Characters to See, Be, and Flee

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Three characters I wish were real, so that I could meet them:

• Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings – because even Gimli the dwarf found her wonderful.


• Reepicheep from the Narnia books – because he would be an inspiration. And he would challenge me to do what I should by asking “are you a mouse or a man?”


• Ged from the Earthsea books – because he would have hard-won wisdom to share.

Three characters I would like to be:

• Faramir from The Lord of the Rings – the book, not the travesty his character became in the film – for his honesty and courage.


• Fiver from Watership Down – because that combination of foresight and leadership is what I would like to show.


• Horton, the elephant from Horton Hatches the Egg – because he meant what he said, and he said what he meant: an elephant's faithful 100%.

Three characters that scare me:

• Grima Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings – because that's who I'd be if I turned to evil. There but for the Grace of God...


• Cthulhu from the works of H.P. Lovecraft – because, like Sauron in The Lord of the Rings, it's an essentially demonic character – one of pure evil.


• John Wither, Deputy Director of the National Institute for Coordinated Experiments in That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis – because he seems like just another Public Service manager, but is in the direct service of Satan.