The magic behind Susan Pevensie’s props
If you're a fan of Susan Pevensie's iconic look from The Chronicles of Narnia films, you've likely admired her quiver, bow, and arrows. These props are stunning on screen, but, as with many movie details, there's more to them than meets the eye. The intricacies of how movie props are created and used are often overlooked, so we're here to share what we've uncovered after countless hours of research into Susan's gear. So, sit back, grab some hot chocolate and Turkish delight, and let's dive in!
The Reality of Susan’s props
Arrows
Let’s start with the arrows. On-screen, Susan’s arrows appear normal in length about 70 cm but behind the scenes, things were far more complicated. Susan’s quiver (the one Anna Popplewell, Susan’s actress, used) is quite small and bent, meaning full-length arrows wouldn’t fit. To work around this, the production team created smaller arrows with a sponge to hold them in place. On top of that her golden arrowheads can be taken off of the arrows for even a better fit.
You can even catch Anna accidentally pulling out these small arrows—a little behind-the-scenes magic at work!
Bow
The same principle applied to Susan’s bow. Although it looks like her full bow is stashed in the quiver, what you actually see on screen is a shortened “cut-down” version used for production.
One fascinating detail about Susan’s bow is that it was sometimes made to be fully functional, complete with a working bowstring. For certain scenes, the production team used a real, functioning bow to ensure the movements and tension looked authentic on screen. This added an extra layer of realism, especially during close-up shots where Susan is seen drawing the bow or preparing to shoot.
Quiver
Susan’s quiver was relatively straightforward in its construction. It featured a slightly bent shape to accommodate the arrows, making it a much more intriguing design compared to a normal straight quiver. The belts attached to the quiver had their own unique design matching well with the buckles, complementing the overall look of her costumes
What’s particularly interesting is how the quiver was secured. Behind the scenes, it was designed to attach to an armor-like piece hidden under Anna Popplewell’s costume. This clever attachment kept the quiver stable and secure during action scenes, preventing it from shifting or sliding out of place while she moved. It’s a small but ingenious detail that added to the practicality of Susan’s gear!
In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Susan’s quiver was designed in a striking white color, symbolizing the purity and newness of her role as an archer and warrior in Narnia. The straps that are attached to her props are a very bright red wit gold accents along the edges. This pristine look perfectly reflected the innocence and hope of the Pevensies’ first journey into the magical land.
By the time we see Susan in Prince Caspian, the quiver’s design evolved to reflect the Pevensies’ growth and the challenges they had faced. The once-bright white quiver had darkened to a weathered ivory color, her belt has also turned a more darker red color with no gold accents symbolizing their adventures and the passage of time.
Horn
Susan’s magical horn, like her quiver, underwent the transformation from white to the dark ivory color. On It’s own the horn featured Aslan with his main flowing trough the horn the same pattern of rectangles that can be found on these props and her costumes most of the time! The horn also featured its own unique belt with leaf-designed hooks that securely attached it to Susan’s costume. The intricate details of the belt and hooks added a beautiful touch to this iconic prop.
Belt System
One of the most intricate and well-thought-out features of Susan’s gear in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the system that allowed her horn strap to attach directly to her quiver. This design ensured that both essential items—her quiver and magical horn—were easily accessible while staying securely in place during movement and action scenes. The attachment system was seamless and cleverly integrated, highlighting the attention to detail in the film’s prop design. By connecting the horn strap to the quiver, the filmmakers achieved a functional and aesthetically pleasing solution that added practicality to Susan’s gear while keeping her overall look cohesive and elegant.
After countless hours of research and analysis here’s what we found: The horn strap is a two-part system that cleverly weaves through the quiver belt to stay secure. One part of the horn strap starts out over her shoulder. On the opposite side, the strap exits again.The second piece of the horn strap only wraps around the front of the torso. It connects to the first piece using the same style of buckles used for the quiver. The back of this second piece runs through the quiver’s buckle system, allowing it to align perfectly and meet the horn itself. It’s a brilliant system that reflects the incredible thought and craftsmanship of the prop designers—both practical and aesthetically stunning!
How We Recreated Susan’s Props
Recreating Susan’s iconic props required careful attention to every detail from the movies, along we need to make a few practical tweaks to make them functional for fans and collectors, it’s important to know that props that were made for movies can’t always be made the same way as they are for retail purposes. Here’s how we brought these pieces to life:
Arrows: To balance screen accuracy with practicality, we designed Susan’s arrows to be to the original lenght but this means that less fit in the quiver, Susan has around 9 arrows on average in her quiver with the small lenght, with our quiver 6 - 8 full lenght arrows will fit.
Bow: on march 20th we’ll launch with our new bow that will be fully functional, there is no option to wear the bow in the quiver then but we can make a cut down version for commisions.
Quiver and Horn Colors: Fans can choose between two color variants for the quiver and horn—white, inspired by The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or dark ivory, reflecting the weathered look from Prince Caspian. With these props the accurate versions of the belt colors are included with the right prop color.
Belt system: As of december 2024 we do not have the belt system in our props, but in march 2025 there will be. Customers will have the option then to use it or wear the props separately.
Every detail of these props was crafted with love and respect for the original designs, ensuring they not only look stunning but also work seamlessly—just like they did in Narnia!
*Props are still in designing process for Launch March 2025, this current information can change troughout the months and some are predictions made in december 2024*
There’s rarely a perfect way to explain these nuances, that’s why we’re thrilled to dedicate a page on the website to these fascinating behind-the-scenes facts. It’s important for fans and collectors to understand the details so they know what prop they want to buy and how it works!
Stay tuned for more insights into prop-making, and thank you for supporting our work as we bring these iconic pieces to life!
