Reepicheep

Lore & Background

Reepicheep leads the Talking Mice to war against the Telmarines under Caspian's command in Prince Caspian. He is badly wounded in the climactic battle and loses his tail. Lucy heals his wounds with her magic cordial, but when he rises to address Aslan he finds that his tail has not regrown, and he apologises for appearing in such a dishonourable state. Aslan counters that he is perhaps too concerned about his honour.

Reepicheep replies that Talking Mice, being very small, would be at a constant disadvantage if they did not zealously guard their honour. The other Talking Mice prepare to cut their own tails off if their Chief is not allowed to retain his, at which point Aslan relents and miraculously restores Reepicheep's tail. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the only Talking Beast amongst the ship's crew, Reepicheep reveals that he has been driven since infancy by a vision of finding Aslan's Country across the sea in the far east of the Narnian world.

His aspirations and code of honour bring him into conflict early with the egregious Eustace, but when the latter is turned into a dragon by a curse, Reepicheep becomes his chief friend and comforter. It is Reepicheep who urges the Dawn Treader to sail into the mysterious Island of Darkness, thus facilitating the rescue of Lord Rhoop, the fourth of the Seven Lords of Narnia. The final three lords are found in a cursed sleep on Ramandu's Island, which can only be broken if they sail to the End of the World and there leave at least one of their number never to return; Reepicheep volunteers for this role and, at the end of the book, carries through with it, thereby both breaking the curse and fulfilling his vision.

In The Last Battle, when the main characters reach the gates of the Garden in Aslan's Country, it is Reepicheep who greets them.

Reader's Guide

Reepicheep stands as the archetypal chivalric hero, a figure of unyielding courage whose very existence challenges the cynicism of those around him.