Jadis' Sister

[Reepi]

I found this intriguing bit of information from someone at the Talk:Jadis page at Narnia Wiki and as no source is given, am very much interested in whatever you might think or know about this:

Actually Jadis's Sister Jade did survive she was safe way from Charn when the destruction happened. Lewis mentions this in his notes but it was never published

[Lady Galadriel]

Intriguing. But I'm not so sure. If it is, Lewis changed his mind. The Deplorable Word kills everyone except the one who speaks it.

Actually, I'm not sure if I understand. Does "Jade did survive she was safe way from Charn" mean that she was safely away from Charn when the Deplorable Word was spoken? Because that isn't the case.

*digs out her books*

"That was the secret of secrets," said Queen Jadis. "It had long been known to the great kings of our race that there was a word which, if spoken with the proper ceremonies, would destroy all living things except the one who spoke it. But the ancient kings were weak and soft-hearted and bound themselves and all who should come after them with great oaths never even to seek after the knowledge of that word. But I learned it in a secret place and paid a terrible price to learn it."

"The last great battle," said the Queen, "raged for three days here in Charn itself. For three days I looked down upon it from this very spot. I did not use my power till the last of my soldiers had fallen, and the accursed woman, my sister, at the head of her rebels was half way up those great stairs that lead up from the city to the terrace. Then I waited till we were so close that we could see one another's faces. She flashed her horrible, wicked eyes upon me and said, 'Victory.' 'Yes,' said I, 'Victory, but not yours.' Then I spoke the Deplorable Word. A moment later I was the only living thing under the sun."

The Magician's Nephew, Chapter 5, "The Deplorable Word"

I understand this could be a continuity error on Lewis's part, because the Narnia books have a few. But it seems strange that this "Jade" would somehow survive without Jadis knowing about it.

[Reepi]

Considering it is "mentioned in his notes", it just might be one of the few things Lewis must have thought about later on with his planned re-writing of the whole Series to "tie up loose ends", but who knows. This is actually why I DO want more information about that

[Aravis Narnia]

I wonder if this was a subplot that he thought about pursuing, but decided to drop. Rather than an afterthought, this may have been an earlier idea.

To me, the presence of Jadis' sister leads me to believe that C.S. Lewis is showing that Jadis is NOT the head honcho villain, but one of the minions. That she is not THE evil one, more like a henchwoman.

[daughter of the King]

Since there is no source given, I am inclined to doubt its validity.

Actually Jadis's Sister Jade did survive she was safe way from Charn when the destruction happened. Lewis mentions this in his notes but it was never published

1. Jadis' sister was never referred to as Jade. 2. (and more importantly) In order for her to survive, she would not only have to be out of the city, but off the planet. The Deplorable Word destroyed everything. Jadis said the Deplorable Word when her sister was on the other side of the room. There's no way she could have survived. And I am not going to doubt Jadis' story, she is a witch, and they are practical. It would be impractical and pointless to lie.

It is possible that C.S.Lewis wrote down a new idea but died before he could rewrite the book. But, again, with no source to back it up, I am going to stick with the book.

To me, the presence of Jadis' sister leads me to believe that C.S. Lewis is showing that Jadis is NOT the head honcho villain, but one of the minions. That she is not THE evil one, more like a henchwoman.

Could you elaborate on this thought more? I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly. Are you saying that you think Jadis was not acting on her own?

[wolfloversk]

Uncle Andrew sat down and said... 'Have you ever heard of old Mrs Lefay... She was my god mother. That's her there on the wall... For my godmother was a very remarkable woman. The truth is she is one of the last mortals in this country who had fairy blood in her. (She said there had been two others in her time. One was a duchess and the other a charwomen.)'

I had always wondered who this woman was and if she was secretly of Charn or of another world or if she knew someone who was.
Perhaps she has some relation to Jadis' sister.

[DiGoRyKiRkE]

I highly doubt that, wolfloversk. More likely, Mrs. Lefay merely had fairy blood in her, and, due to reasons that are not mentioned in the text, fairies have somehow gone extinct in our world. There is no evidence whatsoever to determine Mrs. Lefay's origins lying any place outside of this world, and even less the nothing to prove that she is Jadis' sister.