History Characters / HisDarkMaterialsLiterature

%%* {{Jerkass}}

* TheSociopath

* PrefersGoingBarefoot: Downplayed. He throws away his shoes and socks in Cittàgazze and does not bother to get footwear until he has to go to his world again, highlighting that the city is now his new safe place, as well as one where he is free from social convention. Lyra is a bit curious about this trait at first, although she doesn't comment.

* MagicalBarefoot: She's apparently barefoot in the book, as witches are said to be barely dressed by some pieces of cloth. The movie doesn't show her feet at all, but it's played straight in the [=HBO=] adaptation.

* ActionGirl: She's a plucky girl who JumpedAtTheCall and is already feisty at the beginning of the story.

* PedophilePriest: His sole appearances all but screams him to be one - he tries his best to make Will stay overnight, constantly invades his personal space, chooses uncomfortable topics and jokes, and is implied to be trying to get Will drunk before the latter interrupts the party. His only redeeming quality on the matter is that he ultimately accepts Will's leaving and doesn't try to force himself on him even although he is a man gigantic enough to be a physical threat to a boy.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: He believes witches and bears are devils and should be all killed.

* PunnyName: Although it may be a coincidence like Boreal's case, it's notable, a bit of BlackComedy, that his given name's alternate spelling in Russian is "semen" (it's the Slavic rendering of Simeon). Interestingly, Semyon himself avoids the real word when it comes up in context, warning Will that witches will attempt to steal his "seed - you know what I mean by that."

* RoyalsWhoDoSomething: He acts as a field commander aside from being the rebellion's number two and a king.

[[folder:Asriel]]
!!! Lord Asriel
A ferociously wilful man who sets the events of the books in motion when he makes an appearance at Jordan College. He lives as if he is above the law, and this has earned him as many allies as enemies. He is naturally, intensely charismatic, as well as a brilliant scholar. His exact goals are unclear for the large part of the trilogy, but we do know that he somehow wants to cross between worlds and get at the heart of all Dust -- no matter what the cost. His dæmon is a fierce and beautiful snow leopard named Stelmaria. Played by Creator/DanielCraig in the 2007 film Film/TheGoldenCompass and Creator/JamesMcAvoy in the 2019 [=BBC / HBO=] series.

* BigGood: Subverted: Because he is the leader of the forces opposing the BigBad, Lord Asriel could be said to fill this role, despite being pretty firmly an AntiVillain. Because the other leaders are not so morally questionable (as far as we know), all of them could more easily be said to be the ''collective'' Big Good.
* BrokenPedestal: For Lyra. She adores him throughout the first book, but [[spoiler:killing Roger]] truly put paid to that.
* ByronicHero: Parts of his backstory even seem to be directly based on Byron, such as having an affair with the Prime Minister's wife, and more importantly with [[spoiler:Mrs Coulter]] and witch queen Ruta Skadi. He's a GuileHero and ReallyGetsAround, in addition to being very handsome and intelligent.
* TheChessmaster: [[spoiler:Like Mrs Coulter, he betrays whole organisations as well as his own family for his goals to cross worlds.]]
* {{Determinator}}: A lot of Asriel's stunning feats are attributed to the sheer force of his will.
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: He does truly love [[spoiler:Lyra and wants to keep his daughter safe. But he doesn't understand that he would have won her respect if he had simply spent time with her rather than declare war on Dust and later God. Or maybe he shouldn't have sacrificed her ''best friend'' to achieve his goals, which led her to disowning him and Mrs. Coulter forever. He made his journey so much harder in that Lyra refuses to stay in one spot and be safe]].
* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:It's suggested that those who fall into the Abyss between worlds will never escape - and that extends to their souls, as well. He is trapped, falling with Metatron and Mrs. Coulter, ''even after he dies.'' '''Forever.''']]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Throws himself into the Abyss while gripping Metatron to take the angel out of the picture forever.]]
* ImprobableAge: Pullman rarely gives his character's physical descriptions in the text, only that Asriel is constantly described as powerful and with an aura of authority. But during the Gyptian leader's summation of his back-story to Lyra, the alert reader can do the maths and realise that Asriel must be in his sixties. He is very active for someone his age.
* IronicName: Asriel, Hebrew for "Helped by God". [[spoiler:An interesting name for someone who directly opposes God.]]
%%* {{Jerkass}}
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:He sacrificed Roger, Lyra's best friend, to access other worlds. It was ostensibly in the name of protecting Lyra. Rather than gain refuge in the Underworld, he's going to die in an abyss with his lover and worst enemy after his HeroicSacrifice which was again to protect his daughter.]]
* KnightTemplar
* ManipulativeBastard: Epitomized by the end of the first book when he [[spoiler:kills Roger to open the portal between worlds.]]
* MasochismTango: With [[spoiler:Mrs. Coulter.]] Just read the ending of ''The Golden Compass''/''Northern Lights''.
* MirrorCharacter: [[spoiler:While he and Mrs. Coulter are on opposite sides of a political and theological conflict, they both love their daughter, however terrible they are at showing it, and balk at hurting her -- while willingly sacrificing ''other'' children to achieve their goals.]]
* NayTheist: While he initially sets out to destroy Dust, he later changes his mind and takes aim at [[spoiler:the Authority]] instead.
* OnlyOneName: Only seems to go by Asriel, as both first name and surname, but certain guides to the book universe have him down as Asriel Belacqua, which has sense.
* PantheraAwesome: His dæmon is a snow leopard.
* PapaWolf: [[spoiler:As seen below, he's never that obviously close to his daughter, Lyra - and in fact pretends to be her uncle for most of her life - but he killed Mrs. Coulter's husband to protect her when she was a baby; he removed her from the influence of the Church and placed her at Jordan College to make sure she grows up at least relatively happy and free; the only time he ever really, ''visibly'' loses his cool in the series is when he thinks Lyra's been sent to him as the sacrifice he needs to leave his world; and, in the end, he and Lyra's mother, Mrs. Coulter, sacrifice themselves to stop Metatron, so that Lyra will be safe.]]
* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler:To Lyra, who until the middle of Book 1 thought that he was her uncle.]]
* TheSociopath
* SoProudOfYou: In a manner of speaking; he never says this to [[spoiler:Lyra herself, but in ''The Amber Spyglass'' he states how proud he is that he brought a child like her "who tricked the kingdom of the bear king out of his paws!" into the world. And this tear-jerker: "Did we know what we were taking on when we started this rebellion? No. But did they know--the Authority and his Regent, this Metatron--did they know what they were taking on when ''my daughter'' got involved?"]]
* UnscrupulousHero: He aims for [[spoiler:freedom for the people of all worlds oppressed by the Authority, but will sacrifice anyone to that end.]]
* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler:He kills Roger to create the portal between worlds he needs for his plans.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mrs. Coulter]]
!!! Mrs. Marisa Coulter
A woman who hungers for power and seeks to get it by exploiting the hierarchy of the Church. While she initially charms and captivates everyone she meets (except for the strongest-willed), a closer look will reveal her absolutely mercenary intentions. In addition to charm (''unnatural'' persuasion abilities) and beauty, she possesses a mind like a razor and no such thing as a "conscience." She has only one true weakness - her daughter, Lyra. Her dæmon is a golden monkey that is never named in the books, but is called Ozymandias in the radio play (Pullman doesn't like this name, however). Played by Creator/NicoleKidman in the 2007 film Film/TheGoldenCompass and Creator/RuthWilson in the 2019 [=BBC / HBO=] series.
----

[[folder:Roger]]
!!! Roger Parslow
Lyra's best friend in Oxford, he was a servant of Jordan College where he worked as a kitchen boy. His dæmon's name is Salcilia. Roger was taken by the Gobblers to the North. His faith in Lyra to help him was [[UndyingLoyalty undying]]. Played by Lewin Lloyd in the 2019 [=BBC / HBO=] series.

* DistressedDude: He's one of the victims of the Gobblers, and Lyra takes it upon herself to save him.
* LivingMacGuffin: He is one motivating factor for Lyra to want to go North--to save him. He serves a similar function in ''The Amber Spyglass'' [[spoiler:despite not being alive anymore. In that book Lyra's goal is to get to the world of the dead so that she can apologize to him for unwittingly causing his death.]]
* PoweredByAForsakenChild: His death is used to [[spoiler:open the portal between Lyra's world and Cittàgazze.]]
* {{Sidekick}}: Served as one to Lyra during their normal lives at Oxford.
* UndyingLoyalty: [[spoiler:That surpassed even his own death.]]

[[folder:Dr. Malone]]
!!! Dr. Mary Malone
When Lyra first tracks down this "scholar" (in the parlance of Lyra's own world) in Will's Oxford, she's surprised to meet an eccentric woman instead of a grave and serious gentleman. But Mary Malone is a more than capable astrophysicist who knows about Dust, or Shadows, or Dark Matter, however-you-want-to-call-it. And when adventure calls, Mary answers it, and proves she has greater depths of ingenuity, courage and wonder than even she thought possible.

