From "The Horse and His Boy"

In honor of C.S. Lewis who died forty-eight years ago today, November 22, 1963,  . . . here are a couple of water references from The Chronicles of Narnia.

In The Horse and His Boy, Shasta is travelling across a desert at night. He is thirsty, hungry, tired and lost. . . and feeling very sorry for himself. Suddenly he discovers that someone or something is walking beside him. In his fear he tries to ignore it, but finally whispers, “Who are you?” The unwelcome fellow traveler replies, “One who has waited long for you to speak.”

To Infinity and Beyond

Yesterday we had a brush with infinity. My wife and I were hiking along the Skógá River above Skogafoss, one of Iceland’s most striking waterfalls.

The falls are post-card perfect – an impressive 60 meter sheer drop (higher than Niagara) into a thundering pool (often with a double rainbow effect). The rugged rocks on either side and the jet-black sand on the flat plain along the river below the falls give a dramatic framing. No wonder legends of buried Viking gold grew up around this place; no wonder tourists shoot a zillion photos.

Climbing 380 steps to see the falls from above drew us into an adventure of discovery. A stile over a fence at the top beckoned us further up and further in. Little did we know the wonders that awaited.

In Honor of C.S. Lewis . . .

. . . who died on this date, 47 years ago, November 22, 1963, a week before his 65th birthday.

"Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake.

Love. Think. Speak.

Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.”

The Magician’s Nephew, p. 108

There are lots of wonderful water scenes in the Narnia Chronicles, but one of my favorites is the story of Jill in The Silver Chair.  Jill is desperately thirsty and hears running water nearby. She ventures into a forest in search of the stream and when she sees it, she is afraid to approach the stream because a huge lion is sitting between her and the stream.

'Are you not thirsty?’ asked the Lion.
‘I’m dying of thirst,’ said Jill.
‘Then drink,’ said the Lion.