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Venus de notre monde

Frank, the Coachman (King Frank I)

A London cabby, who by chance becomes part of the creation of Narnia, chosen by Aslan to be the first king of the new land.

Venus de notre mondeTous les personnages

Repères

Espèce
Human
Nom original
Frank (the Cabby), King Frank I
Autre traduction
In the books, it is "Frank I" or "King Frank".
Autres noms
The Coachman · Frank I, the First King of Narnia · The first king of Narnia
Titres
King Frank I of Narnia
Origine
Home (London)
Nationalité
English, then King of Narnia
Allégeance
Aslan, Narnia
Famille
Helen (wife) · their children, ancestors of the kings of Narnia and Archenland · Fledge/Feather (his horse)
Première apparition
The Magician's Nephew, ch. 7
Âge
The Magician's Nephew: Adult man, probably in his thirties
Frank comforts Straw in the darkness before creation
The Coachman and His Horse

En bref

Frank is a cab driver in London in 1900. A man from the countryside, he misses the fields and choirs of his village and treats his old horse like a friend. He finds himself, without seeking it, at the heart of Digory and Polly’s adventure and witnesses one of the most extraordinary moments in the Chronicles.

Relations

  • Helen , his wife, first queen of Narnia.
  • Strawberry , his cab horse, who will become Fledge, the first winged horse.
  • Aslan , who sees in him precisely the right person because he does not believe himself fit to rule.
  • His descendants : their youngest son becomes king of Archenland, and Frank V, son of Frank, will found that kingdom around the year 180.

Look and analysis

Frank is the anti-Uncle Andrew. One is learned, pretentious, and deaf to Aslan’s song ; the other is modest, unlearned, and hears it with joy. Lewis makes him a new Adam, an ordinary man entrusted with a garden. His simplicity, his sense of work, and his goodness are more valued in Aslan’s eyes than all the learning of magicians. His common speech, which translations render more or less well, contributes to the charm of the character.

Trivia

  • Before ruling, Frank had never left England. His first reaction upon seeing the empty world is to propose that they sing a hymn.
  • All the human royal lines of Narnia and Archenland up to the Telmarine conquest descend from him and Helen.

Dans les livres

Son histoire dans les livres (révèle l’intrigue)

Son histoire

The Magician’s Nephew

When Jadis causes panic on the streets of London, Frank tries to retrieve his horse, which the White Witch has stolen. He is pulled into the adventure with them by the magic of the rings and lands in a world that is empty and dark. Without losing his composure, he offers to sing a hymn, and it is then that the song of Aslan rises up. He marvels as the stars, the sun, and animals are born. Aslan asks him if he would govern these creatures with justice, name them, protect them from their enemies, and be the first to charge into battle. Frank humbly replies that he is only a simple man, but he will try his best. Aslan then brings his wife Helen from London, and they crown both of them. They become the first rulers of Narnia.

The Last Battle

Frank and Helen are among the kings and queens who welcome the heroes to the land of Aslan at the end of all things.

Lieux liés

Peuples liés

Galerie

  • Aslan couronne le premier roi et la première reine de Narnia
    Aslan couronne le premier roi et la première reine de Narnia

Dans le même groupe

Venus de notre monde

Archives de l’ancien site

Frank I

Cocher and his wife Nellie, they are a kind-hearted country couple forced to work in the big city of London. They will be unexpectedly transported to Narnia and become the first king and queen of this world. Their second son becomes the king of Archenland.

Presentation in the book

*« That’s certainly true, old chap, certainly true ! » cried the Cabby. « It was a beastly hard world. I never did see why folks couldn’t have made it easier for ‘horses in London. I’ve always said, ‘Horses is good stuff !’ But I couldn’t get ‘em to listen. And I couldn’t blame ‘em. I’m a country man myself. I come from a place where folks still keeps the common sense. And where I was, we— » (The Magician’s Nephew, p.142)*

*« So she was not surprised by the sight of a young woman—neither what she saw nor the way it came about. But the sight of a woman so apparently good and so certainly fair did make her feel that at last she was in the country she was longing for. « Why, it’s the Cabby’s wife ! » she exclaimed. And though the Cabby’s wife had been summoned to this place by no magic rings, yet she came with all the speed, and with all the lightness, and with all the careless rapture of a bird flying home to its nest. » (The Magician’s Nephew, p.157)*

Appearance in the books

*The Magician’s Nephew* *The Last Battle*

Sources

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