- This article is about Jadis, the White Witch. For other uses of the term, see White witch.
Jadis the White Witch is the chief villain of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published book in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. (The sixth published book was a prequel, and in some modern editions is called the "first" book of the series.) She is the tyrant who had usurped power over the land of Narnia. She magically forced Narnia into a never-ending winter during her reign, which at the beginning of the book had lasted for a hundred years (indeed, an alternative title for the book was The Hundred Year Winter). Even though it had been winter for one hundred years, there had never been a Christmas in those hundred years. A common lament of the Narnians in that time was that it was "Always winter, but never Christmas!"
During her reign, the White Witch had been styled as Her Imperial Majesty Jadis, Queen of Narnia, Chatelaine of Cair Paravel, Empress of the Lone Islands, etc. As with the name Aslan, her name appears to be derived from Turkish, with "Jadi" meaning witch in this language.
In the 2005 Walt Disney Pictures feature film release The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the character of the White Witch Jadis is portrayed by British actress Tilda Swinton. She was also played by Barbara Kellerman in the 1988 TV series
Characteristics
The White Witch was very powerful in her own world, Charn, but found her magic largely useless in other worlds. She eventually strengthened her powers and was able to usurp the throne of Narnia using her magic to cast the land in an eternal winter. Her most feared tool is her wand whose magic (not necessarily touch, as in the film) is capable of turning people into stone. The petrified remains of her enemies are then brought to her castle where they decorate its halls. The White Witch was a very beautiful and physically powerful woman, able to break iron with her bare hands, and, unlike the magic, she retained this strength anywhere except the Wood between the Worlds. Her skin was white as paper and she was very tall, owing, perhaps, to the giant blood in her. A natural-born magician and brilliant planner, she was cruel and arrogant, seeing herself as above all rules of conduct and regarding others as tools to be used or obstacles to be demolished. This was most clearly demonstrated in her use of the Deplorable Word in Charn, which killed all life on that world but her own, and her complete lack of remorse for such total destruction.
The White Witch's Narnian minions were composed of a large variety of evil magic creatures, but predominant among them were the wolves and the black-bearded dwarves including one who drives her sled pulled by Reindeer. The White Witch's army consisted of Werewolves, Bad Giants, Tree Spirits that are on her side, Ghouls, Boggles, Ogres, Minotaurs, Cruels, Hags, Spectres, People of the Toadstool, Incubuses, Wraiths, Vicious Plants, Horrors, Orknies, Efreets, Evil Sprites, Wooses, Ettins, Giant Bats, Vultures, Bad Apes, Harpies, Goblins and a creature that looks like a small dragon.
In the 2005 movie, White Tigers and creatures called Minoboars and Ankleslicers were also on her side and were created for the movie.
Character history
The White Witch made two false claims which, if true, would have given her authority to rule over Narnia. The first was that she was human. At the beginning of Narnia Aslan gave "sons of Adam and daughters of Eve" dominion over all the beasts and magical creatures of Narnia. (Even though they can and do reproduce with humans, Narnian dwarfs are not considered to be human; they are referred to as "Sons of Earth".) Although the White Witch appears human (despite her unnatural skin color and above average height), Narnian rumour holds that she is actually descended from Adam's first wife, Lilith, and was half-Jinn and half-giant.
In The Silver Chair, a character comments that she was one of the "Northern Witches", along with the Lady of the Green Kirtle, but does not elaborate — and in the immediately following book (as written), The Magician's Nephew, she is revealed to be a native of Charn, another world entirely. At the end of "Nephew," Jadis heads "north" from the westernmost point in Narnia, the only connection to the "Northern Witches" legend. While the people of Charn appear human, there is no concrete proof of this. Aside from the issue of Lilith existing in our world, while the Witch apparently originates from Charn (explained, possibly, by the inter-world travel which we know could and did occur in many ways), her ancestry is not disclosed further and we can assume that the rumour first stated in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the truth.
Her second claim was that she was a servant of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea and ruled by his and Aslan's blessing. Because she was the first to rebel in Narnia, by the workings of the Deep Magic, she was given ownership and the right to kill all traitors and all those who willingly would follow her. She was in essence the Emperor's hangman and carried out her executions on the stone table. In this way she could represent sin, which in Christianity, holds the power of death over those who follow it.
It was explained to the Pevensies that an ancient prophecy had been made concerning the overthrow of the White Witch, stating that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve filled the four thrones at Cair Paravel as Kings and Queens of Narnia, the reign of the White Witch and the endless winter she had caused would end. The White Witch was aware of the prophecy, and employed spies to tell her of any human that came to Narnia. While it is known that there were other humans in the world of Narnia at the time of the first book—both the descendants of the original King Frank and his Queen, and the neighbouring Calormenes are human—they are completely unknown in occupied Narnia, to the extent that they are regarded as possibly mythological.
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the White Witch left a note nailed to Mr. Tumnus' floor which revealed that her name is Jadis. But in The Magician's Nephew, it is explained that she was the Empress and last inhabitant of another world which contained a great and ancient city known as Charn inhabited by the Jinn. Jadis spoke "the Deplorable Word", which, when spoken properly, would destroy every living thing except the one who uttered it, in order to defeat her sister in her desire to rule Charn. Jadis came to Narnia via the Wood between the Worlds, which is an endless forest filled with pools of water that are portals to other worlds, Earth's and Narnia's worlds included. When in the Wood, Jadis appears to lose health, strength, and magical ability, although whether this is an ongoing draining effect or merely a temporary weakening is not known. Charn was destroyed after Jadis left, so utterly that its pool in the Wood dried to nothing.
The White Witch's worst deed was when she killed Aslan on the stone table, instead of Edmund. Aslan came back to life due to Deeper Magic than the Deep Magic, and while the Witch was fighting in battle, Aslan leaped on top of her, killing her instantly and ending her reign of terror.
In Prince Caspian, it is commented (by a Hag) that "You cannot kill a Witch", and the more unscrupulous of Caspian's army contemplate the question of bringing her back to defeat King Miraz for the old Narnians, but fortunately they are persuaded otherwise, and the idea of her resurrection is not raised again in the series.
In The Silver Chair the Lady of the Green Kirtle was the main villain. For long it has been the popular belief of many that the Lady of the Green Kirtle and Jadis are one in the same person. However, we learn from the book itself that they are not, for Glimfeather, the Owl, in commenting on this Green Lady, refers to the White Witch who at one time ruled over Narnia, and that he believed this mysterious woman was "of the same crew," perhaps no more than a mere servant or follower of Jadis, for the White Witch no doubt had left her mark permanently on Narnia and had many followers long after her demise. Funnily enough, in the BBC Television series of Narnia, actress Barbara Kellerman (who played Jadis the White Which in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) also played the part of the Green Kirtle(or Green Lady as she was called in the series) in The Silver Chair, further adding to the similarities between the two characters.