Michael Ward: How did Lewis come up with the name 'Narnia'?
Michael Ward
72.43
28 May 2025
19 November 2025
How did C.S. Lewis come up with the name 'Narnia'? What does it signify? And what role did Lewis's atheist Oxford colleague A.L. Rowse play in it?
Listen to Dr. Michael Ward's new theory in his illuminating keynote lecture, “'Signifying Nothing? New Thoughts on the Word 'Narnia,'" presented at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference at George Fox University—the largest academic conference on Lewis in history.
Dr. Michael Ward is the author of the award-winning and best-selling Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press) and After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man (Word on Fire Academic). He co-edited The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis and presented the BBC documentary The Narnia Code.
00:00 Student introduction
01:35 Dr. Ward's lecture
58:29 Q&A
LINKS TO ALL CONFERENCE KEYNOTE LECTURES:
- Dr. Stephanie Derrick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsXPZqVVB34
- Dr. Simon Horobin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Tjwv6b3akk
- Dr. Steve Beebe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1-mqRLkXVE
- Dr. Jahdiel Perez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyTJplfrES4
- Dr. Holly Ordway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSC6f1lMQ_Q
- Dr. Michael Ward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IsMFZ42yjI
THE C.S. LEWIS INITIATIVE of George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, promotes intellectual growth, spiritual formation, and cultural engagement through studying the literary and theological contributions of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and other key figures in The Inklings.
Here on this channel, you will find intellectually stimulating content on undiscovered aspects of Lewis's life and ideas from world-leading experts. THE UNDISCOVERED C.S. LEWIS CONFERENCE—which we hope you will attend in person—is a biannual multi-day event showcasing lesser-known scholarship on Lewis, theatrical productions, Lewis and Tolkien documentaries, and more. The inaugural conference 2024 was the largest academic conference on Lewis in history.
Be sure to check out our many resources below! ⬇️
C.S. LEWIS INITIATIVE: https://www.georgefox.edu/cs-lewis-initiative/index.html
UNDISCOVERED C.S. LEWIS CONFERENCE: https://www.georgefox.edu/cs-lewis-initiative/conference.html
SEHNSUCHT: THE C.S. LEWIS JOURNAL: https://www.georgefox.edu/cs-lewis-initiative/sehnsucht/index.html
PORTLAND C.S. LEWIS SOCIETY: https://www.georgefox.edu/cs-lewis-initiative/lewis-society/index.html
C.S. LEWIS RESEARCH GUIDE: https://libguides.georgefox.edu/cslewis/home
