The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis were greatly influenced by the myths of classical Greece. The fauns, dryads, and Bacchus all appear in Lewis’ tales alongside Aslan and the Pevensie children.
Mr. Tumnus, the faun from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and all other Narnian fauns were inspired by Greek fauns and Pan the demigod. Both Narnian fauns and Greek fauns all share the same appearance, being half-man and half-goat. The upper half is a man’s body with goat horns sprouting from the head. The lower half is goat legs and hooves. Mr. Tumnus has a wooden flute just like Pan’s, yet another similarity between the two.
Another Greek inspiration are the nymphs and dryads. For those who do not know, the nymphs are Greek water spirits, and the dryads are Greek tree spirits. The Narnian nymphs and dryads are very similar to the Greek ones and appear throughout the Chronicles. Virtually everything is alive in Narnia, from talking animals to tree and river spirits.
Along with demigods and nymphs, one of the Greek gods himself makes an appearance in the books. In Prince Caspian, it describes a wild feast where a man riding a donkey “who was old and enormously fat” is passing out refreshments. The refreshments consist of wine and grapes. The man, who we later learn is Bacchus, is surrounded by wild dancing girls. Bacchus is Dionysius, the son of Zeus, the god of wine and revelry.
As seen above, the Greek myths greatly inspired the Chronicles of Narnia, and the books would not be the same without them.
Inkling Investigation 