What kind of creature is Mr. Tumnus in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?

The story behind the answer

Mr. Tumnus is a faun in C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Lucy Pevensie first meets Mr. Tumnus after entering Narnia through the wardrobe. He has the traditional features of a faun: a human upper body combined with the legs and hooves of a goat. He carries an umbrella and parcels while walking through a snowy wood.

Although Tumnus initially works under the White Witch’s rule, he chooses to protect Lucy instead of betraying her. His decision establishes him as one of the story’s first important examples of courage and moral change.

Fauns and satyrs are related figures in classical and later European traditions, which can cause confusion. Lewis specifically calls Tumnus a faun, and the character’s name is Mr. Tumnus rather than a general species label.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

Add question to a list

Choose a list to keep this question in: