What is main character Lyra Belacqua’s other name in His Dark Materials? The series continues its foray into fantastical worlds on BBC one every Sunday evening, leaving viewers enraptured by the impressive settings and complex storylines.
His Dark Materials in a nutshell
His Dark Materials is a fantasy trilogy written by Phillip Pullman. The narrative follows the life of a young girl named Lyra Belacqua and her daemon, Pan, as they journey across parallel universes acquiring ancient knowledge.
The three books in the His Dark Materials series are called Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.
These now-iconic young adult books have been adapted into a TV show by the BBC. The adaptation is currently in its second season, exploring the events in The Subtle Knife unfolding around Lyra Belacqua and second protagonist Will Parry.
Lyra has the unique ability to read an alethiometer without any training. Also known as a symbol-reader, an alethiometer is a compass-like device that, within the story’s universe, allows those who can read it to communicate with Dust, the source of truth and knowledge. Her instinctive understanding of the alethiometer’s symbols sets Lyra apart from her peers.
In the BBC One series, Lyra is played by 15 year old actress, Dafne Keen. Along with this role, Keen is best known for playing Laura in the film Logan, alongside Hugh Jackman.
What is Lyra Belacqua’s other name?
Lyra Belacqua is also called Lyra Silvertongue in the Dark Materials novels and TV series.
Lyra Belacqua’s other name comes from the first instalment, where she crash-lands in Svalbard, in the kingdom of the Panserbjorne, a species of giant anthropomorphic polar bear. After being taken prisoner, she talks her way into an audience with King Iofur Raknison.
Using her wit, Lyra takes advantage of his desire for a daemon (a manifestation of a person’s internal self in the form of an animal) and talks him into believing she is one.
She then convinces Iofur not to kill her Panserbjorne friend, Iorek Byrnison, upon his arrival at Svalbard, but to fight him instead. The winner would become the new king of the ice bears.
Lyra’s other name – Lyra Silvertongue – came from Iorek Byrnison, who thought the nickname fit her due to her quick thinking and sharp wit. She is reportedly the first human to ever outwit a Panserbjorne.
In the books, Lyra chooses to go by her new name from then on, as it carries deep emotional significance for her due to her father-daughter bond with Iorek Byrnison.
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