What happens in Chapter 12 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?
Chapter 12 begins with Peter, Susan, and Lucy reaching Aslan's camp on the Stone Table hill, where they see the great lion in all his majestic glory for the first time. The atmosphere suddenly changes when Susan's horn sounds — she has blown it in alarm. Peter rushes toward the noise and discovers Susan and Lucy trapped in a tree, with the White Witch's wolf, Maugrim (the chief of the Secret Police), leaping at them below. Aslan instructs Peter to confront the wolf himself. Filled with fear but determined, Peter climbs down and fights Maugrim in a fierce battle. After a tense struggle, Peter thrusts his sword into the wolf's belly, killing him. Aslan quickly sends other wolves after a second wolf that runs away — hoping it will lead them to the Witch's camp and to Edmund. Aslan then knights Peter right there, calling him "Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane," and quietly tells him to wipe the blood from his sword before putting it away — a detail that emphasizes the seriousness of what Peter has just done. The chapter concludes with the group getting ready to move against the Witch and rescue Edmund.
Analysis
Lewis crafts Peter's knighting with the meticulousness of a medieval romance, yet the skill lies in how effectively he strips away the heroic glamour before bringing it back. Peter's hands tremble; he almost stumbles; his actions stem not from bravery but from a lack of choice — a point Aslan will clarify later in the larger story. This is Lewis's intentional twist on the chivalric tradition: true bravery isn't the absence of fear but rather the ability to act despite it.
The chapter serves as a rite of passage, condensed into a single scene. The horn — Susan's instrument, linked to rescue and reliance — signals Peter's shift from bystander to knight. Lewis employs the wolf as a transitional figure: Maugrim embodies both a fairy-tale monster and a source of political dread (the head of the Secret Police), merging the allegorical with the fantastical.
Aslan's command to clean the blade before putting it away is a subtly powerful tonal choice. It comes without explanation, a piece of warrior etiquette that carries significant moral implications — killing brings consequences that must be confronted, not concealed. The knighting ceremony itself is simple and ceremonial, its shortness imparting more dignity than elaborate displays could. Lewis has faith in the ritual to fulfill its purpose.
The theme of observing versus acting permeates the narrative: Aslan watches instead of stepping in, compelling Peter — and the reader — to grasp that personal growth cannot be outsourced.
Key quotes from Chapter 12
“Whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword.”
Aslan's sole instruction to Peter immediately after the knighting, delivered quietly amid the celebration — a warrior's code condensed to a single, indelible command.
“Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do.”
Lewis's narrator captures Peter's internal state in the moments before he charges Maugrim, making explicit the novel's distinction between feeling courageous and acting courageously.
“Rise, Sir Peter Wolf's-Bane. Whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword.”
Aslan's words during the knighting ceremony on the hillside, the title 'Wolf's-Bane' formally marking Peter's passage from child to knight within Narnia's order of chivalry.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 12
- cordial
- A sweet medicinal liquid; here a small diamond bottle of healing cordial given to Lucy that can cure wounds and illness with just a few drops.