Peter Pevensie

Lore & Background

Peter was born in 1927 and is 13 years old when he appears in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He is evacuated to the countryside with his siblings by train because of the air-raids during World War II. When Lucy first stumbles on the wardrobe, Peter does not believe her, thinking it is just her imagination until he and the other Pevensies enter the wardrobe themselves. He later apologises to Lucy for not believing her and is quite angry with Edmund for earlier denying Narnia's existence. Peter received his sword (Rhindon) and shield from Father Christmas after meeting him on the journey to find Aslan, and is later knighted 'Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane' by Aslan after he kills Maugrim the wolf, chief of the White Witch's secret police. During the great battle, he is appointed head General of Aslan's army. After the defeat of the White Witch Jadis in the Battle of Beruna Ford, he is crowned as His Majesty King Peter the Magnificent, High King of Narnia, Emperor of the Lone Islands, Lord of Cair Paravel, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Lion. He and his siblings rule for 15 years, reaching the approximate age of 28 before returning to the age of 13 in England at the end of Wardrobe.

In Their Own Story

In Prince Caspian, after the Pevensies arrive in the ruins of Cair Paravel, Peter takes his sword Rhindon and his shield and again serves as the leader of the group. When the children are forced to make a decision, Peter, as High King, has the final word. In order to stall the war long enough for Lucy to find Aslan and awaken the Narnians, Peter claims the right to a one-on-one duel with the Telmarine king, Miraz. After the Pevensie children help defeat the Telmarines, Peter formally gives Caspian the authority to rule a free Narnia. Aslan gives Caspian the authority to 'rule under Us and under the High King.' However, Peter later confides to Lucy and Edmund that he was told by Aslan that he and Susan will never return to Narnia, as they are now too old. In The Last Battle, Peter has a minor role. He was the only one to address Tirian, the king of Narnia at the time, in Tirian's vision of the Seven Friends of Narnia. After attending a dinner with the other Friends, Peter and Edmund went to London to retrieve the magic rings that Professor Digory Kirke buried in the Ketterleys' yard. Both were waiting for Lucy, Eustace, Jill, Digory, and Polly at the station platform when the train crashed and killed them all. After Tirian passed through the stable door and saw Tash for the first time, Peter calmly ordered the demon to leave with his prey. After passing judgement on all the inhabitants of Narnia, Aslan orders Peter to shut the door, ending the world.

Reader's Guide

Peter Pevensie is the eldest of the four siblings and tries his best to protect his siblings and to act like a responsible young adult. In the book, it is implied that he is more mature than his siblings because after their father was called out to fight in the war, Peter's mother told him to support his three siblings through the ordeal of their father going away. Peter later confesses to Aslan that his anger towards Edmund (for trying to make out that Lucy was a liar) probably helped him to go wrong. Peter is described by Tirian in The Last Battle as having the face of a king and a warrior. Peter is illustrated by Pauline Baynes in the original novels with dark hair, but there are no specific descriptions of his hair or eye colour or complexion by Lewis.

Did You Know?

• An early draft of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe began with Peter as the youngest child, not the eldest.
• The surname 'Pevensie' does not actually appear in the Chronicles until the third published book, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
• Peter is knighted 'Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane' by Aslan after killing Maugrim the wolf, chief of the White Witch's secret police.
• In The Horse and His Boy, Peter is mentioned as being away on the northern frontier fighting giants while Susan and Edmund are in Calormen.
• By The Last Battle, Peter is a 22-year-old university student who had not been to Narnia since Prince Caspian, when he was 14 years old.