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The Chronicles of Narnia are absolutely overflowing with symbolism and allusions. Many aspects of Lewis' Narnia can be traced back to Biblical passages, and even some Pagan philosophies. In this article I will be discussing the similarities involving Lewis' White Witch.

C. S. Lewis' Jadis, or White Witch, is the particularly horrible individual that plagues Narnia, after the destruction of her own world, for several hundred years. She is the physical incarnation of evil in Narnia. Some of Jadis' qualities can be traced back to Lilith and Satan. There is even evidence that inspiration for Lewis' character, Jadis came from the works of several other authors.

Jadis refused to be any less than Aslan, and fought to rule Narnia forever. Because of her unquestionable thirst for power and her cruel nature some people say that part of Lewis' inspiration for this character came from the Mesopotamian demon known as Lilith.

Some people believe that Lilith was created from rather vile substances, while Adam was created from pure dust. These vile substances gave her evil characteristics. Some believe that Lilith's only flaw was wanting to be viewed as Adam's equal rather than his subordinate.

Some people overlook the Lilith concept and consider Jadis to be Narnia's version of Satan. Just as Lilith wanted to be viewed as Adam's equal, just as Jadis craved power, Satan refused to be the subordinate of Jesus Christ. There is no question that the thirst for power is a trait that all of these individuals share...however there is one more similarity that is shared by both Jadis and The Devil.

In the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Jadis tempts Edmund by offering him something hot to drink and something sweet. Satan, in the form of a serpent tempted eve with an apple. Both of these beings have taken advantage of humans in a similar manner.

As sure as Lewis' inspiration for his character Jadis can be traced back to biblical writings, some of her characteristics point to the writings of other well known authors. One such author would be Hans Christian Andersen. In Andersen's "the Snow Queen" the title character is essentially an identical copy of Lewis' Jadis. The Snow Queen is described as "a lady tall and white". Jadis is not of average human height and her skin is pale as snow. The similarities between these two characters goes far beyond just physical qualities. Andersen's Snow Queen tempts a child to give into evil just as Jadis tempted Edmund. The Snow Queen offers a child relief from the cold, and he accepts; after accepting her offer he no longer sees the cold as a bad thing. Jadis twists Edmund's view of what is morally corrupt in a similar manner by offering him food and drink.

In my own personal opinion I view Lewis' Jadis in the same way that I view John Milton's Satan. Although Lewis did not intend on painting Jadis in a glorifying light, he did a great job of capturing and portraying her ruthless nature. She did not want to accept the fact that Aslan was the true king of Narnia, and she waged war to claim a throne that was not rightfully her own. The same way that Milton's Satan refused to be second in command to Jesus. He defied the will of God to claim what he saw as his. In the end Jadis' attempts to gain power, just like Satan's, were thwarted.

Whether or not these similarities were intended, there is one thing we can all agree on; without an antagonist there would be no story. The White Witch, cold and stubborn, makes for the perfect antagonist.