Eating vs. Killing

[L.M. Pevensie]

I've been tutoring a couple of elementary children in public speaking class. One of my students told us the story of LWW as his assignment this week. He said that Aslan "ate the White Witch". Before I could help it the children broke out into a huge argument about whether Aslan eats people (especially witches) or if he just kills them. I admit the former does not provide a very nice picture.

I wouldn't think eating, but one of the children said that in the BBC Silver Chair movie Aslan said that he did, is that true? I've never seen them and I don't know if this 8 year old is the best authority of the subject.

I've never thought about this, and I doubt it's very important. I don't mean to gross anyone out, but I thought I'd pose the question for the sake of my students: Does Aslan kill and eat or just kill? What do you think????

[ClvrEttinsmoorGiant]

Well in SC it says that he has "swallowed" up girls, boys, kings, etc. I don't know if that implies that he ate them. But, I would tend to go towards Eating. Maybe you should do a poll on it.

[daughter of the King]

I don't think he means swallowed in the literal sense. Not physically, anyway. He didn't eat girls, at least, not in the way Jill meant. It's a metaphor. He "swallows" people and creatures in the way that he changes them. The best examples I can think of are Edmund and Eustace. Aslan does not eat either of them, but he swallows up their old selves and leaves them new. That probably didn't make any sense. But no, I do not think Aslan actually eats people!

[jadis of narnia]

I doubt Aslan "eats" them afterwards, if he does kill them..

Reading from the SC book, the coversation says:

Jill: will you promise not to - do anything to me, if I come?
Aslan: I make no promise..
Jill: do you eat girls?
Aslan: I have swallowed up girls, boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities, and realms..

So, yeah, I don't think it was in a literal sense, either.. maybe he swallowed each one of them up in different ways.. in either good or bad ways.. and no, I don't believe he ate the witch.. he seems too noble for that.. he just killed her.. and perhaps stored her body away where no one could find it ever again..

maybe.. :/

[Valiant_Lucy]

I agree with everyone else in that I don't think it's completely literal.

and perhaps stored her body away where no one could find it ever again..

I like how you put it, jadis of narnia. To actually imagine Aslan eating or brutally killing someone seems a bit out of character for him. Maybe when he "swallows" them, he kind of...I don't know...breathes on them, and they disappear? Die?

Very good questions though!

[Pattertwigs Pal]

Well, I have always taken the part in SC literally. But, I read the section to my mom and my sister and they looked at me like I was nuts for taking it literally. Now, I'm not sure what to think. I didn't think of it as eating exactly in the sense that he killed a person and then made a meal of them as any lion would, but more in the sense that he swallowed them whole. A couple things I am almost positive about:

1. Jill took it literally.
2. He only kills / swallows people or creatures who deserve it.
3. He isn't a tame lion (I almost hate saying that with the negative feel it gets from LB But taken with the above point it isn't so bad.)

I don't remember exactly what the line is in the BBC's SC but I think it probably uses the word swallow and not "eat." I'll pop the DVD in if I get a chance.

[jadis of narnia]

Actually, now that I think about it.. if Aslan was able to make all the characters vanish from one world and reappear in another in a matter of a second.. that could also be, in a way, swallowing them up.. it would seem so to me.. and we know he's able to create and end(or swallow up) worlds..

as well as completely changing them and helping the characters (most of them) to accept him as their friend/king.. :/

[ChristProclamer]

I think He could eat them. I mean, I don't honestly see anything wrong with Aslan eating people. Not to keep himself fed or anything, but simply to be rid of them. That sounds awful, but when you think about it there really isn't anything wrong with it.
However, I do not believe that Aslan ate the White Witch in this particular instance. The book just says he "flung himself upon her" and they "rolled over together but with the Witch underneath" and then leaves it there, going on to describe the rest of the battle. That may be an irrelivant point though, if we're only talking about the BBC versions...
And I don't remember Aslan eating anyone in Silver Chair...

[RevelinginWonder]

No, I don't think Aslan eats them in the literal sense. I agree with daughter of the King. I think that he swallows their old selves. I don't think that Aslan ate the White Witch. Yes, that's all I have to say, and it has already been said, but this is my opinion.

[polly plummer]

I don't think Aslan ate anyone literally either, but you can see it from an elementary school kids point of view - they take everything so literally

PS love that quote from Edmund from PC movie 'I know you had it sorted' - it's so cool