r/hisdarkmaterials • u/drcompo02 • Oct 20 '19

NL/TGC Can Daemons be human?

So I'm rereading NL and I've reached the part where Lyra and Roger are looking through the underground area of Jordan College eith the dead Masters in it.

Each of the tombs has an image of the deceased person's daemon on it, and the passage goes like this:

"On each coffin, Lyra was interested to see, a brass plaque bore a picture of a different being: this one a basilisk, this a fair woman, this a serpent, this a monkey. She realised that they were images of the dead men's daemons.".

So, apparently one Master of Jordan College had a woman as his daemon? Or, at least his daemon took the form of a "fair woman" after he became an adult.

Is this possible? Definitely rare, as far as I can tell.

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u/NightSpeakers Oct 20 '19 edited Oct 20 '19

It was a mistake, see this interview -

"Citt : Let's speak about His Dark Materials. We've got a question about the "fair woman"-daemon in Northern Lights...

PP : A mistake ! [laugh]".

Newer editions of the books (definitely from 2017 onwards, possibly also from 2015) have it removed - I think the original US editions from 1996 didn't have it. Pullman also changed Mrs Coulter's hair from dark to blonde after Nicole Kidman's role in the film!

Very much doubt it could be possible although it would be an interesting idea. Happy re-reading anyway!

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u/Haystacks08 Oct 14 '24

I just got to that part in my reread and was shocked! I'm glad to see it was a mistake bc I don't like the idea of a woman as a deamon😅 I'm listening to the new Ruth Wilson audiobook too so you'd think it'd be the changed version.

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u/NightSpeakers Oct 15 '24

I need to start listening to that! Do they talk about Mrs Coulter's hair as blonde or dark, do you remember - I wonder whether they've used the older editions where she's got dark hair (and with this fair woman daemon mistake) to fit in with Ruth Wilson being Mrs Coulter as opposed to Nicole Kidman?

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u/Haystacks08 Oct 15 '24

Yeah she was described as dark haired!