Aslan the Lion is intended to represent Jesus Christ and no other religious figure, say Narnia fans and the author. Photo / Supplied
Liam Neeson is in strife after suggesting that Aslan, the Christ-like character in C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, could also represent the prophet Mohammed or Buddha.
The actor who voices the lion in the film adaptations of the books has angered some fans of the stories, who say he is distorting
Lewis' intentions to be politically correct.
Aslan the lion features in all seven Narnia books, guiding children away from evil and harm and encouraging them to do good.
Lewis was clear that Aslan was based on Christ, and once wrote of the character: "He is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, 'What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia?"'
In the climax of the first book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan sacrifices his life to save Narnia but then rises from the dead, a plot widely believed to represent the crucifixion and the resurrection.
But before the release of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third Narnia book to be made into a film, Neeson said: "Aslan symbolises a Christlike figure, but he also symbolises for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets.
"That's who Aslan stands for as well as a mentor figure for kids - that's what he means for me."
Walter Hooper, Lewis' former secretary and a trustee of his estate, said the author would have been angered by Neeson's comments.
He said: "It is nothing whatever to do with Islam. Lewis would have simply denied that. He wrote that 'the whole Narnian story is about Christ'. Lewis could not have been clearer."
Mr Hooper attributed Neeson's remarks to a wish to be "very multi-cultural".
