The wolf character who acts as the head of Jadis' secret police is called "Fenris Ulf" in this film. However, in the original book by C. S. Lewis, there is no "Fenris Ulf" - this character was actually called "Maugrim".
Anyone know why they changed Maugrim's name to "Fenris Ulf" for this film?
I've a feeling he's Fenris in the British edition of the book. Fenris is a reference to the wolf Fenris in Scandinavian myth, where's a demonic sort of figure. Why the change to Maugrim? No idea. Silly isn't it?
shareI have both a British and an American edition of the book, and yes it is Maugrim in the original Brit and Fenris in the later American edition.
Paul Ford, a C.S. Lewis scholar, has this to say about Fenris: "No evidence has yet come to light to indicate whether or when Lewis made this change for his American readers. Since he had a predilection for Norse images, he may have thought the name change to be an improvement." He also says that the name Maugrim "means perhaps 'savage jaws', or alludes to maugre, 'ill will' ". And yes, Fenris is "the great wolf of Scandinavian mythology, spawned by Loki (god of strife and spirit of evil), and slain by the fearless Vidar, son of Odin".
Thanks for the information, both!
shareAslan dubbing Peter "Sir Peter Fenrisbane" in this was awful. "Wolfsbane" is much better.
share