In C.S. Lewis’s Narnia, the name “Aslan” means “lion.”
The word comes from Turkish, where “aslan” means lion. Aslan is the great lion who appears throughout The Chronicles of Narnia as a powerful ruler, creator, guide, and source of help. The character’s name therefore directly signals his animal form rather than serving as an unexplained invented word.
Aslan is not simply a talking animal among many others. His role changes across the series, but he remains central to Narnia’s history and moral structure. He creates Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew and appears in the final book, The Last Battle.
Readers often focus on Aslan’s Christian symbolism, but the linguistic fact is straightforward: the name is a Turkish word for lion. The name should not be translated as “king,” even though Aslan is portrayed as Narnia’s high king and protector.