Dæmon

From His Dark Materials

Dæmons are the physical manifestations of the souls of humans in Lyra's world. Although dæmons are a separate identity to their humans, together, both are considered to be one entity. Therefore, both the human and dæmon will die simultaneously, if one is killed.

[edit] Overview

Dæmons assume the forms of animals. During the childhood of a human, the dæmon can shapeshift into any kind of animal depending on whim or circumstances; after the child has attained maturity, their dæmon will settle into a permanent form, often reflecting the nature of their human. A person's dæmon is usually the opposite sex, although it is possible for both to have the same sex. It is a taboo for a person to touch another's dæmon; similarly, a dæmon cannot touch another person. The only mentioned exception occurs when Will Parry and Lyra Belacqua touch each other's dæmon in love; this touch was described not as a violation, but as a stimulating and invigorating sensation that caused both dæmon to settle "having felt a lover's touch."

The separation between a human and their dæmon is very painful and emotionally afflicting. Excluding the dæmon belonging to witches, who could travel great distances away from each other, death would usually follow the separation due to the severe trauma. In the series, a device known as the Silver Guillotine was able to separate dæmon from their humans without resulting in death. Nevertheless, this resulted in the human becoming a zombi.

Ostensibly, dæmon can only be readily seen and acknowledged in Lyra's world. In other worlds and universes, including Will Parry's world, the dæmons are invisible and lack physical forms, but they can be taught how to see them as Mary was taught how to by Serafina Pekkala. Humans are possibly the only species who know that they possess dæmons. They are not however, the only species to have dæmons, as in the world of the dead other sentient beings such as the Mulefa and the Gallivespians as well as many other sentient creatures. Not all intelligent creatures have dæmons, such as the Panserbjørne.

[edit] Meaning

Symbolism of some of the names of Dæmon are briefly presented below:

Character	Dæmon	Meaning
Lyra Belacqua:	Pantalaimon	Ermine: purity (Renaissance Symbology), "favourite" form Pine Marten: grace and empathy (Celtic Myth.) , settled form
Will Parry:	Kirjava	Cat: guardian and protector, especially in confrontational circumstances (Celtic Myth.), settled form
Lord Asriel:	Stelmaria	Snow Leopard: understanding one’s shadow side (Pagan Myth.), associated with the devil (Christian Symbolism), settled form
Marisa Coulter:	Ozymandias (from BBC Radio)	Golden Lion Tamarin: cleverness and curiosity (Chinese Astrology), settled form
Roger Parslow:	Salcilia	Terrier: fidelity (Celtic Myth.), common form, also explained to be a form suited for servants in the series
Mary Malone:	never named	Alpine Chough: settled form. A bird of the mountains.'
John Faa:	never named	Crow: the soul of magic and link to the spirit world (alchemical symbol), settled form
Farder Coram:	Sophonax	Cat: (see above) settled form
Serafina Pekkala:	Kaisa	Snow Goose: vigilance and protection (Celtic Myth.), settled form. The name Kaisa is a female name in Finland, although Kaisa the snow goose is male in the books.
Lee Scoresby:	Hester	Artic Hare: The Moon and Resurrection (Pagan), settled form
The Master: (of Jordan College)	Leonor (from BBC Radio)	Raven: Bird used by Odin to collect knowledge, settled form
John "Jopari-Stanislaus Grumman" Parry: (aliases in likely order of origin)	Sayan Kötör	Osprey: often linked to those of otherworldly vision; its also common a symbol of abundance, settled form
Carlo Boreal / Charles Latrom, CBE :	never named	Serpent: settled form.

[edit] Possible scientific explanation

It is possible dæmons are colonies of Dust that have, over the eons, formed a symbiotic relationship with humans. One so strong that, while a dæmon is not literally it's counterpart's soul, it might as well be. As two humans conceive a child, so their dæmon counterparts conceive that child's dæmon.

Races and Species
Humans • Dæmons • Witches • Panserbjørne • Spectres • Gallivespians • Mulefas • Harpies •