Tumnus
From NarniaWeb
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==Bio Info== | ==Bio Info== | ||
| - | ''' | + | '''Title:''' Mr. Tumnus the Faun |
'''Age:''' Unknown. Some would argue that Tumnus must be over 100 years old because of the stories he tells [[Lucy Pevensie|Lucy]] about Narnia before the Hundred-Year Winter. But others have pointed out that Tumnus simply tells these stories and never says he himself was there. It seems like a reasonable assumption that Tumnus is over 100 years old, but the book simply isn't clear, so we don't know for sure. | '''Age:''' Unknown. Some would argue that Tumnus must be over 100 years old because of the stories he tells [[Lucy Pevensie|Lucy]] about Narnia before the Hundred-Year Winter. But others have pointed out that Tumnus simply tells these stories and never says he himself was there. It seems like a reasonable assumption that Tumnus is over 100 years old, but the book simply isn't clear, so we don't know for sure. | ||
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'''First Appearance:''' ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', Ch. 1 (1950) | '''First Appearance:''' ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', Ch. 1 (1950) | ||
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| + | ==About Tumnus== | ||
| + | Even though he only has a few scenes, Mr. Tumnus the Faun is one of the most memorable and iconic characters in the Chronicles. He is the first fantasy creature to be introduced in the seven books, and also the first character to say the word "Narnia." The stories that Tumnus tells [[Lucy Pevensie|Lucy]] help to fill in the blanks somewhat between where ''The Magician's Nephew'' ends and ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' begins. One of the things he mentions is that before the hundred-year winter began, [[Bacchus]] and [[Silenus]] used to visit Narnia, and of course they appear later in ''Prince Caspian'' when Narnia is liberated again. | ||
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| + | ==Inspiration== | ||
| + | C. S. Lewis' inspiration for the Chronicles of Narnia came from an image he had had in his head since he was 16. It was a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in snowy wood. "From that simple, but unusual image," Douglas Gresham said, "came the classic story called ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''." Perhaps this is the reason Tumnus is one of the most well-described characters in the series. | ||
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"Mr. Tumnus was a very difficult character to find. He was basically a character that had to kidnap a little girl, and yet still be likeable. So whoever I cast for the character had to be very warm and likeable on the first meeting. I've often said he's somebody who has a double agenda. I kind of saw him almost like a German living in Nazi Germany discovering a Jewish child and knowing that the propaganda and the government was telling him to do one thing but his internal ethics and morals were telling him to do another thing. When James came to audition, he got the double agenda, it came through his performance and his reading. He had that warm presence that you knew would just come through on the screen." | "Mr. Tumnus was a very difficult character to find. He was basically a character that had to kidnap a little girl, and yet still be likeable. So whoever I cast for the character had to be very warm and likeable on the first meeting. I've often said he's somebody who has a double agenda. I kind of saw him almost like a German living in Nazi Germany discovering a Jewish child and knowing that the propaganda and the government was telling him to do one thing but his internal ethics and morals were telling him to do another thing. When James came to audition, he got the double agenda, it came through his performance and his reading. He had that warm presence that you knew would just come through on the screen." | ||
— Director Andrew Adamson | — Director Andrew Adamson | ||
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| - | *[[File:BBCTumnus.jpg|left]]Jeffrey S. Perry: BBC TV series, | + | *[[File:BBCTumnus.jpg|left]]Jeffrey S. Perry: BBC TV series, 1988 – 1990 |
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*[[File:AniTumnus.jpg|left]]Victor Spinetti/Leslie Phillips (voice): LWW TV animated film, 1979 | *[[File:AniTumnus.jpg|left]]Victor Spinetti/Leslie Phillips (voice): LWW TV animated film, 1979 | ||
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