Wolves of Narnia- Maugrim/Fenris Ulf
Posted: Jun 21, 2019 1:31 pmLike many people, I have a huge fondness for wolves. That said, I don't mind them being villains in stories, so Narnia doesn't bother me on that score. (And actually a few wolves are mentioned among Aslan's reinforcements at the battle in LWW, so it looks like C.S. Lewis was fair enough to concede that there could be good wolves. 
)
What does bother me is the way they're dramatized in every Narnia adaptation. I still have yet to see/hear a decent portrayal of Maugrim/Fenris Ulf. None of the actors who've played him before quite capture what I have in my head as his voice.
First of all, Fenris Ulf is a figure in Norse mythology, the ravenous pet wolf of the god Odin. He is actually a symbol of death in the Norse world.
With that in mind , I think Fenris/Maugrim should be played as a cold, stoic, terrifying character. Lines like "I hear and obey, O Queen," seem to suggest a deep, hollow voice. Not the flat, screaming, snarling, overacted voices of every actor who has played Maugrim since the books were dramatized. (American accents are also a bit annoying in a world with English origins.)
The voice most similar to what I'm imagining is that of Mullugutherum in the FOTF audio drama version of The Silver Chair. It sounds like a VOICE FROM THE GRAVE. Which is what I think of when I read Maugrim's lines in the book. The voice of death.
So what are your thoughts? What did you think of past Maugrim performances? How would you like him portrayed in the Netflix series? What actor would you like to be in this role? Also, would you like his character to perhaps be expanded somehow? (if the series gets expansive.)
) What does bother me is the way they're dramatized in every Narnia adaptation. I still have yet to see/hear a decent portrayal of Maugrim/Fenris Ulf. None of the actors who've played him before quite capture what I have in my head as his voice.
First of all, Fenris Ulf is a figure in Norse mythology, the ravenous pet wolf of the god Odin. He is actually a symbol of death in the Norse world.
With that in mind , I think Fenris/Maugrim should be played as a cold, stoic, terrifying character. Lines like "I hear and obey, O Queen," seem to suggest a deep, hollow voice. Not the flat, screaming, snarling, overacted voices of every actor who has played Maugrim since the books were dramatized. (American accents are also a bit annoying in a world with English origins.)
The voice most similar to what I'm imagining is that of Mullugutherum in the FOTF audio drama version of The Silver Chair. It sounds like a VOICE FROM THE GRAVE. Which is what I think of when I read Maugrim's lines in the book. The voice of death.
So what are your thoughts? What did you think of past Maugrim performances? How would you like him portrayed in the Netflix series? What actor would you like to be in this role? Also, would you like his character to perhaps be expanded somehow? (if the series gets expansive.)