Not All Who Wander Are Lost

YOU CANT JUST CASUALLY LEAVE THIS IN THE REPLIES AS IF THIS ISNT A CRUCIAL ELEMENT OF THIS HARROWING STORY

See, everyone’s turned that line into a meme, used to brag about how they were around when a cited event happened. (”Has anyone heard of this thing called the Mishapocalypse?” “Don’t cite the deep magic to me, I was there—”) So because that’s how the meme is used, you might think that Aslan is saying it with the same context of remembering when the Deep Magic was written.

But if you read The Magician’s Nephew, the line becomes a lot more hilarious because Aslan wasn’t just around when the Deep Magic of Narnia was written…

ASLAN WROTE IT!

Aslan is very obviously the son of the ultimate god of the weird multiverse in the series but, more than that, he is the God of Narnia. He is the Creator of Narnia. Every single thing that exists in Narnia exists because Aslan decided to sing a song that one time. He was the one who wrote the Deep Magic that binds the world. That’s what he’s cheekily saying when he growls, “I was there when it was written.” He’s not just saying that he’s old enough to remember when this happened. He’s saying that he’s the reason it happened. He remembers when it was written because he wrote it! That’s why this scene is so iconic.

It’s an arrogant fan asking a stranger if they’ve even read the book, only for that stranger to reveal that they’re the author of the book.

It’s Karen The Soccer Mom angrily reminding an exasperated manager of the rules that the manager created.

It’s a mortal asking a god if they remember the laws of physics.

It’s hilarious and glorious and I’m pretty sure that the cast and crew read The Magician’s Nephew (the actor who played The Professor definitely did) because just look at the way they have Aslan smirk, look at the way Jadis reacts:

That is the face of someone who just remembered that they’re dealing with a god—a god who has never forgotten that he’s a god, despite her memory loss.

(The best part is that Jadis was right there when Aslan created Narnia; she just became so arrogant that she…forgot she was dealing with a god, as one does.)

Also, in case you’re wondering, the exact line isn’t in the book, but the scene is just as hilariously petty. Jadis is like, “Do you remember the law?” And Aslan who 100% wrote the law and 100% remembers the law, is like, “Let’s assume I did forget the law; describe it to me in extensive detail.”