The Silver Chair: Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

The beginning of the journey through Puddleglum’s marsh is wet but easy enough. When the party makes it out of the marsh, they come to a gorge with large boulders lined up all around. Jill remarks that the boulders almost look like giants and wonders if anyone has ever mistaken the two. Suddenly, one of the boulders moves and Jill realizes she has been looking at a giant after. Then more of the boulders start to move, and the adventurers realize that giants are surrounding them.

Puddleglum warns Jill and Scrubb to continue walking and pretend they have not seen the giants. If they try to run away, the giants will catch them immediately. Meanwhile, the giants pay no mind to Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum; in fact, they don’t even seem to have spotted them. However, as Jill, Scrubb, and Puddleglum walk along the gorge, the giants begin throwing large stones, many of which land near the travelers. Jill asks Puddleglum if the giants are aiming at them. Puddleglum explains that the giants are merely playing a game that they play every day, but they have terrible aim.

Soon, the giants’ game turns into a fight. The giants are exceptionally stupid and regularly hurt themselves while trying to inflict pain on one another. Eventually, the giants all hurt themselves so much that they collectively sit down and cry. That evening, the travelers sleep close together for warmth, and Puddleglum warns Jill and Scrubb that the nights will only get colder the farther north they go.

For the next 10 days, Puddleglum, Jill and Scrubb, make their way across the mountainous terrain of Ettinsmoor. Each day, Puddleglum and Scrubb shoot birds out of the sky with their bow to eat. On the 10th day of travel, the party comes to an impasse, which makes it look as though they might have to travel down a steep cliff. The route looks exceptionally dangerous, so they try to find a way around.

Soon, they spot a bridge, which Puddleglum finds peculiar. He warns Jill and Scrubb that a sorcerer may have constructed it and, therefore, that it might be dangerous. Scrubb tells Puddleglum he is just being pessimistic and decides to cross the bridge anyway. As the party approaches the end of the bridge, they see two figures: a beautiful woman wearing green on a horse and a knight in black armor.

The beautiful woman greets the travelers and asks them where they are going. Jill starts to tell her that they are looking for the ruined city of the giants, though Puddleglum hushes her before she can say anymore. The woman tells the travelers that she does not know about any ruined city, but if they continue on their current path, they will find Harfang, the city of the giants. Unlike the giants they have seen in Ettinsmoor, the giants of Harfang are said to be kind, and the beautiful woman promises that they are gracious hosts. She suggests that they say to the giants “that She of the Green Kirtle salutes them by you, and has sent them two fair Southern children for the Autumn Feast.”

Jill and Scrubb are eager to travel to Harfang, though Puddleglum is not so sure. Once the beautiful woman and the knight are gone, Puddleglum remarks upon how strange it was to find them in the mountains. He worries the woman’s advice could lead to trouble. However, Jill and Scrubb want nothing more than a warm bed and a nice meal. Eventually, they convince Puddleglum to go to Harfang. They spend the next few days traveling through the mountains, each of which is colder than the last. By the time the party finally sees Harfang in the distance, Jill and Scrubb have all but forgotten the purpose of their journey.