NarniaWeb Community Forums

So, I've been wondering about the Telmarines in the new Netlfix adaptatios and have wondered how they will work with characters that have been adapted in different ways that have both been true to the series yet still added something that really fleshes out the characters.

I wonder how other people think the Telmarines may be handled? or in fact, how you would handle the Telmarines yourself? Would you stay true to the source material or add a new flavour to the mix that be a bold but fitting choice?

Looking forward to hearing your ideas.

I definitely hope they stick to the source material, there are some things I do want to see. Firstly, a great way to introduce them to the audience would be to show the scene of them finding the cave and thus entering into Narnia. When Aslan told that story in PC it has always fascinated me. Secondly, I would hope that there won’t be any kind of metal mask with a mustache on it. I always thought that edition to the armor in the movie was too distracting.

Well, the Telmarines are supposed to be really boring and generic looking. The trick is how are they going to do that and make it look like an artistic decision instead of a failure of creativity? I wish I could come up with a good idea.

Firstly, a great way to introduce them to the audience would be to show the scene of them finding the cave and thus entering into Narnia.

But wouldn't that be giving away a plot twist? Of course, a lot of people will have seen the 2008 movie and we'll have read the book. But if that's the attitude they're going to take, why do an adaptation at all?

I'm not a huge fan of the Pauline Baynes illustrations, but I think her conception of Miraz in his German-crusader-like armor was kind of interesting. Why not make the Telmarines more like 12th century knights rather than Spanish pirates/conquistadors? After all, Miraz is described as wearing a hauberk, and Peter wounds him through an opening in the chain mail, which makes it a little less likely that he would be wearing plate armor, as in the 2008 film. The crusader imagery works well when we think of the fact that the crusaders came to the East to take control and set up their own kingdom at Jersusalem. This would make it easier to think of the Telmarines as conquerors. (Ok, ok, I know... the crusaders came in retaliation to Islamic expansion in the East, but that's another discussion for another time. And they also burned and sacked the cities of Eastern Christians who had called for their help in the first place, so... yeah. Hope this little tangent doesn't start an argument among fellow history buffs. )

I actually really liked Walden’s interpretation of the Telmarines. My only complaint was the inconsistency of accents/ethnic appearance. A little variety is fine, but when you got a guy that looks straight up Scottish among Spaniards and Italians? The illusion is gone.

That said, I don’t mind Netflix changing their look from the book. I think they should have some hint of a culture from our world, but they’ve also been a nation in Narnia’s world for hundreds of years it seems, even before their invasion of Narnia itself. So I would enjoy more originality in their approach. Perhaps even a rougher style when it comes to their royalty, not clean cut like the Narnians or sharp and intricate like the Walden version.

Personally, I think that the new Narnia Netflix series should interpret the Telmarines as being very Europian in look and feel so as to make a stark difference with the Calormens. But for Caspian himself, I think he could be mixed-race in background: A spiritual son of Shasta & Aravis. What I mean is this: In the books, those two get married at the end of HHB and have a son who is half-Calormen, half-Archenland in background, and since Netflix may be doing the adaptations in chronological order, PC would function as a spiritual sequel to the former. Caspian’s father is a full-blooded Telmarine, as is Mira’s and most other Telmar characters. But what about Caspian’s mother? Maybe she’s was a respected noblewomen from Calormen! Or Archenland...

I actually liked the Spanish-influenced, conquistador look for the Telmarines. I also appreciated the way that they portrayed the Telmarines as having advanced in technology over the past several hundred years, like using crossbows rather than bows favored by the Narnians. Since I am a movie purist at this point, I would keep the Spanish influences, as it looks intimidating and rather cool.

Hey all! Personally, I would like to see more world building of the Telmarines! I liked the Spanish influence in the movie. However, I'm neither here nor there on what ethnic flavors they give them. Rather, I would like to see more of the world that they built in Narnia. Because, they were all about building towns everywhere, cutting down trees except around the coast, and perhaps and bunch of agriculture. They essentially turned Narnia into a commercial enterprise with the least amount of natural influence. I always imagined there cities as being highly urban with very little rural influences, a complete departure from the Narnia that was!

Here is something....what is the Telmarines faces were obscured? It would send the signal of Telmarines being generic but also be an interesting artistic choice. I don't know, I'm just thinking off the top of my head here.

The books just tell us that the Telmarines were Pirates, so, I would like to see something other than the Spanish. Here is where I think Netflix should do some research and create something that looks different than the Golden Age. I was looking up different Pirates through the ages, and I kind of like the idea of Russian Pirates (Ushkuyniks) instead. Pictures of these pirates:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354306695678924908/