EDMUND

Before I get started, yes, I do tend to gravitate towards the characters that may seem a bit "odd." Also, I'm speaking mostly to the books (though I do enjoy the movie adaptations (both the BBC and the new versions, despite some of the things the new versions got "wrong").

Someone asked a while back about my favorite characters from Fantasy, and one of the characters I listed was Edmund Pevensie from the Chronicles of Narnia. I had mentioned other characters, Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings, Bean from the Ender's Shadow series, Haplo from the Death Gate Cycle, and Cimorene from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, none of which raised any eyebrows at all.

Then I said, "Edmund." And things got a little still in the room.

"Erm," I could hear everyone thinking, "well... but... does she KNOW he was a traitor?"

And I wanted to smile. Can I let you in on a little secret? (It's not a secret if you've been paying attention). I'm a sucker for a redemption story. And Edmund is one of the greatest fantasy redemption stories of all time. Yes, he was a total jerk and whiny brat throughout the first three-quarters of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. But he realizes he's picked the wrong side long before he gets rescued. And when he does get rescued, he turns over one of the biggest leaves in literarydom. (Why is that not a word?)

Edmund is the one who breaks the White Witch's wand at the end of that book and prevents her from turning his brother's army into stone. He's the only one with the presence of mind to go after her power source (and almost sacrificing his own life to do it).

But that is not where my admiration of Edmund stops. In Prince Caspian, as the four children are yet again being pulled into Narnia, Edmund is the first one to recognize that what is happening is magic. He tells his siblings to hold hands so they don't get separated. He's the first one to believe that Lucy actually saw Aslan, and he sides with her even though he didn't see Aslan himself.

In the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, you really get to see Edmund's character shine as he is quite kind to Eustace, though his cousin doesn't deserve it at all. And Edmund is the one Eustace turns to and tells him about how he stops becoming a dragon. Then he apologizes, and Edmund could have just left it at that, but instead he says, "That's all right.... Between ourselves, you haven't been as bad as I was on my first trip to Narnia. You were only a [jerk], but I was a traitor." He never excuses his behavior, but he understands that he has been forgiven. He is not wallowing in guilt, just stating a fact of the past.

Obviously the stories revolving around the Pevensie children are far more "about" Lucy. And, of course I love Lucy dearly. She is the person I wish I could be. Hers is the childlike faith, the unwavering belief that I aspire to emulate. But Edmund's story is that of great forgiveness and great redemption. His story is smaller in the following books, but no less heroic or consequential for its lack of page time. And that is why I love Edmund. He's not pushy, demanding to be the center of attention or the High King. He's simply grateful he gets to go along for the ride. All those things he wanted that the White Witch promised him - to be High King over his siblings (particularly Peter), he turns away from. He is content to be King Edmund and to allow Peter to be High King. He supports his brother loyally and faithfully for his entire life. And from the moment he is forgiven, he never wavers again.

And that's why I love Edmund. :)

And I love that the creators of the new movies obviously agree with me, because Edmund in the movies is AWESOME! :)