Description The panserbjørne are a race of sentient polar bear-like creatures that have opposable thumbs on their front paws. Despite their large digits and immense strength they have remarkable dexterity. This, together with an innate sense of metallurgy, makes them exceptional metalsmiths, and they are capable of creating and repairing metal items far beyond the capabilities of human smiths (at least in the parallel universe where the panserbjørne live). While they mainly speak English in the books, they are shown to speak in a number of languages. Bears are difficult to deceive. One exception is Iofur Raknison, a bear king who began to emulate humans by drinking spirits, wearing opulent clothes, and desiring a dæmon. His gullibility is attributed to his failing to act like a bear. Bears are mostly edible, but their livers are poisonous – as in real life, due to a high concentration of retinol (Vitamin A).
Society Panserbjørne are generally solitary creatures, but have a loose society centered on Svalbard. They are governed by a king; Iofur Raknison and Iorek Byrnison are the only two kings who appear in the books. Some bears occasionally hire themselves out to humans as mercenaries or laborers, but only in the Arctic regions, and it is implied that bears who do this may be shamed in some way. Lands further to the south have little contact with the bears, though their existence is widely known. Becoming an outcast is the worst shame a bear can endure. He is forced to leave his home and may never return. If he ever approaches Svalbard again, he will be shot down from afar with fire hurlers. This adds insult to injury, because death by fire hurler is a dishonourable death. He may no longer participate in a legal duel, and any bear may kill him without being prosecuted.
Armour and Weapons Armour is extremely important to the panserbjørne; they consider it the equivalent of a dæmon or soul, albeit one that they consciously make for themselves. A bear fashions his own armour using 'sky-iron', a rare metal collected from meteorites which the bears discover on, or buried in, the ice. Although the magical metal described in Pullman's works is fictional, the native peoples of the Arctic do value meteorites (particularly the Cape York meteorite) as a source of iron for toolmaking. A bear's primary weapons are his immense strength, savage jaws, and razor sharp claws. He uses these in close combat or when fighting duels with other bears. However, bears use fire hurlers, which is something of a combination of a flame thrower and a catapult against human enemies and outcasts.
[The Witches]
Description In Lyra's world, witches are exclusively female and live in the far north. They worship their own assortment of gods and goddesses, with particular focus on nature and the earth. Significantly, they also share the Judeo-Christian concept of "Mother Eve". Every witch to appear is described as very beautiful, for they stay young for their entire lives, whilst maintaining a mature look of wisdom from their advanced years. No one knows exactly how long a witch can live, but some can live to be over 1,000 years old. They dress in ragged black silk and wear no shoes or warm clothing. Witch queens usually wear a crown that they created for themselves. Serafina Pekkala wears a band of everlasting, red Arctic flowers and Ruta Scadi wears a tiara of Siberian tiger teeth. Interestingly, their crowns (like their dæmons which are always birds) seem to represent the witch queen's personality. Witches are renowned for their excellent marksmanship, and carry bows with them wherever they go. They lower their bows to the ground as a symbol of friendship when necessary. Witches occasionally choose human men who are in some way exceptional to be their lovers. All of a witch's sons will be human and all of her daughters will be witches. To a witch, the lives of sons or men they love are mere instants. Although some regret losing those they love, they accept that they cannot change who they are. Witches have a legendary sense of direction. They can remember the way to a far away place that they have been to only once.
Abilities and Powers Witches can feel cold, but are not affected by it. They can endure the lowest temperatures on earth comfortably. Because they are not burdened by heavy clothing, they can feel the beams of the Aurora on their bare skin. Because there is a wasteland far north where no dæmons may go, witches can learn to stay as far from their dæmons as they wish. Because all witch dæmons are birds, they can easily fly away to carry messages, spy, or do other tasks for their witches- often to the alarm of anyone who has never seen a person or dæmon separate from one another.
