In The Magician’s Nephew, songs and singing symbolize the creative force that forges new life out of nothing. When Narnia is founded, Aslan creates life by singing: his wordless, beautiful song summons the stars, the first sunrise, the sprouting of grasses and trees, and even the appearance of animals. While Digory, Polly, the Cabby, and even Strawberry the horse respond with joy to Aslan’s song, others—like frightened Uncle Andrew and the hateful Witch—are repelled by it, suggesting that the attitude of a person’s heart conditions their response to the beauty of creation.
Songs and Singing Quotes in The Magician’s Nephew
Chapter 8 Quotes
Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could possibly count. They were in harmony with it, but far higher up the scale: cold, tingling, silvery voices. The second wonder was that the blackness overhead, all at once, was blazing with stars. They didn’t come out gently one by one, as they do on a summer evening. One moment there had been nothing but darkness; next moment a thousand, thousand points of light leaped out—single stars, constellations, and planets, brighter and bigger than any in our world. There were no clouds. The new stars and the new voices began at exactly the same time. If you had seen and heard it, as Digory did, you would have felt quite certain that it was the stars themselves which were singing, and that it was the First Voice, the deep one, which had made them appear and made them sing.
This quote describes one of the earliest moments in the creation of Narnia. Quite by accident, Digory, Polly, and their companions find themselves witnesses to the beginning of that realm, setting the stage and providing backstory for the later Chronicles of Narnia books. It’s also one of the first examples in the book of song as the symbol of Aslan’s creative power. When Aslan sings, creatures spontaneously appear. The point of the symbol is that Aslan’s creations are an expression of their creator, in all their beauty and variety. Not only that, but as they are sung into existence, Aslan’s creations instantly join in his music. This also suggests that Aslan’s creative music is inherently life-giving, in contrast to the destructive and deadly magics that cause suffering and harm elsewhere in the story. These first moments of the creation of Narnia, therefore, aren’t just a detail of Narnian prehistory, but a revelation of Aslan himself and of the goodness of the world he creates.
But the Witch looked as if, in a way, she understood the music better than any of them. Her mouth was shut, her lips were pressed together, and her fists were clenched. Ever since the song began she had felt that this whole world was filled with a Magic different from hers and stronger. She hated it. She would have smashed that whole world, or all worlds, to pieces, if it would only stop the singing.
Chapter 14 Quotes
“He thinks great folly, child,” said Aslan. “This world is bursting with life for these few days because the song with which I called it into life still hangs in the air and rumbles in the ground. It will not be so for long. But I cannot tell that to this old sinner, and I cannot comfort him either; he has made himself unable to hear my voice. If I spoke to him, he would hear only growlings and roarings. Oh Adam’s sons, how cleverly you defend yourselves against all that might do you good! But I will give him the only gift he is still able to receive.”



