Deep or Deeper Magic? Towards a New Definition of Magic in The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis Anna Bugajska Abstract The Chronicles of Narnia create a world mythical, suffused with magic, where the natural and supernatural exist side by side. C.S. Lewis’s blend of different cultural sources successfully stirs readers’ imaginations all over the world. However, when analyzed from the point of view of anthropological studies, it reveals inconsistencies which are worth closer examination. Magic, when seen in the light of the studies of the archaic culture, following the stands of Eliade, Campbell or Siikala, would serve establishing a connection between two planes, natural and supernatural, allowing for the journey between the worlds and introducing changes in both of them. As far as the children’s travel back and forth between Narnia and the Earth, the use of ritualized gestures and magic is understandable. The real problem concerns the existence of rites in Narnia itself. Why resort oneself to supernatural forces in a world which rests on Deep Magic? What are Narnian definitions of the natural and the supernatural? This paper intends to focus on the instances of ritualized behaviours and explicit use of magic in The Chronicles of Narnia. Calling on Aslan, rites of Zardeenah, the silver chair or the summoning of the White Witch could be examples of such use. C.S. Lewis also uses in his text symbols like sacred times or mystic numbers to enhance the magical character of the world of his creation. The underlying question in the analysis and its main concern will be to show the consequences of the existence of rites and magic in a magical world like Narnia. Such device necessitates re-defining of the concepts of the natural and the supernatural by the recipient of the text, and, following from that, creating a new perspective on magic. Key words: The Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis, Eliade, shamanism, magic, rites *****