Tash (Narnia)

Demonic god and antithesis of Aslan in Narnia.

Tash is a demonic god from C. S. Lewis's Narnia books, appearing as an enemy in The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle. As the patron deity of Calormen's rulers, the capital Tashbaan is named for him, and the Tisrocs, Tarkaans, and Tarkheenas trace their lineage to him. By the final book, Tash is shown to be the opposite of Aslan, taking the form of a horrific demon with a skeletal, humanoid body, a vulture head, and four taloned arms.

Quick Facts

Series: Narnia
Race: Deity
Family: the Tisrocs and Tarkaans and Tarkheenas (claim descendants)
Children: The first Tisroc (Claimed)
Nationality: Calormen

Facts from the source article.

Appearances

In The Horse and His Boy, Tash's name appears frequently in oaths and exclamations, though his worship plays little part in the story and he is not described. Two other Calormene gods, Azaroth and Zardeenah, Lady of the Night and Maidens, are mentioned only briefly. Near the novel's end, the antagonist Rabadash, frustrated by defeat, tries to call on Tash to inflict vengeance on the Narnians and Aslan, but this results in mockery and pity from his captors; Aslan turns Rabadash into a donkey, telling him the transformation will lift when he visits the temple of Tash in Tashbaan during a festival, after which he must never stray more than ten miles from the temple or be permanently transformed.

In The Last Battle, Tash is depicted as a very real and malevolent being, appearing much larger than a man with four arms and the head of a vulture, bringing cold and the stench of death. Calormenes offer human sacrifice to Tash, though a majority did not actually believe in him. The Calormene warlord Rishda schemes with Shift the ape and Ginger the cat to claim that Aslan and Tash are the same being, called Tashlan. King Tirian of Narnia, with Eustace Scrubb and Jill Pole, attempts to defend Aslan but is overpowered; dissenters are sent to meet Tashlan in a stable where Calormene soldiers secretly murder them.

Character analysis

Tash is an incidental character in The Horse and His Boy but becomes important in The Last Battle when he follows his worshippers into Narnia. Michael Ward notes that Tash's arrival is part of the deadly atmosphere pervading the book, with Puzzle complaining of the cold. Other commentators view the introduction of Tash as a type of deus ex machina. Imran Ahmad writes that the presentation of Tash intersects with how some Evangelical Christians view Islam, noting echoes in the argument over whether Aslan and Tash are the same. Paul Simpson states that the discussion of whether Tash and Aslan are the same is an underlying theme. Some commentators view Tash as derivative from other religious sources; Sameer Rahim describes him as a bizarre concoction of Babylonian devil and Hindu god.