What Are the Animals Called in the Golden Compass

In theory, the idea of daemons in the His Dark Materials series might sound kind of silly: Little talking animals, which are a physical, outer-body manifestation of someone's soul, accompany every human everywhere they go in this fantasy universe. But, on the page, these fantastical beings in Philip Pullman's famous novels are strange and beautiful, and not at all childish inventions meant to captivate kids. Historically, it's exactly this device that has made an adaption of Pullman's trilogy so difficult to pull off. How does one visually recreate these very serious, fully realized creatures so they don't come across as juvenile or, even worse, simply dumb looking? In the 2007 film adaptation of The Golden Compass, which sanitized many of the story's anti-Catholic Church messages, the daemons were clunky, poorly CGI-rendered action figures.

Now, as HBO and the BBC debut their new His Dark Materials series, they have another opportunity to get it right. And thankfully, for the most part they do. Here, they are as graceful, powerful, and mysterious a presence as they are in Pullman's imagination. But, for anyone who hasn't read the three-part epic, the rules of the creatures in His Dark Materials may be confusing.

To help you navigate Pullman's thrilling multiverse, we break down some of the biggest questions about daemons.

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials)

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So, What Are Daemons?

In the world of His Dark Materials, every human has a physical representative of their own soul called a daemon. They take the shape of an animal, usually of the opposite sex of the human, and accompany them at all times. These daemons can speak, though they usually only do so to their human companion. (Exceptions are made on rare occasions.) Children's daemons can change shape at will into various forms, but when the child reaches puberty they settle into one form that they keep for the rest of the human's life. Settling is meant to help humans as they age better understand who they are.

Who Are Some Important Daemons to Know?

Lyra's daemon is named Pantalaimon (Pan for short), who is still young enough to change shape, but he typically prefers the form of an ermine. Pan is voiced by Kit Connor in the HBO series. There's also Lord Asriel's daemon Stelmaria, who is in the shape of an imposing snow leopard and is voiced by Helen McCrory. Mrs. Coulter's daemon is a golden monkey, who is never named in the book and also never speaks (at least that Lyra hears).

Can Another Human Speak to or Touch Someone Else's Daemon?

Another human can speak to another person's daemon, but such communication is typically rare. The same goes for touching someone else's daemon. It's described in The Golden Compass as "the worst breach of etiquette imaginable." However, in extreme—often malicious cases—this does happen.

Can Humans Be Separated From Their Daemons?

Humans can never be more than a few yards from their daemons. As soon as a human and daemon are pulled apart they are overcome by an intense pain and compelled to be nearer to one another by a mysterious, emotional, non-physical tether. The only exception here is that witches in this universe have the ability to be physically parted from their daemons.

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When a Human Dies Does a Daemon Die? When a Daemon Die Does a Human Die?

The short answer is, yes. When a human dies its daemon vanishes into smoke. When a daemon dies, its human also dies. As it's described at one point in The Golden Compass:

"A wolf daemon leaped at him: he slashed at her in mid-air, and bright fire spilled out of her as she fell to the snow, where she hissed and howled before vanishing. Her human died at once."

Do the Daemons Have Free Will?

This is an interesting question, and one that Pullman hasn't explicitly answered. When asked this in a BBC interview in 2008, he responded:

That raises all sorts of possibilities and suggests all kinds of stories too. However, you have to remember that you and the daemon are not separate beings - you are one being in two bodies.

Where Do the Daemons Come From?

Another great question that is left somewhat mysterious in the books. In the same BBC interview, Pullman was asked if daemons are born at the same time as their humans or if they appear later at some point. Pullman responded:

This is a difficult one, because I've never had to think about it. I've never had to talk about how daemons come into being because I didn't write a scene in which a human character was being born. The gynecology of daemons is a closed book to me. What I do know is about how they get their names: the parents' daemons choose the name of the child's daemon.

Matt Miller Culture Editor Matt Miller is a Brooklyn-based culture/lifestyle writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Esquire, Forbes, The Denver Post, and documentaries.

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What Are the Animals Called in the Golden Compass

Source: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a29686709/what-are-daemons-in-his-dark-materials-animal-companions-explained/

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