List of Narnian Creatures - D

D

• Deer - (See Stag)

• Dog - The Talking Dogs of Narnia are intelligent creatures, although they retain much of their canine behaviour. For instance, one group of Dogs is described as putting "their front paws on the shoulders of the humans and licking their faces". Dogs consider it a great offense to be called a "boy" or a "girl" by another dog. This is considered to be the same sort of insult as a human calling another human a "dog" (LB).

• Donkey - Lewis portrays Donkeys as kind but foolish beasts. Only one Donkey named Puzzle is ever mentioned by name in the novels. He is a Talking Donkey who is tricked by Shift the Ape and plays a key role in (LB). Although no other donkeys are mentioned by name, they do make occasional appearances such as when Silenus is seen riding upon a Donkey during the Bacchanalia (PC).

• Dragon - Dragons are scaly fire-breathing creatures with bat-like wings. They exist throughout various regions of the Narnian world. A dragon is recorded as having once lived on an island in the Eastern Sea where he guarded a hoard of treasure. It is possible for a person to turn into a dragon by sleeping on this pile of treasure (VDT). In the Underlands, there are "dozens of strange animals lying on the turf, either dead or asleep, Jill could not tell which. These were mostly of a dragonish or bat-like sort" (SC). At the end of time in The Last Battle, these creatures wake and begin "crawling and sliding down into Narnia" appearing as "great dragons and giant lizards". Dragons are generally sapient beings even though they cannot talk, for it is possible for a human to communicate with them (SC). There is also a stone statue of what appears to be a dragon in the courtyard of The White Witch (LWW). (See also Salamander)

• Dryad - (See Nymph)

• Duffer or Dufflepud - (See Monopod)

• Dwarf - Dwarfs, or "The Sons of Earth" exist in Narnia in two separate varieties: Black Dwarfs and Red Dwarfs. Black Dwarfs are so called for their dark beards that are "as thick and hard as horsehair", while Red Dwarfs have hair "rather like a Fox's" (PC). In Narnia, dwarfs are around 3 feet (0.91 m) tall. Throughout the books the Black Dwarfs tend to side with the White Witch while the Red Dwarfs usually side with Aslan. An example of this is shown in Prince Caspian where a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, defends the White Witch, saying that she is "not an enemy to the Dwarfs (PC)", while Trumpkin, a Red Dwarf, is loyal to the King. Prince Caspian's tutor, Doctor Cornelius, is said to be descended from Dwarfs and humans (in the 2008 film he specifies that his mother was a Black Dwarf). There are also "evil dwarfs" present among the witch's horde at the sacrifice of Aslan (LWW) Their appearance and loyalties aside, the Red and Black Dwarfs seem to be otherwise similar. Dwarfs live in small, tight knit communities. There is never any mention of female dwarfs in the books, although it is possible for there to be females of dwarfish descent, as the males are said to occasionally mingle and reproduce with human women. However, female dwarfs are depicted in Walt Disney Pictures films, and feature prominently in Prince Caspian. There is also a deleted scene in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where, while walking through Jadis's courtyard, Edmund glimpses a statue of a female dwarf in the arms of her husband. Dwarfs are prolific smiths, miners, and carpenters. In battle, they are renowned archers and can march all day and all night without becoming tired (LB). Late in the series the distinction between Black and Red Dwarfs begins to fade as they become increasingly uninterested in the dealings of men. Eventually nearly all of the Dwarfs adopt the mantra "the Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs" and kill anybody who crosses their path, be they good or evil. They are the only creatures to completely reject Aslan's return and thus become blinded to the paradise that Narnia has become (LB). In Narnia the plural for Dwarf is "dwarfs" rather than "dwarves".
  Note: In the original illustrations by Pauline Baynes, dwarfs were drawn very traditionally, with long beards, pointed caps, etc. while in more recent illustrations their appearance has varied.