Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue) is the heroine of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Lyra is a young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own. Brought up in the cloistered world of Jordan College, Oxford, she finds herself embroiled in a cosmic war between angels and a deity called The Authority. The Inkheart trilogy is a series of three books for children by Cornelia Funke. ... Mortimer Mo Folchart is a fictional character is Cornelia Funkes Inkheart trilogy. ... Lyras Oxford by Philip Pullman is a short book telling an adventure of His Dark Materials leading heroine, Lyra Silvertongue set shortly after the end of the trilogy. ... Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials series. ... Will Parry is one of the protagonists in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, along with Lyra Belacqua. ... Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is a British writer. ... The trilogy (U.K versions), in order of succession from left to right. ... Jordan College is a fictional college of the University of Oxford which appears in the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is an ethereal being found in many religions, whose duties are to assist and serve God. ... // See Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue by Iorek Byrnison) is a young girl who inhabits a parallel universe to our own. ...

Background and life

Lyra, age 11 at the beginning of the trilogy, is the result of an affair between Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter. She was brought up at Jordan College, with the Scholars, the Professors, and the Servants all acting as a sort of collective family. She was raised believing that her father was a count, her mother a countess, that both her parents had died in an airship crash, and that Lord Asriel was her uncle. She later learned the truth from John Faa, leader of the Gyptians. Lyra lived in Oxford, running amok with her friend Roger Parslow, climbing on roofs, and leading clay fights with the college children, the "townies" of Oxford, and the Gyptians. Her life changed after the arrival of the General Oblation Board and their kidnapping of Roger, and other children in Oxford. Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials series. ... Marisa Coulter is a fictional character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy. ... Lord Asriel is a major character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials series. ... Spoiler warning: John Faa, normally known as Lord Faa, is the King of the Gyptians in the fictional trilogy His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. ... Gyptians are a fictional ethnic group in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy. ... Roger Parslow is a minor fictional character in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy. ...

Lyra is portrayed as dirty-blond haired, light blue-eyed, and naughty. She is thin and short for her age, which ranges from 12 to 13 throughout the books. She is an unruly child and often exasperates those who try to care for her, such as the Jordan housekeeper and her tutors. Though she receives little formal education, she is quick-witted and canny.

Lyra earns the name Lyra Silvertongue when she fools Iofur Raknison, the King of the Bears, by telling him that she is the dæmon of Iorek Byrnison and that she is willing to change sides for the "strongest bear". Iofur, who is obsessed with the idea of having his own dæmon, follows Lyra's orders. Lyra meets Iorek and confesses to what she has done, thinking Iorek would reprimand her or punish her. To her surprise, Iorek, impressed and grateful, calls her "Lyra Silvertongue" and destroys Iofur. She adopts Silvertongue as her new surname. Iofur Raknison is a panserbjørn---an armor-wearing, intelligent polar bear in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy. ... A dæmon is a physical manifestation of the soul of a conscious person in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials. ... Iorek Byrnison is a Panserbjørne (armoured bear) from Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials. ... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ...

Pantalaimon

Lyra's dæmon, Pantalaimon (Pronounced Pan-Ta-Lie-mon), is her dearest companion, and the embodiment of her soul. In common with all dæmons of children, he can take any animal form he pleases; he first appears in the story in the shape of a dark brown moth. His name is that of a saint in the orthodox churches, St. Panteleimon, and in Greek means "all-helping". He changes into many forms throughout the series, ranging from a leopard to a dragon, but his favorite forms are a snow-white ermine, a moth, a wildcat, and a mouse. Lyra must be separated from Pantalaimon when she enters the World of the Dead, causing extreme pain to both of them; Pantalaimon avoids Lyra for a while afterwards. However, their surviving this separation allows the two to be able to separate great distances from one another, an ability only witches and shamans possess. Pantalaimon then enters his final form, a red-gold Pine Marten, when Will Parry touches him. He is regularly called 'Pan' as a nickname. A dæmon is a physical manifestation of the soul of a conscious person in the Philip Pullman trilogy His Dark Materials. ... Saint Pantaleon (Panteleimon), counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletian persecution of 303 AD. According to the martyrologies, Pantaleon was the son of a rich... This article is about the big cat. ... For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation). ... The ermine (Mustela erminea) is a dark brown weasel, with a distinctive black-tipped tail. ... For other uses, see Moths. ... Binomial name Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775 subspecies See text The Wildcat (Felis silvestris), sometimes Wild Cat or Wild-cat, is a small predator native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. ... This article is about the rodent. ... Binomial name Martes martes (Linnaeus, 1758) This article is about the European Pine Marten. ...