[[spoiler:At the end of ''The Amber Spyglass'', Serafina Pekkala shows Mary how to see her own dæmon -- and discovers that he's a little black Alpine Chough.]]

* AdaptedOut: She and the ''mulefa'' are both cut from the stage play. Mary Malone's role is filled by Serafina Pekkala, and the physics-related TechnoBabble replaced with mysticism-related ExpoSpeak.
* DarkIsNotEvil:
** Not in appearance or methods but in her role in events: she serves a similar role as the Serpent in Eden. And while everyone else refers to Dust as sparkles of light, she initially calls Dust "Shadows."
** In addition, her dæmon [[spoiler:turns out to be an [[CreepyCrows alpine chough]] - a black bird.]]
* GenderConcealingWriting: She's referred to just as "Dr. Malone" before Lyra meets her, so she assumes the scholar is a man given how patriarchal her world is.
* HollywoodAtheist: Downplayed. Mary is much happier as an atheist than she was as a nun. The only element of her atheism that Mary regrets is the lack of ''purpose'' in her life; but then she realizes that Dust and what it represents can itself be a purpose.
* IconicItem: [[spoiler:Her own invention, the Amber Spyglass.]]
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Averted. She admits she knows very little about biology when she sees the mulefa. She does display an understanding of evolutionary biology, chemistry and computer science, but for such an educated person, this is not really unexpected.
* ParentalSubstitute: [[spoiler:Pullman's notes have her taking the role of Will's guardian when they return to our world.]]
* TakingTheVeil: [[InvertedTrope Inverted in her backstory]]: Mary was a nun, earlier in her life, in an order that allowed her to continue her scientific research. However, she realized that she didn't want to keep living her life that way, and left not only the order but the entire faith.
* TricksterMentor: Subverted. She is told to "play the serpent," which is a role associated with tricksters at its most benevolent, in a Biblical context, but Mary's interactions with Lyra are always straightforward.
* [[UnfazedEveryman Unfazed Everywoman]]: Albeit she's a very well-educated nun turned astrophysicist, she is the closest thing the books have to an AudienceSurrogate, and she certainly possesses no WeirdnessCensor.
* WiseSerpent: The rebel angels invoke this trope when they instruct Mary to "play the serpent," alluding to the Biblical myth of the Fall. Mary even learns a myth from the mulefa featuring a serpent playing the role of trickster-teacher-agent of transformation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lord Boreal]]
!!! Lord Carlo Boreal / Sir Charles Latrom

A high-ranking member of [[CorruptChurch The Magisterium]] with an agenda of his own, he spends much of his time in our world. Played by Ariyon Bakare in the 2019 [=BBC / HBO=] series.

* AdaptationalBadass: Is far more competent and dangerous in the series than he ever was in the books.
* ArcVillain: He is only a prominent villain in the second book. He has a much larger role in the 2019 HBO/BBC TV series.
* AristocratsAreEvil
* AscendedExtra: He appears much earlier in the television series, where much of the first season is dedicated to his exploits in Our World.
%%* BigBadWannabe
* FauxAffablyEvil: His polite behaviour swiftly turns threatening when Will's mother will not cooperate with him.
* ManipulativeBastard: Especially in the TV series.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney
* SdrawkcabName: "Latrom" is "mortal" spelled backwards. Whether this was intentionally done or not remains unknown.
* SmugSnake: Very much so. Even his dæmon is a snake.
* UnholyMatrimony: Has an affair with Mrs. Coulter, [[spoiler:though she clearly takes it less seriously than he does.]]
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Has a Lordship in his universe [[spoiler:and a knighthood in ours.]]

[[folder:Gruman]]
!!! Stannislaus Grumman / John Parry
A man of many talents [[spoiler:who is eventually found staying as a shaman with a tribe of Tartars in the north.]] His dæmon is an osprey named Sayan Kötör. Played by Creator/AndrewScott in the 2019 [=BBC / HBO=] series.

* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:The head Asriel waves around in the first chapter of the trilogy? Not actually his.]]
* FunctionalMagic: The real source of Grumman's wholly unique powers is never really explained. Considering that his dæmon can go great distances from him, a trait that is only seen in witches elsewhere in Lyra's universe, he may have undergone as similar ritual to them in order to gain power.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Has a vague illness that keeps him physically weak and reliant on Lee's help, while leaving his magical powers intact. Furthermore, this adds a FindTheCure element to his quest. [[spoiler:The illness is an unpreventable side-effect of living in a universe that isn't your own, and the only cure is to return to your home universe.]]
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:He sees his son for the first time in twelve years and is killed by a witch, whose advances he had rejected years before to stay faithful to his long-lost wife. While it didn't happen precisely mid-sentence, he ''didn't even know he was talking to his son'' until after he had been mortally wounded.]]
* LongLostRelative: [[spoiler:Is actually Will's father who stumbled through a window on our Earth, crossing through the world of Cittàgazze before coming into Lyra's world.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: Manifests otherworldly powers and is one of the few characters in the books to perform things that seem like real magic - like controlling the weather in Lyra's world. Not bad for someone originally from [[spoiler:our mundane Earth.]]
* WizardsLiveLonger: Averted. Grumman is only middle-aged at oldest, but all of his magical arts cannot keep his illness at bay.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Iofur]]
!!!Iofur Raknison
King of the armoured bears of Svalbard in the first book. Except not really - Iorek's the true king, but Iofur tricked him into killing another bear and thus being exiled, so he could take the throne for himself. Voiced by Creator/IanMcShane in the film Film/TheGoldenCompass , Creator/PeterSerafinowicz and Joi Johannsson (motion-capture)in the 2019 [=BBC / HBO=] series.

* AdaptationNameChange: He is called Ragnar Sturlusson in the film, to prevent confusion between him and the similar-sounding Iorek Byrnison.
%%* TheEvilPrince
* KarmicDeath: His desires to become a human, even going so far as to be christened and to keep a small doll as a Dæmon, cause him to lose his innate LivingLieDetector abilities. [[spoiler:It is how Iorek defeats him in combat, tricking him into believing his paw is weaker than it is.]]
* LivingLieDetector: All armoured bears can see through deceit and lies. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope But Iofur Raknison has started to think in such human ways that he loses this ability.]] ]]
* SelfMadeOrphan: The first bear he killed was, unbeknownst to him, his own father. He has kept this an utter secret.
* TheresNoKillLikeOverkill: In the film, [[spoiler: if getting his lower jaw slashed/smacked off didn't kill him, then Iorek biting into Iofur's neck and snapping it more than likely did the trick.]] In the books, Iorek then cuts his chest open, pulls his ribs apart and eats his heart in full view of the rest of the Panserbjørne.
%%* TheUsurper
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tialys and Salmakia]]
!!! Chevalier Tialys and Lady Salmakia

[[folder:The Authority]]
!!! The Authority and the Angels

* AlasPoorVillain: The Authority was a lying bastard of an angel who tried to convince everyone he was God and attempted to take over the multiverse so he could have everyone in existence worship him. That being said, his ultimate fate, being deprived of all his power and locked in a prison where he was forced to suffer for millions of years as he grew weaker and weaker due to his aging and inability to die was quite horrific. By the time of the story, he's been reduced to a decrepit old senile man on the brink of death who can't talk, move, or think coherently. Will and Lyra are horrified to see what's become of him and are completely sympathetic to him despite knowing he was a false God who wanted to conquer the multiverse.
* AngelicAbomination: They are beings made of Dust that [[HumanoidAbomination resemble humans]], but their real forms are architecture-like in nature.
* AngelicTransformation: Some angels were once humans. Baruch is specifically referred to as one, as is his brother Metatron, formally Enoch.
* DemiurgeArchetype: The Authority is merely the first angel created from the primordial matter, who managed to convince other angels he was the creator. Near the end, the angel Metatron got more and more power and planned to enslave all sentient creatures in the entire {{Multiverse}}.
* GodGuise: The Authority was the first angel to crop up, meaning that he was able to pose himself as the supreme creator of reality and nobody realised otherwise until Xaphania came along. Metatron usurped him and nobody could tell the difference.
* GodIsEvil: God is a lying bastard of an angel that was later replaced by another lying bastard angel.
* KnightTemplar: They are behind the church's fanatical actions.
* LightIsNotGood: Angels are shiny and easily pose themselves as divine beings, but they're also fanatical and both The Authority and Metatron are the GreaterScopeVillain of the series.
* {{Metatron}}: Has become the current god, something like the second one to take up the post if we're to believe what they say.
* MultiversalConqueror: Metatron and his angels. While they apparently do not want to rule physically, they do want to install their religious ideals everywhere. They get defeated by a comparatively small opposing force consisting of locals of "only" a few universes and the final battle of the two armies, while fitted with grand and bombastic visual displays (such as the angelic cloud fortress) seems to be on a smaller scale than World War II and is certainly shorter - hardly worthy of a multiverse-deciding conflict.
* NotQuiteTheAlmighty: The Authority isn't actually God, which is more an abstract creative force than a physical being. He's just the oldest angel and claims to be God.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Most are created when Dust condenses, while others are humans turned into angels upon their death, their true form is more similar to architecture than human beings, and their genders are extremely vague. They also strengthen and then weaken with age like humans, can shapeshift and pass between dimensions, and are extremely difficult to see. They can be most easily perceived at twilight, particularly with smoke to move around their form. Physically they are much weaker than humans.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Metatron is implied to be both homophobic and sexist.
* PunyEarthlings: A rare aversion when it comes to physical strength, as having flesh makes humans way stronger than most angels.
* TheStarscream: Metatron usurped the senile Authority, keeping his fragile form preserved in a crystal bubble.
* SuperStrength: Metatron is far more powerful than most angels, to the extent that he is stronger than most men.
* TimeAbyss: Angels live for thousands of years - possibly billions in the Authority's case.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Implied. He throws away his shoes and socks in Cittàgazze and does not bother to get footwear until he has to go to his world again, highlighting that the city is now his new safe place, as well as one where he is free from social convention. Lyra is a bit curious about this trait at first, although she doesn't comment.

