Is Narnia from The Chronicles of Narnia born out of a real-life place? 

All teenagers, who are avid readers and are fond of browsing through fantasy fictions are surely familiar with British author C.S. Lewis’ fantasy novel series The Chronicles of Narnia. First published in 1950, it’s one of the most popular children’s literary works of all times. The books have been adapted for radio, television, stage, films and even video games.  

For those unaware, the books are set in the fictional realm of Narnia that is deemed as a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts (such as dragons and griffins) and talking animals. It’s built by Aslan the Lion who protects the whole of Narnia from evil. There are two kinds of natives: Black Dwarfs who are hostile and selfish and the Red Dwarfs who are humane and kind. The Dwarfs there regard themselves as Sons of Earth, while earthlings (mostly children who act as protagonists) who travel there are regarded as Daughters of eve and Sons of Adam. They drive the stories and unfold the history of the Narnian world.  

Did you know that the fictional land of Narnia is actually based on a real-world Italian town called Narni? Here is all you need to know about this fictional place with a real origin. 

Narnia: Born out of real-life Narni 
Narni is located in central Italy only 50 miles from Rome. The fictional world from The Chronicles of Narnia has been inspired from this town which was known as Narnia in ancient Italy some 2000 years back. Legends have it that Narnia was originally called Nequinum, but when Romans conquered the region in 299 B.C., they renamed it as Narnia. Later, around 755 A.D., Narnia was part of the papal city (ruled by the Pope). However, around 1112 A.D., the mass rose in power as well as wealth and opposed the Pope. In fact, to make matters more interesting, Narnians refused to be under the Roman Empire and joined hands with the protestors from Rome and Perugia. However, a Roman general named Cardinal Albornoz invaded it during the next few years and since then Narnia has remained part of the Roman empire. However, when monarchy was dissolved and a republic was being conceived, Narnians once again formed alliance and revolved against Pope Gregory XVI in 1831, in favour of democracy. By 1860, Narnia became an official part of the Italian Republic and was renamed as Narnia. However, till date, the remnants of Narnia’s rich history can be traced back to the modern-day Narni.  

How did C.S. Lewis come across Narnia?  
As a boy, author C.S. Lewis was greatly interested in the geography of the world, which is why he spent a lot of time flipping through the pages of atlases. Once, while skimming through Hooper Murray’s Small Classical Atlas and landing upon Italy’s political map, Lewis traced the place Narni and totally loved it. Later, while researching about the place, he loved its Latin name Narnia more, and the rest as they say, is history. He based his fantasy series on Narnia and made it into a household name.  

Narnia: Inspired by Irish landscape 
Apart from the Italian town Narni, Narnia is also believed to have been based on Lewis’ native place, Ireland, particularly a hilly region called Ulster. In fact, much later, Lewis had himself revealed that the landscape of Narnia was inspired by a Northern Irish village of Rostrevor that overlooks the Mourne Mountains and Carlingford Lough (a glacial fjord). Interestingly, Narnia is portrayed as a standalone landmass encircled by ocean on all sides, having an edge and an underworld. However, both Italian Narnia and the northern Irish region are both away from water.