 2 of Prince Caspian, though in the first edition it was spelt Kalormen. He first wrote about Calormene characters in the subsequent Voyage of the Dawn Treader, though neither of these is their first chronological appearance in the series. They are presented with the following words: "The Calormenes have dark faces and long beards. They wear flowing robes and orange-coloured tur…
Tashbaan
The capital of Calormen is the walled city of Tashbaan, situated on a river mouth located on the southern verge of the great desert dividing the empire from the northern states of Narnia and Archenland.
Tashbaan is described as one of the wonders of the world. The city is a hot and crowded place, though with fine streets, magnificent palaces, and gardens. It is built on a natural slope, rising to …
Calormene Poetry
The poetry of Calormen is prolix, sententious, and moralizing. Quotations from Calormen poets are often quoted as proverbs. These include such as the following:
Application to business is the root of prosperity but those who ask questions that do not concern them are steering the ship of folly towards the rock of indigence. Natural affection is stronger than soup and offspring more precious than carbuncles. He who attempts to deceive the judicio…
Concepts of freedom and slavery
In The Horse and His Boy, Lewis uses the cultural settings of Narnia, Archenland, and Calormen to develop a theme of freedom in contrast to slavery. Lewis depicts the Calormene culture as one in which a primary guiding principle is that the weak must make way for the strong:
For in Tashbaan there is only one traffic regulation, which is that everyone who is less important has to get out of the way for everyone who is more important; unless you want a cut from a whi…
Accusations of racism
C.S. Lewis has been accused of racism, particularly in his depiction of the Calormenes. In the Companion to Narnia, the Catholic theologian Paul F. Ford wrote "C. S. Lewis was a man of his time and socioeconomic class. Like many English men of this era, Lewis was unconsciously but regrettably unsympathetic to things and people Middle Eastern. Thus he sometimes engages in exaggerated stereotyping in contrasting things Narnian and things Calormene. He intends this i…
In foreign languages
In the Russian translation of the Narnia books, Calormen is known as "Tarkhistan" (Тархистан), as a reference to the Tarkaan nobles and its Turkish and Persian cultural influences.
See also
• Narnia (world)
• Haradrim - A similar Persian-influenced civilisation that appears in the books of fellow Inkling J. R. R. Tolkien.
• Saracens