Charn

Charn is a fictional city appearing in the 1955 book The Magician's Nephew, book six in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, written as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Charn, and the world of which it is the capital city, are the birthplace of Jadis, the evil White Witch who later takes over Narnia. When visited briefly by Digory and Polly, the protagonists of the novel, the city is totally deserted, lifeless and crumbling, under a dying sun. Rivers have dried up, and not even weeds or insects live. All life on the world of Charn had been destroyed by Jadis through an evil magic spell. In the novel the city stands as an example of the dead end that can result if a civilization succumbs to evil.

During their visit, Digory accidentally wakes Jadis from suspended animation, and she is able to leave the world with them.

History

According to Jadis, Charn was once the greatest city of her unnamed world, "the wonder of all worlds". It was ruled by a line of magically-adept emperors and empresses, of whom Jadis was the last. By the time the protagonists enter, the world is now a cold and desolate wasteland, with no life to be seen anywhere, and the city on the brink of collapse.