Trumpkin

Fictional biography

Trumpkin the dwarf makes his first appearance in Prince Caspian, the second published book in The Chronicles of Narnia. He belongs to the Old Narnian underground, a hidden community of dwarves, fauns, centaurs, talking beasts, and others who live in remote forests and mountains to avoid persecution by the Telmarine rulers. Miraz, who calls himself Lord Protector of Narnia, is the latest in a long line of kings who have crushed Old Narnian life for centuries.

He has even killed his own brother, Caspian IX, to tighten his grip on power. Because Aslan has not been seen in Narnia for so long, practical dwarves like Trumpkin think it is foolish to believe in a mythical talking lion, white magic, or the old story of two kings and two queens from Narnia’s golden days. Still, he and many others are tired and bitter about being unable to live freely in their own land. So when the chance comes to help, befriend, hide, and guide the young runaway Caspian X—the true heir who wants to welcome Old Narnians—Trumpkin sees an opportunity he cannot pass up.

He and his allies back Caspian in gathering a ragtag army of Old Narnians to resist Miraz and fight the broader oppression. When that army is getting crushed during a siege at Aslan’s How, a sacred mound covering the Stone Table, Caspian blows Queen Susan’s magical horn, hoping for supernatural aid. Trumpkin is sent to the ruins of Cair Paravel to meet any help that shows up. There he finds the ancient kings and queens Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy.

Even though the horn worked, Trumpkin stays true to his nature: he is thoroughly unimpressed, having hoped for four strong adult warriors and strategists, not four children. He still helps them travel and leads them to Aslan’s How. Only as they near that holy place does Aslan finally appear to Trumpkin directly, in a powerful way that forces him to face his moment of truth and accept faith, whether he wants to or not.