If a witch has a branch of a special cloud-pine tree, she can use it to fly. A human cannot fly this way, although a witch can carry another person up on their cloud-pine if they need to, but they usually lift no one bigger than a child. In large numbers, witches and their cloud-pines can tow an airship with no directional engine and can have some control over the winds. Witches, through intense concentration, have the power to be intensely ignored. In the right state of mind, a witch can make herself so unnoticeable that she is almost invisible. Although she is always completely solid, people will glance at her when they see her and move aside to let her pass, without any comment or objection, as if she were merely a part of the wall (although Mrs Coulter is shown to be immune to this form of trickery). Some witches at least have the power of prophecy, as they foresee the existence of, and identify Lyra as, the second Eve. They have spells and potions for healing, although seemingly only in the right environment and can also keep flowers fresh and prevent corpses from decaying until after a mourner has approached and seen the body. They are also shown to possess some limited form of telepathy, as demonstrated by Serafina Pekkala's ability to know Lee Scorsbee's location by giving him one of her crown's flowers with which to invoke her when he is in danger and by her effect on Mary Malone's dreams to help her wake up gradually and accept her presence. Her dæmon is also shown to have the ability to unfasten padlocks with a combination of snow and his breath.
Clans On his journeys through Lyra's world, John Parry (alias Stanislaus Grumman) catalogued 9 witch clans. The first and farthest north are the witches of Lake Enara, led by Serafina Pekkala. The Slavic witches of Lake Lubana are the furthest south, and are led by Ruta Skadi, who was one of Lord Asriel's lovers. The witch clans often warred amongst themselves. Some witches even helped the Magisterium at Bolvangar, though most switched sides when they learned the truth. In the world Lord Asriel sets his base for war, an altogether separate race of witches is shown to exist, which have males as well as females and live only as long as most humans.
[Gyptians]
Description Gyptians are a fictional ethnic group in the universe inhabited by Lyra Belacqua; they are roughly analogous to Gypsies. The name Gyptian, like Gypsy, is derived from Egyptian, the original English name for the Roma. They are divided into large families, the heads of which make up the gyptians' Council, which in turn is ruled by the King of the Gyptians. It also includes the wise Farder Coram. Their culture, while widely spread, is tightly knit. Gyptian children are extravagantly loved and looked after instinctively by other members if they are to stray. Their ethnic group is small enough for all gyptians to know each other by name, yet large enough to supply 170 men to travel north on a rescue mission. Unlike real-world Roma, gyptians are water-travellers. They mainly live aboard boats traversing the canals and rivers of England. The gyptians' primary source of income appears to be through trading goods as they travel. Lyra describes them as coming and going with the spring and autumn fairs. Furthering this gypsy stereotype, Gyptians are said to pride themselves on their ability at card games.
[Spectres]
Description Spectres are also known as the Spectres of Indifference. They are beings of spirit escaped from the void between universes. Most commonly, a Spectre is created from each new window opened by the Subtle Knife. They appear in the second and third volumes, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Spectres feed upon the Dust that makes up a person's soul (their dæmon), leaving the person as a lifeless zombie-like entity who does not move. They are invisible to and do not harm pre-adolescents, as Dust has not yet settled upon them. When travelling, all human groups in Cittàgazze are required by law to contain a man and woman on horseback to flee and look after the young in the case of a Spectre attack. They are normally not air-borne, so air travel over Cittàgazze is the only safe means possible for an adult to cross the city. The Spectres are shown to be capable of flight under the influence of Mrs. Coulter (who causes them to forget that they are earthbound) and Stanislaus Grumman, as shown in Lee Scoresby's "dream" where Grumman sends a Spectre into the sky and it attacks one of the pilots of a zeppelin. Cittàgazze, a city infested with them, is bereft of adults and filled with gangs of children.
Spectres cannot be killed by any physical means, although numerous methods of countering their attacks exist. Angels have some means of neutralizing Spectres, and ghosts are able to hold them in combat. Humans whose dæmons have been removed from them via intercision can pass them without being attacked, and humans can repel them with the Subtle Knife.
[Gallivespians]
Description Gallivespians are a humanoid race from yet another universe that appear in the third book. They are small in size, no higher than the width of a man's hand. As a defence to make up for their size, they have spurs on the backs of their heels which can deliver a poison that will kill at worst, and paralyse and cause intense pain at best. This poison must be given time to build up to full potency, and so cannot be used over-frequently.
[Humans]
Lord Asriel and his Daemon
All humans, except for the children taken by the 'Gobblers' have a Daemon. They have no magical abilities and can mentally and verbally communicate with their daemons. Daemons can't travel further than a few metres from their human- it pains them. Daemons are a physical representation of their human's inner soul. They are not to be touched by anyone other than their human-this is viewed as unbelievably rude. They are linked by Dust.
