Servants of the Servant King

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader — Whose Quest Is It Anyway?

C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

IMAGINE being considered one of the Inklings. The odds are that you simply aren’t going to tell apart yourself as a household name just like the broadcaster Lewis or fantasy icon Tolkien. You might as a substitute be a “useless quack” — as they nicknamed their much-loved colleague Dr Havard; or perhaps you will probably be cut off abruptly before your fame is established, as happened to Charles Williams; or you might be chiefly a preserver of the achievements of others, as with Warnie Lewis, C. S. Lewis’s brother, and Christopher Tolkien, Tolkien’s son and editor.

Owen Barfield in later life was surprised to seek out that he was considered a core member of the group. Theologians began identifying the Inklings as “the Oxford Christians” with a definite “Romantic Theology”. With the Inkling meetings long in his rear-view mirror, this gave Barfield pause, and he began to ask if there was something in it. He wondered “[w]as there something like . . . a development that was also a sort of christening” of the Romantic Impulse “happening in that period in Oxford through the minds of those men”? In other words, did the Inklings share a quest without even being conscious of it as a joint enterprise? He wasn’t to be probably the most famous, but he played his part.

IN THE Voyage of the Dawn Treader, King Caspian comes up against the query: whose quest is it anyway? Looking at it from his perspective, he owns the ship, commands the allegiance of all on board, and holds the very best title. Surely, he’s to be the hero of the story?

Yet, all along, the reader has heard hints that he has mistaken his destiny. Reepicheep, the valiant mouse, tells Lucy and Edmund early on that, although Caspian is in search of the lost lords, the mouse’s quest is to go to the “utter East” where the waves “grow sweet”.

Towards the top of the book, all of the lost lords identified, Caspian gets carried away with adventuring — way more exciting than boring old kingship — and needs to go on Reepicheep’s quest to the World’s End. His declaration is met with opposition from the crew, while Edmund even tries to drag rank on him as a high king from Narnia’s Golden Age. Lucy’s argument is the most effective, reminding Caspian of his promise to return to Ramandu’s daughter. His response is the age-old considered one of the dog within the manger: if he can’t have it, nobody can.

Caspian declares that the hunt is ended and he won’t let Reepicheep sail off on his own. Poor Reepicheep says: “Your Majesty promised . . . to be [a] good lord to the Talking Beasts of Narnia.” Caspian’s ungracious reply is: “Talking beasts, yes. I said nothing about beasts that never stop talking.”

RETIRING to his cabin in a mood, Caspian has his “come to Jesus” moment — though, in Narnian style, it’s Aslan appearing within the golden lion’s head on the wall to check with him. Caspian doesn’t quite apologise, but he’s repentant — and, most significantly, he gets out of the best way in order that those with a journey still to make can accomplish that. He recognises that his role is to be the one who makes the success of others possible.

This is the keynote of The Lord of the Rings. A support role is the mandate given to the members of the Fellowship, aside from Frodo. Aragorn is like Caspian — the king, the one who may be regarded as the almost definitely hero, who will certainly be the foremost doer of deeds? However, he knows his role is to get Frodo over the ending line so the Ring could be destroyed, not follow the error of his ancestor Isildur and regard the Ring as his quest. More mature than Caspian (he’s 87, in any case!), Aragorn uses the Palantir (seeing stone) to declare himself to Sauron, to not flaunt his return, but to attract the enemy’s eye out of Mordor. Like Jesus, Aragorn comes to not be served but to serve.

Reflection Read Matthew 18.1-5.

What support roles do you could have? Perhaps as a parent to children or caring for elderly relatives, helping a spouse, or as a teacher, pastor, friend. Probably there are occasions if you find the burden heavy or the duty thankless. As we approach Maundy Thursday, once we remember Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, rejoice and value those roles now as a servant coming to serve.

Julia Golding is a multi-award-winning novelist and director of the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, a small educational charity established to honour the life, work, and faith of the Inklings.

This is an edited extract from Wardrobes and Rings: Through Lenten lands with the Inklings, published by Canterbury Press at £12.99 (Church Times Bookshop £10.39); 978-1-78622-690-7.