Calormen Empire

Lore & Background

The Calormenes are described as "a wise, wealthy, courteous, cruel and ancient people." They have dark faces and long beards, and wear flowing robes and orange-coloured turbans. Their preferred weapon is the scimitar. The ruler of Calormen is called the Tisroc and is believed by the Calormene people to have descended in a direct line from the god Tash, whom the people worship in addition to other gods and goddesses. Calormenes always follow a mention of the Tisroc with the phrase "may he live forever." Ranking below the Tisroc are his sons (princes), a Grand Vizier, and the noble classes, who are addressed as Tarkaan (male) and Tarkheena (female). The nobility have a band of gold on their arm and their marriages are usually arranged at a young age. Beneath them are soldiers of the empire's vast army, merchants, and the peasantry, with slaves being the lowest rung on the social ladder. The unit of currency is the Crescent. The Calormene leaders are portrayed as quite war-like, and the Tisrocs generally seem to have a wish to conquer the "barbarian" lands to their north—to some degree deterred by the magical reputation of the countries and their being known to be under the protection of Aslan. The final, successful invasion of Narnia by the Calormene military, which precipitates the end of the Narnian universe, was conducted in close cooperation with the appearance of the false Aslan and the proclamation that Aslan and Tash are one and the same.

In Their Own Story

In *The Horse and His Boy*, set a thousand years before the time of High King Peter, the main characters—one a young member of the Calormene nobility—escape from Calormen to Archenland and Narnia whilst the Calormene cavalry under Prince Rabadash attempts to invade Narnia and capture the Narnian Queen Susan for his bride. The rather small (200 horse) Calormene invasion force is rebuffed at the gates of the Kingdom of Archenland. In *The Last Battle*, there is a reference to King Erlian having fought a war with the Calormenes. King Tirian is—until the events narrated in the book—at peace with them, and some level of trade and travel exist between Narnia and Calormen. The Narnian King maintains a supply of Calormene armour and weapons for the purpose of conducting undercover operations in their country—suggesting a kind of cold war. When at the end of *The Last Battle* the characters cross into the Real Narnia and find there the counterparts of all the places they had known in the destroyed Narnia, there is a reference to a counterpart of Calormen being also there to its south, complete with the capital Tashbaan.

Reader's Guide

Calormen is a land of rigid hierarchy and ornate culture. The people of Calormen are concerned with maintaining honour and precedent, often speaking in maxims and quoting their ancient poets. Veneration of elders and absolute deference to power are marks of Calormene society. Power and wealth determine class and social standing, and slavery is commonplace. Narnians hold Calormenes in disdain for their treatment of animals and slaves. Conversely, Calormenes refer to the human inhabitants of Narnia as "barbarians." The capital Tashbaan is described as one of the wonders of the world—a hot and crowded place with fine streets, magnificent palaces, and gardens, built on a natural slope rising to the palace of the Tisroc and the great Temple of Tash at the pinnacle of the hill. The Tombs of the Ancient Kings, believed by the Calormenes to be haunted, lie directly across the river from Tashbaan, on the edge of the desert. The poetry of Calormen is prolix, sententious, and moralizing, with quotations often used as proverbs—for example: "Application to business is the root of prosperity but those who ask questions that do not concern them are steering the ship of folly towards the rock of indigence."

Did You Know?

• Lewis probably derived the name Calormen from the Latin *calor*, meaning 'heat'.
• The Calormene capital Tashbaan is described as one of the wonders of the world.
• The Calormene invasion force in *The Horse and His Boy* was only 200 horse.
• The Calormene unit of currency is the Crescent.
• The final invasion of Narnia by Calormen was conducted with the proclamation that Aslan and Tash are one and the same.