Description
The panserbjørne are a race of sentient polar bear-like creatures that have opposable thumbs on their front paws. Despite their large digits and immense strength they have remarkable dexterity. This, together with an innate sense of metallurgy, makes them exceptional metalsmiths, and they are capable of creating and repairing metal items far beyond the capabilities of human smiths (at least in the parallel universe where the panserbjørne live).
While they mainly speak English in the books, they are shown to speak in a number of languages.
Bears are difficult to deceive. One exception is Iofur Raknison, a bear king who began to emulate humans by drinking spirits, wearing opulent clothes, and desiring a dæmon. His gullibility is attributed to his failing to act like a bear.
Bears are mostly edible, but their livers are poisonous – as in real life, due to a high concentration of retinol (Vitamin A).
Society
Panserbjørne are generally solitary creatures, but have a loose society centered on Svalbard. They are governed by a king; Iofur Raknison and Iorek Byrnison are the only two kings who appear in the books.
Some bears occasionally hire themselves out to humans as mercenaries or laborers, but only in the Arctic regions, and it is implied that bears who do this may be shamed in some way. Lands further to the south have little contact with the bears, though their existence is widely known.
Becoming an outcast is the worst shame a bear can endure. He is forced to leave his home and may never return. If he ever approaches Svalbard again, he will be shot down from afar with fire hurlers. This adds insult to injury, because death by fire hurler is a dishonourable death. He may no longer participate in a legal duel, and any bear may kill him without being prosecuted.
Armour and Weapons
Armour is extremely important to the panserbjørne; they consider it the equivalent of a dæmon or soul, albeit one that they consciously make for themselves.
A bear fashions his own armour using 'sky-iron', a rare metal collected from meteorites which the bears discover on, or buried in, the ice. Although the magical metal described in Pullman's works is fictional, the native peoples of the Arctic do value meteorites (particularly the Cape York meteorite) as a source of iron for toolmaking.
A bear's primary weapons are his immense strength, savage jaws, and razor sharp claws. He uses these in close combat or when fighting duels with other bears. However, bears use fire hurlers, which is something of a combination of a flame thrower and a catapult against human enemies and outcasts.
[The Witches]
Description
In Lyra's world, witches are exclusively female and live in the far north. They worship their own assortment of gods and goddesses, with particular focus on nature and the earth. Significantly, they also share the Judeo-Christian concept of "Mother Eve". Every witch to appear is described as very beautiful, for they stay young for their entire lives, whilst maintaining a mature look of wisdom from their advanced years. No one knows exactly how long a witch can live, but some can live to be over 1,000 years old. They dress in ragged black silk and wear no shoes or warm clothing. Witch queens usually wear a crown that they created for themselves. Serafina Pekkala wears a band of everlasting, red Arctic flowers and Ruta Scadi wears a tiara of Siberian tiger teeth. Interestingly, their crowns (like their dæmons which are always birds) seem to represent the witch queen's personality.
Witches are renowned for their excellent marksmanship, and carry bows with them wherever they go. They lower their bows to the ground as a symbol of friendship when necessary.
Witches occasionally choose human men who are in some way exceptional to be their lovers. All of a witch's sons will be human and all of her daughters will be witches. To a witch, the lives of sons or men they love are mere instants. Although some regret losing those they love, they accept that they cannot change who they are.
Witches have a legendary sense of direction. They can remember the way to a far away place that they have been to only once.
Abilities and Powers
Witches can feel cold, but are not affected by it. They can endure the lowest temperatures on earth comfortably. Because they are not burdened by heavy clothing, they can feel the beams of the Aurora on their bare skin.
Because there is a wasteland far north where no dæmons may go, witches can learn to stay as far from their dæmons as they wish. Because all witch dæmons are birds, they can easily fly away to carry messages, spy, or do other tasks for their witches- often to the alarm of anyone who has never seen a person or dæmon separate from one another.
If a witch has a branch of a special cloud-pine tree, she can use it to fly. A human cannot fly this way, although a witch can carry another person up on their cloud-pine if they need to, but they usually lift no one bigger than a child. In large numbers, witches and their cloud-pines can tow an airship with no directional engine and can have some control over the winds.
