THE long awaited BBC adaptation of Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy series His Dark Materials has finally graced our screens but with this comes new words that could confuse even the most dedicated fan.
Just what on earth is dust, who are the gobblers and why is everyone afraid of the Magisterium? We have the answers here.
***WARNING: THIS LIST CONTAINS SPOILERS***
What is a Daemon?
In the fantasy universe of His Dark Materials every human comes with an animal companion.
This animal is much more than a pet though, and is actually a physical manifestation of someone’s soul.
Some even have names, with the heroine Lyra’s named Pantalaimon.
Throughout childhood the animal can change form, you may notice that Lyra and Roger’s daemons constantly shift to suit their surroundings.
But once a child reaches adulthood, the daemon will settle into its final form, which will usually be a visual representation of their personality.
For example; Lord Asriel’s daemon is a fierce snow leopard and Mrs Coulter’s monkey is silent.
What is Dust?
Unfortunately, the concept of Dust is much more difficult to explain – and no you won’t find it on your bookcase.
Lord Asriel presented the existence of dust to the scholars at Jordan college Oxford and noted that children do not attract it – so it looks like this will be a key theme for the rest of the series.
Author Philip Pullman describes it as “elementary particles that are conscious”.
The BBC’s official synopsis for the series states:
“Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust.”
Whatever it is, it seems to cause anxiety for The Magisterium and we can’t wait to uncover more.
Who are the Witches?
As Lyra arrives in the north, she starts to gather recruits in her quest to save Roger and the other children from the Gobblers.
Gyptian Farder Coram insists they need the witches on side, especially Serafina Pekkala, the queen of Lake Enara clan.
The witches in this universe are exclusively female, live in the far north in various clans and sometimes war amongst themselves.
Although they can live until they are 1000, witches maintain youthful beauty throughout their lives.
They occasionally take human men as their lovers, however, if the child is male it will be born human, while any female offspring will become a witch.
It is hinted that Farder Coram was once one of Serafina’s lovers, as he is concerned she will be shocked by his aging appearance.
Witches’ daemons are birds and unlike humans, they can travel far from them to spy or carry messages.
Other powers they possess range from spells and potions for healing, to being unaffected by the cold and a superior sense of direction.
What is an Armoured bear?
Armoured bears closely resemble polar bears.
They have opposable thumbs on their right paws and are very skilled at metalworking.
They fashion their own armour using sky-iron, piece by piece as they grow up.
By the time they are adults, they have a full suit.
Like daemons for other beings in this universe, the armour is considered their soul.
Known as largely solitary creatures, they do have a society on the island of Svalbard and are ruled over by a king.
Iorek Byrnison was the heir to this throne, however, he found himself in exile after killing another bear.
Who are the Gobblers?
Gobblers were the word on everyone’s lips throughout episode one.
Word spread to Oxford about children going missing across the country and the Gyptians claim the culprits are the gobblers.
Lyra was convinced though and so she and Roger initially treated the gobblers as a myth or fairy tale – even including them in their games.
But once children they know started to go missing, it all became much more real.
In the novel Northern Lights, we find out the gobblers name derives from the abbreviation of General Oblation Board (GOB).
A section of The Magisterium run by Mrs Coulter…
The Gobblers gather children for the purposes of scientific experimentation.
Namely, intercision – the painful process of separating a child from its daemon.
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Who are the Gyptians?
The Gyptians are an ethnic group who live on boats and travel around Lyra’s world on rivers and canals.
They operate like gypsies but only move by water and make a living by trading goods.
The community is renowned for being tight-knit and friendly and once one of their children goes missing, they join together in a mission to get him back.
The Magisterium
The Magisterium is mentioned frequently throughout episode one and often with a note of fear.
It seems to bear relation to the Catholic church, albeit much stricter and plays a dominant role in Lyra’s universe.
From enforcing doctrines and monitoring scientific discoveries – this is an all powerful force that doesn’t like to be challenged.
Based in Geneva, The Magisterium are the headquarters of the Holy Church that replaced Catholicism in this world after the death of Pope John Calvin.
The scholars are convinced that Lord Asriel’s research is going against the church and fear the consequences.
Alethiometer
Lyra is presented with an Alethiometer, (also known as the golden compass in the less well received 2007 film), by the Master of Jordan college.
This device is given to Lyra as a form of protection and he insists she keeps her possession of it a secret.
The name derives from the Greek for truth “Alethia” and “meter” which means measure.
This mystical object is powered by dust and allows those who are trained or gifted to see the truthful answer to any question.
Where can you watch His Dark Materials?
The screen adaptation of the cult series returns to BBC One every Sunday at 8pm, or you can catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Based on the trilogy of fantasy novels – which consists of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass the series follows Lyra Belacqua as she travels through various parallel universes, meeting a host of fantastical creatures.
Comprised of eight episodes, these will air weekly in the lead up to Christmas, with the final episode hitting screens on Sunday, December 22 2019.
