iblog

Jo: Have you ever wondered what your soul is like? Given the opportunity to meet your soul, would you take it?

These were not questions I thought about much until I read Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman. In the novel, and the others in the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy, Pullman conjures up worlds where humans’ souls live on the outside of their bodies as animals. These animals, dæmons, speak to their humans, and accompany them throughout their lives and adventures. As I put Northern Lights down, I realised with a sigh how much I would love to have a dæmon of my own.

Almost eight years have passed, but my wish for a dæmon has not faded away at all. In the books, as children pass into adulthood, their dæmon ceases changing shape into different animals, and remains in one shape. I was propelled through the trilogy by a burning desire to know if Pantalaimon, (dæmon of the story’s heroine, Lyra) would ever stop changing his shape – and which animal he would finally stay as. I wonder what animal my own would be – and at what point in my life it stopped changing. And yesterday, I came a step closer to finding out.

His Dark Materials has been adapted for the stage, and now a film is coming out, resplendent with a magical website to accompany it. Grit your teeth for the American adaptation of ‘Northern Lights’ to “Golden Compass Movie”, visit www.goldencompassmovie.com, and…you too can meet your dæmon.