Gift-giving in Narnia and Middle-earth
In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Fellowship of the Ring , the spirit of Christmas manifests itself in the gifts that are given to the protagonists in these stories. Three of the four Pevensie children receive gifts from Father Christmas, whose presence symbolizes the weakening of Jadis’ power. Peter is given a sword, Susan a bow that will not miss and a horn that always summons aid. Lucy receives a small dagger and a vial containing a cordial, made from the fire-flowers of the mountains of the sun. A few drops of this cordial could heal any wound, no matter how fatal. In The Lord of the Rings , the members of the Fellowship who make it to the realm of Lothlorien are given gifts by the Lady Galadriel. Aragorn receives an enchanted sheath for his sword and the Elfstone (the Evenstar necklace, for those have only seen the movies) of the House of Elendil. Boromir, Merry, and Pippin receive sword belts. Gimli who was enchanted by their host’s beauty, receives three st