Coriakin
| Coriakin | |
|---|---|
| Narnia character | |
 | |
| Race | Star |
| Nation | Island of the Monopods |
| Gender | Male |
| Major character in | |
| Portrayals in adaptations | |
| 1989 BBC miniseries: Preston Lockwood | |
| 2010 Walden/Fox film: Bille Brown | |
Coriakin is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
Biographical summary
Coriakin was originally a star, who, as reparation for past misdeeds was charged by Aslan to rule the Duffers and guide them to wisdom. The nature of Coriakin's misdeeds is not specified. In response to Prince Caspian's question about them, Ramandu, a fellow star, replies that "it is not for you, a son of Adam, to know what faults a star can commit."
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Coriakin appears as a stereotypical wizard, complete with a beard and ornate robes. He lives on an island in a large house reminiscent of English mansions. He keeps a spellbook in a room on the top floor. He owns various other odd items such as a Bearded Glass.
Coriakin requires magic to govern the Duffers, although they will be ruled by wisdom in the distant future. Because of the dim-witted stubbornness of his subjects, Coriakin eventually casts a spell that merges their legs into a single leg each. The Duffers, believing themselves to have been "uglified," sneak into his rooms and cast a spell to make themselves invisible, hiding their new appearance. The spell also affects Coriakin. However, the Duffers eventually tire of being invisible, and coerce Lucy Pevensie into reading the spell that makes them visible again (the spell could only be read by a young girl, and the Duffers were too cowardly to send any of their own daughters). After perusing a few other distracting spells, Lucy makes all things in the magician's house (including Coriakin and Aslan himself) visible.
Lucy soon sees the magician as a kind, wise fellow with a good sense of humor, hardly the terrifying sorcerer the Duffers made him out to be. He suggests that she try to convince the Duffers that their new appearance is nicer than their former one, which she succeeds in doing. The dwarfs rename themselves Monopods, but keep mixing it up with their old name and come to be known as Dufflepuds.
Dufflepuds are among the creatures that entered Aslan's Country in The Last Battle.
Portrayals
- In the 1989 television serial produced by the BBC, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Coriakin is played by veteran British actor Preston Lockwood.
- In the 2010 Fox/Walden film, he is portrayed by Bille Brown.
Factoids
- As Coriakin told Lucy, invisibility makes him feel sleepy
- Coriakin walks in bare feet which sets him apart from many other fictional magicians
References
- Lewis, C.S. (1952), The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, New York: Macmillan
