Shasta (Narnia)

Shasta, later known as Prince Cor of Archenland, is a fictional character in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. He is the principal character in the fifth book published in the series, The Horse and his Boy, which is the third book chronologically. He also appears briefly at the end of The Last Battle, the seventh and final book in the series.

Biography

Shasta is raised by a fisherman named Arsheesh, who lives on the coast of Calormen which is a desert land to the south of Narnia, beyond Archenland and the Great Desert. Shasta believes that Arsheesh is his father until he overhears Arsheesh negotiating to sell him to a Tarkaan (a Calormene nobleman) as a slave. He goes to the stable and starts talking to the Tarkaan's horse there. To his surprise, the horse talks back, warns him that his new master is cruel, and suggests that they escape together to Narnia, a land of freedom, where nearly all the animals talk. Shasta agrees to escape with the horse, nicknamed Bree, and they start off that night. Through further adventures, Shasta encounters another fugitive, a Tarkheena named Aravis, who is also fleeing from Calormen with a talking horse, Hwin. During his travels, Shasta meets an exact look-alike, named Prince Corin of Archenland, for whom he is briefly mistaken. Shasta learns that Calormen is planning to attack Archenland as a step to conquering Narnia, and sets off on a race to warn Archenland to prepare for war. Upon arrival, he successfully warns the Archenlanders. Riding with the Archenlanders, Shasta becomes lost in dense fog, but is guided by the great lion Aslan through a mountain pass into Narnia, where his warning musters a force of Narnians to come to the aid of their allies. He participates in the battle against the Calormenes (in which Archenland reigns victorious), convinced to do so by Prince Corin. He then discovers who he really is: Prince Cor of Archenland, elder son of King Lune and twin brother to Prince Corin. He learns that there was a prophecy made about him when he was only an infant, that he would save Archenland from a great evil. This prophecy led the enemies of Archenland to kidnap him, and eventually brought him into the care of Arsheesh while still an infant. Shasta is welcomed into the royal family and eventually marries Aravis, who comes and lives with them in Anvard (King Lune's castle). Their son, Ram the Great, becomes (we are told) the greatest king of Archenland. Shasta and Aravis are both mentioned as being in the second Narnia at the end of The Last Battle.

References

Narnia Portal

• Lewis, C. S. The Horse and His Boy. 1954.