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler:Before they heal, his finger stumps appear to let out ''far'' more blood than they would from a normal wound. It's strongly implied the Subtle Knife is the cause of it.]]

* DoesNotLikeShoes: She mentions on her memories to enjoy being barefoot on the rivers's mud.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: He throws away his shoes and socks in Cittàgazze and does not bother to get footwear until he has to go to his world again. It highlights that the city is now his new safe place, as well as one where he does not need to follow social conventions.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Apparently in the book, as witches are said to be barely dressed by some pieces of cloth. The movie doesn't show her feet at all. Played straight in the [=HBO=] adaptation.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: They have natural spurs in their feet, so they don't use footwear.

* GenderMisdirection: She's referred to just as "Dr. Malone" before Lyra meets her, so she assumes the scholar is a man given how patriarchal her world is.

* ChronicBackStabbingDisorder: Pretty much her go-to strategy the whole series throguh.

%%* ChronicBackStabbingDisorder

* WasOnceAMan: Some angels were once humans. Baruch is specifically referred to as one, as is his brother Metatron, formally Enoch.

* GenderMisdirection: She's referred to just as "Dr. Malone" before Lyra meets her, so she assumes the doctor is a man given how patriarchal her world is.

%%* LadyOfWar

* DemiurgeArchetype: The Authority is only one of the first angels created from the matter, who managed to convince other angels he was the creator. Near the end, angel Metatron got more and more power and planned to enslave all sentient creatures from the entire {{Multiverse}}.
* GodGuise: The Authority was the first angel to crop up, meaning that it was able to pose itself as the supreme creator of reality and nobody realised that until Xaphania came along. Metatron usurped him and nobody could tell the difference.

* KnightTemplar: They are behind the chruch's fanatical actions.

* NotQuiteTheAlmighty: The Authority isn't actually God, which is more an abstract creative force than a physical being. He's just the oldest angel and claims to be such.
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Some are created when Dust condenses, while others are humans turned into angels upon their death, their true form is more similar to architecture than human beings and their genders are extremely vague. They also strengthen and then weaken with age like humans, can shapeshift and pass between dimensions, and are extremely difficult to see. They can be most easily perceived at twilight, particularly with smoke to move around their form. Physically they are much weaker than humans.

* PunyEarthlings: A rare aversion when it comes to physical strength, as human having flesh makes humans way stronger than most angels.
* TheStarscream: Metatron usurped The Authority, leaving it to rot.

* TimeAbyss: Angels live for thousands of years - possibly billions in The Authority's case.

This page relates to characters originating in the book series ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'', and continuing with ''Lyra's Oxford'', ''Once Upon a Time in the North'', and the sequel/prequel series ''The Book of Dust''.

Queen of a witch clan and a viewpoint character in ''The Subtle Knife''. She is at least three hundred years old, and still young and beautiful, with fair hair and a crown of spring flowers. She keeps herself at some reserve from non-witches, knowing that she shall outlive them all. Despite her mystical air, is a fierce and passionate fighter, with an ironclad sense of justice. Her dæmon is a snow goose named Kaisa. Played by Creator/EvaGreen in the 2007 film Film/TheGoldenCompass and Ruta Gedmintas in the 2019 [=BBC / HBO=] series.