The Magician’s Nephew: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

At the Witch’s words, a crowd of people start cheering for the “Hempress of Colney ‘Atch.” The Witch looks flattered until she realizes they’re mocking her. She reaches up and breaks off one of the lamp-post arms as a weapon. She brings the bar down on a policeman’s head, and he crumples. Digory, desperately following the Queen, is suddenly joined by Polly, who’s just been released from bed. Digory approvingly calls her a “brick” and tells her to manage the ring while he catches hold of the Queen.

The crowd turns angry as the Queen fells another policeman. But the Cabby, both brave and kind, keeps following her and trying to get a grip on Strawberry. The Queen scornfully warns onlookers that they’ll pay for their disloyalty, like Charn did. Digory makes a few unsuccessful grabs for the Queen’s ankle and gets only a kick in the mouth for his pains, but finally he holds on and shouts the signal to Polly. Polly touches her yellow ring, and the angry crowd vanishes instantly. But as darkness closes in, Digory still hears Uncle Andrew’s voice, wailing that he protests this turn of events and ought never have become a magician—it’s all Mrs. Lefay’s fault.

When Digory and Polly surface in the Wood between the Worlds, they discover that they’ve not only brought the Witch along, but unintentionally brought the horse, Cabby, and Uncle Andrew as well. The Queen once again looks sickened by her surroundings. Strawberry, in contrast, whinnies happily and takes a drink from a nearby pool. Within a moment, however, Polly and Digory switch to their green rings, and the entire group slips into darkness once more.

This time, the darkness lasts for a surprisingly long time. They feel as though they’re standing on something solid, yet it’s as dark as if their eyes are closed—like “Nothing.” The Queen assumes that her doom has arrived; Uncle Andrew pants for another drink. The Cabby alone is cheerful. He says they’ve either fallen into some diggings for the Underground, or else they’re dead—and in any case, it seems best that they sing a hymn. He starts singing in a strong voice about crops being “safely gathered in,” and the children cheerfully join him.

After the hymn, Uncle Andrew whispers to Digory that perhaps the two of them might use the rings to slip back to London unnoticed. The Queen hears him and protests, and Digory refuses to leave his friends behind in such a place. But suddenly the Cabby hushes them all. In the darkness, someone is singing. The song is wordless and beautiful, seeming to come from all directions. Even Strawberry responds happily, as though he recognizes the singer’s voice.

Suddenly, the singing voice is joined by innumerable harmonizing voices. At the same time, the black sky is pierced by thousands of blazing stars, all at once. Digory feels as if the First Voice made the stars appear, and that now the stars themselves are singing. The sky is slowly lightening, too. They begin to see each other’s faces. The Cabby and children are beaming, Uncle Andrew looks frightened, and the Witch looks furious.

Listening to the Voice’s song, the Witch perceives that this world is filled with a magic that’s different from hers—a magic that she hates. She wishes she could destroy it.

As the Voice continues to swell, the sun rises. To Digory, this sun looks younger than the earthly sun he knows: “you could imagine that it laughed for joy as it came up.” The group is now able to take in their surroundings: a valley with a river flowing through it, and mountains in the distance. The plain on which they stand is filled with vivid colors. But when they see the Singer of the song, everything else pales in comparison.

The Singer is a Lion: “huge, shaggy, and bright.” It stands about 300 yards away from the group. When the Witch sees him, she immediately wants to flee. Uncle Andrew agrees, instructing Digory to put on his ring at once. When the Witch hears this, she almost springs on Digory herself, but Digory is too quick. He promises that if either the Witch or Uncle Andrew get too close, he will grab Polly and his ring and vanish, leaving them here helpless. But the Cabby interrupts, wanting to hear the music—which has now changed.