Wood between the Worlds
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The Wood between the Worlds is a location in The Magician's Nephew, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis.
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[edit] The Magician's Nephew
It is first so named by Polly Plummer, who arrives there when Digory Kirke's Uncle Andrew tricks her into putting on a magic ring, which instantaneously transports her into the wood. She falls asleep, and when Digory arrives later the children are both disoriented and at first they aren’t sure how long they have been there or even who they are. This state of lassitude that both children fall into is explained as the result of the Wood being a place where nothing ever happens, unlike the different worlds it connects (where events do occur).
[edit] Geography
The wood is described as having a warm temperature and containing a large number of leafy trees, with canopy foliage so thick that the sky (assuming there is one) cannot be seen from the ground. Despite the thick foliage, a strong light does penetrate to the woodland floor, clearly illuminating objects. The salient feature of the wood, other than the trees, is the presence of many pools of water. Initially, the pools appear to be just shallow puddles. However, when another magic ring is worn, the pool of water transports the wearer to a different world. When a world is destroyed, as Charn is in The Magician's Nephew, the pool dries up. In Paul F. Ford's Pocket Companion to Narnia, a diagram shows the Wood Between the Worlds to be housed in Aslan's Country, sitting on top of all the worlds. The Wood is a place like an airport linking the different worlds and allowing travel between them.
[edit] Nature of the wood
The wood is thus implied to be a place linking all worlds, including Narnia, Charn, and our own Earth. A sense of slothfulness grips all visitors, including the witch Jadis from Charn. It could be considered a multiverse of sorts, existing outside the normal physical realities, although the pools in the wood seem to only link inhabited worlds.
[edit] References
The name and nature of the wood is likely inspired by William Morris's novel The Wood Beyond the World.
| Books: | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe • Prince Caspian • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader • The Silver Chair • The Horse and His Boy • The Magician's Nephew • The Last Battle |
| Inhabitants: | All Characters • All Creatures • Peter • Susan • Edmund • Lucy • Eustace • Jill • Digory • Polly • Caspian • Aslan • Shasta • Aravis • White Witch • Puddleglum |
| Places: | All Places • Narnia • Archenland • Cair Paravel • Calormen • Charn • Lone Islands • Telmar • Wood between the Worlds |
| Other: | BBC Miniseries • Disney films • Battle of Beruna Ford • Dawn Treader • Deplorable Word • Popular culture • Narnian timeline |
