What name does the lion Aslan derive from in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books?

The name Aslan derives from the Turkish word for lion.

C.S. Lewis used the name for the great lion who rules and protects Narnia in The Chronicles of Narnia. In Turkish, aslan means “lion,” making the name a direct linguistic description of the character’s animal form. The word is also used as a personal name and surname in some cultures.

Aslan appears throughout the series, although not in every book to the same extent. He creates, guides, judges, and restores Narnia, and his role is closely connected with the series’ Christian symbolism. The character’s name itself, however, is a Turkish word rather than a Latin or Greek title.

Readers sometimes assume that Aslan is an invented fantasy word because it appears in a fictional world. Lewis instead drew on a real language. The name’s meaning is especially fitting because the lion is presented as Narnia’s central royal and spiritual figure. The English translation “lion” is therefore the most precise answer to the linguistic question.