Orual is the novel’s narrator, and she introduces herself as the unmarried and childless Queen of Glome. Through her narrative, we learn that she is the eldest of three daughters born to Trom, the King of Glome, a violent man who torments Orual ceaselessly. It is from his cruel remarks that Orual learns that she is ugly and, as a result, considers herself the most “pitiable and ill-used” (121) of his daughters. Unlike Orual, her sisters Redival and Istra—who Orual calls Psyche—are beautiful and are, therefore, useful to their father, who can marry them to the royal families of other kingdoms to secure political allegiances. Orual’s ugliness means that marriage is not an option for her; instead she discovers a different and traditionally masculine set of skills, particularly sword-fighting, at which she excels.

The ridicule she has suffered from her father and others has made her extremely insecure, and she finds it hard to believe that anyone loves her. This, in turn, makes her extremely possessive about those she loves. Orual’s ugliness also means that she is not an acceptable offering to appease the gods’ anger with Glome; instead Psyche, whom she loves most in the world, is to be sacrificed.