2026 Narnia Madness Champion
You voted for the greatest Narnia quote!
It’s March, so there’s only one way to determine the greatest Narnia quote. ’Tis the season for brackets.
Before we announce the winning quote and the winning readers, you can look back through the Valiant Sixteen, Magnificent Eight, Just Four, and Championship match-ups to see some of the close contests or where your favorite quote finished.
2026 Narnia Madness Winning Quote: Puddleglum from The Silver Chair
While Puddleglum may be on Aslan’s side, you all were on the marshwiggle’s side when he squared off against Aslan’s quote from The Horse and His Boy.
The winning quote:
“I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia.”
— The Silver Chair
This quote resonates outside the story, but it is much richer when read within the context of The Silver Chair.
The Queen of the Underworld almost has Puddleglum, Prince Rilian, Eustace, and Jill completely under her spell. Playing her instrument and filling the air of her castle with an intoxicating smell, she assures them that there was no Narnia and no Aslan. They’ve only imagined it.
But just as they were almost ensnared, Puddleglum makes his way to the room’s fireplace and grinds his foot in the fire. The pain rouses him, while the others are snapped out of the spell with the aid of the smell of burnt marshwiggle.
Then, in response to the Queen’s argument, the plain, pessimistic Puddleglum says that because even the idea of Aslan is so compelling, he’s going to follow Aslan whether the Lion exists or not.
In a 1963 letter, Lewis explicitly says Puddleglum’s speech is a version of the ontological argument. To put the apologetic briefly, Anselm of Canterbury argued that God is “a being than which no greater can be conceived.” Since existing in reality is greater than existing only in thought, God, as the greatest being that can be conceived, must also exist in reality.
In Lewis’ version spoken through Puddleglum, the supposed imagined world of Narnia and Aslan seemed better and more important than the tangible world of the Queen. It made no sense to Puddleglum that they could imagine a world greater than the Queen’s if such a world did not exist and they’d never actually experienced it.
We might also hear echoes of Lewis’ argument from desire in Mere Christianity. “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy,” he writes, “the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
You likely voted for this quote because you recognize this desire in your own heart.
For more, read The Silver Chair read-along and my post explaining more fully how and why Lewis used the Anslem argument in his children’s fantasy story.
2026 Narnia Madness winning readers
Many of the questions to enter our giveaway were simply about your experiences in Narnia. I enjoyed hearing about your first entry into Narnia and which books mean the most to you.
Here are trivia questions that had a correct answer:
What real person was the character of Lucy likely named after? Lucy Barfield, Lewis’ goddaughter and the adopted daughter of Owen and Maud Barfield. If you’ve ever wondered why The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe contains multiple warnings about shutting oneself into a wardrobe, you can thank the Barfields, as I explained in our first Narnia read-along.
After what real person in C.S. Lewis’ life is Puddleglum from The Silver Chair modeled? Fred Paxford, the gardener at the Kilns, Lewis’ home. Once, when Lewis mentioned plans to fly in an airplane, something he rarely did, Paxford mentioned a recent fiery plane crash that killed everyone on board. You can read more about this pessimistic but deeply loyal friend in our read-along of The Silver Chair.
Which Narnia book was finished (not published) last? While The Last Battle was published last, Lewis finished writing it before he finished The Magician’s Nephew. As we’ve discussed in our latest read-along, he started a prequel story immediately after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but struggled to finish, likely due to the autobiographical nature of the story. He didn’t finish The Magician’s Nephew until 1954, while The Last Battle was finished the prior year.
But, without further ado, let’s announce the winners!
Those winning a free month’s paid subscription are: Stephanie Loomis, Kennedy W, Brian Villanueva, Caitlyn Haner, Dusty Glassford, and Ree Larsen.
The runners up, who win a free month’s paid subscription and one of the Narnia companion books, are Jan Wiley, Pam Neubauer, and Susan Bell.
The grand prize winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription and their choice of one of four Narnia companion books, is Shannon Stephens.
As a reminder, the four book options are among my most frequently used resources in developing the Narnia read-alongs:
Companion to Narnia: A Complete Guide to the Magical World of C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia — Paul Ford
Into the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles — David C. Downing
Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis — Michael Ward
Past Watchful Dragons: The Origin, Interpretation, and Appreciation of the Chronicles of Narnia — Walter Hooper
If you are one of the winners, make sure you check your email. I will be setting up your subscriptions and lining up the books to mail.
Thank you to everyone who participated in Narnia Madness by voting and submitting entries. I’m already working on plans for our bracket next year, but if you’ve got any suggestions, drop those in the comments.