Witches, through intense concentration, have the power to be intensely ignored. In the right state of mind, a witch can make herself so unnoticeable that she is almost invisible. Although she is always completely solid, people will glance at her when they see her and move aside to let her pass, without any comment or objection, as if she were merely a part of the wall (although Mrs Coulter is shown to be immune to this form of trickery). Some witches at least have the power of prophecy, as they foresee the existence of, and identify Lyra as, the second Eve. They have spells and potions for healing, although seemingly only in the right environment and can also keep flowers fresh and prevent corpses from decaying until after a mourner has approached and seen the body. They are also shown to possess some limited form of telepathy, as demonstrated by Serafina Pekkala's ability to know Lee Scorsbee's location by giving him one of her crown's flowers with which to invoke her when he is in danger and by her effect on Mary Malone's dreams to help her wake up gradually and accept her presence. Her dæmon is also shown to have the ability to unfasten padlocks with a combination of snow and his breath.
Clans
On his journeys through Lyra's world, John Parry (alias Stanislaus Grumman) catalogued 9 witch clans. The first and farthest north are the witches of Lake Enara, led by Serafina Pekkala. The Slavic witches of Lake Lubana are the furthest south, and are led by Ruta Skadi, who was one of Lord Asriel's lovers.
The witch clans often warred amongst themselves. Some witches even helped the Magisterium at Bolvangar, though most switched sides when they learned the truth.
In the world Lord Asriel sets his base for war, an altogether separate race of witches is shown to exist, which have males as well as females and live only as long as most humans.
[Gyptians]
Description
Gyptians are a fictional ethnic group in the universe inhabited by Lyra Belacqua; they are roughly analogous to Gypsies. The name Gyptian, like Gypsy, is derived from Egyptian, the original English name for the Roma.
They are divided into large families, the heads of which make up the gyptians' Council, which in turn is ruled by the King of the Gyptians. It also includes the wise Farder Coram. Their culture, while widely spread, is tightly knit. Gyptian children are extravagantly loved and looked after instinctively by other members if they are to stray. Their ethnic group is small enough for all gyptians to know each other by name, yet large enough to supply 170 men to travel north on a rescue mission.
Unlike real-world Roma, gyptians are water-travellers. They mainly live aboard boats traversing the canals and rivers of England. The gyptians' primary source of income appears to be through trading goods as they travel. Lyra describes them as coming and going with the spring and autumn fairs. Furthering this gypsy stereotype, Gyptians are said to pride themselves on their ability at card games.
[Spectres]
Description
Spectres are also known as the Spectres of Indifference. They are beings of spirit escaped from the void between universes. Most commonly, a Spectre is created from each new window opened by the Subtle Knife. They appear in the second and third volumes, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
Spectres feed upon the Dust that makes up a person's soul (their dæmon), leaving the person as a lifeless zombie-like entity who does not move. They are invisible to and do not harm pre-adolescents, as Dust has not yet settled upon them. When travelling, all human groups in Cittàgazze are required by law to contain a man and woman on horseback to flee and look after the young in the case of a Spectre attack. They are normally not air-borne, so air travel over Cittàgazze is the only safe means possible for an adult to cross the city. The Spectres are shown to be capable of flight under the influence of Mrs. Coulter (who causes them to forget that they are earthbound) and Stanislaus Grumman, as shown in Lee Scoresby's "dream" where Grumman sends a Spectre into the sky and it attacks one of the pilots of a zeppelin. Cittàgazze, a city infested with them, is bereft of adults and filled with gangs of children.
Spectres cannot be killed by any physical means, although numerous methods of countering their attacks exist. Angels have some means of neutralizing Spectres, and ghosts are able to hold them in combat. Humans whose dæmons have been removed from them via intercision can pass them without being attacked, and humans can repel them with the Subtle Knife.
[Gallivespians]
Description
Gallivespians are a humanoid race from yet another universe that appear in the third book. They are small in size, no higher than the width of a man's hand. As a defence to make up for their size, they have spurs on the backs of their heels which can deliver a poison that will kill at worst, and paralyse and cause intense pain at best. This poison must be given time to build up to full potency, and so cannot be used over-frequently.
[Humans]
Lord Asriel and his Daemon
All humans, except for the children taken by the 'Gobblers' have a Daemon. They have no magical abilities and can mentally and verbally communicate with their daemons. Daemons can't travel further than a few metres from their human- it pains them. Daemons are a physical representation of their human's inner soul. They are not to be touched by anyone other than their human-this is viewed as unbelievably rude. They are linked by Dust.