Lyra's destiny

In the first novel of His Dark Materials, Northern Lights (known in the United States of America as The Golden Compass), Serafina Pekkala tells of the prophecy of a girl who is "destined to bring about the end of destiny", at the expense of a great betrayal. The witches' prophecy states that this girl will be able pick the "correct" cloud-pine branch out of several, as indeed Lyra does. It transpires that Lyra's destiny is to be literally the second Eve, and fall into the temptation of the serpent, represented by Mary Malone. When Lyra does this, by falling in love with the other protagonist of the series, Will Parry, the catastrophic destruction of Dust in the abyss is corrected and the universes start to work in harmony. However, in order to ensure the stability of the universes and protect people from the creation of Spectres, Will and Lyra must close all of the interdimensional windows and keep them closed forever--and since their dæmons cannot live outside of their own birth worlds, they must part forever. Despite this however, they decide to sit on the same bench, next to each other, in the Botanic Gardens at Oxford each year for an hour at noon on Midsummer's Day, so that they might find themselves in each other's presence. The trilogy (U.K versions), in order of succession from left to right. ... For other uses, see Northern Lights. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Northern Lights (published in the US as The Golden Compass) is the first novel in the His Dark Materials series, written by British novelist Philip Pullman, and published in 1995. ... Serafina Pekkala is a witch queen in the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. ... For other uses, see Prophecy (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Destiny (disambiguation). ... Michelangelos Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. ... For other uses, see Serpent (disambiguation). ... Mary Malone is a character in the second and third books of Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ... Will Parry is one of the protagonists in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, along with Lyra Belacqua. ... Spoiler warning: Dust in Philip Pullmans trilogy of novels His Dark Materials is a fictional form of dark matter (as we call it in our world), an elementary particle that is of fundamental importance to the novels. ... For other uses, see Universe (disambiguation). ... Harmony is the use and study of pitch simultaneity, and therefore chords, actual or implied, in music. ... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ...

She fulfills her destiny to "bring an end to death" by leading the ghosts out of the world of the dead. Lyra's inevitable betrayal occurred when Lyra leads Roger to Lord Asriel on Svalbard at the end of the first book, in the chapter titled "Betrayal".

In the most recent edition of The Amber Spyglass released in the UK, the post-script 'Lantern Slides' section shows Lyra studying the alethiometer with Pantalaimon. She is excited to start picking up on a pattern in the readings, and Pullman tells us that this discovery of a pattern is the "second thing she said to Will next day in the Botanic Garden", implying that the next day was Midsummer's Day, when she and Will would be sitting on the same bench in their separate worlds, and that there was something else, presumably that she loved him, that Lyra said to Will (and perhaps would say every year) before telling him of her reading.

Lyra as played by Dakota Blue Richards in the film The Golden Compass.

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Dakota Blue Richards (born 1994) is an English actress, who will play Lyra Belacqua in the upcoming film His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass. ... The Golden Compass is an Academy Award-winning fantasy film based upon Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), the first novel in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, and was released on December 5, 2007 by New Line Cinema. ...

Lyra in other media

In a 2003, radio adaptation Lyra was voiced by child actress Lulu Popplewell.

The National Theatre in London put on a two-part, six-hour-long adaptation of the novels. The play ran twice; in 2003 and 2004. Lyra was played by Anna Maxwell Martin in the first run, and by Elaine Symons in the second. In July-August 2007 Scottish Youth Theatre performed the Scottish premier of the production with Kirstie Steele and Sarah Ord playing Lyra in part one and two respectively. Anna Maxwell Martin is an English actress who has won acclaim for her performances as Lyra in His Dark Materials at the Royal National Theatre and as Esther Summerson in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House. ...

In The Golden Compass, the film adaptation of the first book, Lyra is portrayed by twelve-year-old English girl Dakota Blue Richards, who won the role after beating out 10,000 other hopeful candidates. British singer/songwriter Kate Bush wrote and recorded a song "Lyra" based on the character. The Golden Compass is an Academy Award-winning fantasy film based upon Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), the first novel in Philip Pullmans trilogy His Dark Materials, and was released on December 5, 2007 by New Line Cinema. ... Dakota Blue Richards (born 1994) is an English actress, who will play Lyra Belacqua in the upcoming film His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass. ... Kate Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. ...