Lyra's Choice: Pan's Fate In The Golden Compass

In the third and final novel of the His Dark Materials series, Lyra and her daemon, Pan, are separated when she journeys into the land of the dead. This causes extreme pain to both of them, and they never fully recover from the experience. However, surviving this separation allows the two to move great distances from one another, an ability usually reserved for witches and shamans.

Lyra and Pan quarrel with each other

Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, or "Pan" for short, have a very close relationship. They are two beings in two bodies, and their bond is sacred. As Lyra grows up, Pan is her dearest companion and her conscience, often acting as the voice of reason when Lyra follows her immediate emotions.

However, as adults, their relationship becomes strained. They quarrel and no longer like each other very much. Lyra's feelings towards Pan are complicated by the fact that, because he is part of her, his presence feels like a form of self-loathing. During one fight, she calls him a "filthy little rat" and a "thief".

Pan is disgusted by Lyra's new interest in quasi-Nietzschean and Ayn Randian philosophies, which he believes have made her lose her imagination. He leaves her to go off in search of it, leaving Lyra all alone.

Lyra is heartbroken and sets off on a quest to find and reunite with him. She is also being hunted by two sinister forces: her estranged uncle, who blames her for her mother's death, and Olivier Bonneville, who blames her for his father's death.

Lyra and Pan's relationship had never fully recovered from the events of The Amber Spyglass, in which Lyra painfully separated herself from Pan in order to journey into the land of the dead. Pan saw this as an act of abandonment, and the trauma of their separation gave them the ability to separate from each other at will, a power usually reserved for witches and shamans.

Lyra and Pan separate to journey into the land of the dead

Lyra and Pan's separation is a pivotal moment in their journey into the land of the dead. In "His Dark Materials", Lyra Belacqua and her daemon, Pantalaimon, share an incredibly close bond. Pantalaimon, often referred to as "Pan", is a manifestation of Lyra's soul and accompanies her everywhere. However, when Lyra embarks on her journey into the land of the dead, she is forced to leave Pan behind as daemons are not permitted to enter. This separation is deeply painful for both Lyra and Pan and causes a rift in their relationship.

Lyra's journey into the land of the dead is driven by her guilt over the death of her friend, Roger Parslow. Overtaken by guilt and determined to rescue Roger from his miserable afterlife, Lyra sets out on a quest to the land of the dead. Accompanied by Will Parry, Lyra reaches the river that separates the living from the dead. It is here that she learns that daemons cannot cross over and is forced to leave Pan behind. The boatman who ferries the deceased across the river insists that it is an unbreakable rule that daemons cannot accompany humans into the land of the dead.

The separation of Lyra and Pan is not a permanent severing of their bond but a stretching of their connection. While it leaves a permanent mark on their relationship, they are eventually reunited. Pan escapes from the land of the dead by travelling through multiple windows into other worlds and finds Lyra in the mulefa world. Despite their reunion, their relationship is not the same as before. The separation has granted them the ability to move great distances from each other, a power usually reserved for witches and shamans.

The impact of their separation continues to be felt years later, as depicted in "The Secret Commonwealth", which takes place 10 years after the events of "His Dark Materials". Lyra and Pan's relationship has deteriorated, and they find themselves at odds with each other. Pan goes so far as to leave Lyra in search of his own imagination, which he believes she has lost. Their separation in the land of the dead has had a lasting effect on their bond, highlighting the significance of this event in their journey.

Lyra and Pan are reunited after their separation

Lyra and Pan's relationship had never fully recovered from the events of The Amber Spyglass, where Lyra had to painfully separate from Pan to journey into the land of the dead. Pan considered this a betrayal, and the two quarrelled often. Eventually, Pan left Lyra to go in search of her imagination, leaving Lyra alone.

Lyra, now a college student, is determined to find and reunite with Pan. She is guided by the alethiometer, which she can read without formal training. Her quest leads her to a scattered fellowship of people whose daemons have abandoned them. She learns about their experiences in a long series of bittersweet stories about all the ways there are to lose a part of yourself, and all the ways in which you have to go on living afterward.

Lyra eventually reunites with Pan, and they are both overjoyed to see each other again. However, their separation has granted them the ability to separate from each other at will and travel further apart than before.

Lyra and Pan's relationship is strained as adults

Lyra and Pan's relationship is strained by the events of The Amber Spyglass, in which Lyra painfully separates from Pan to journey into the land of the dead. Pan sees this as the worst thing Lyra has ever done, and neither has fully recovered.

Lyra and Pan's relationship is also strained by the fact that they must separate from each other. In adulthood, daemons settle into one animal that best reflects their human counterpart's personality. However, Lyra and Pan have the ability to separate from each other at will, a power usually reserved for witches and shamans.

Lyra and Pan's separation allows them to move great distances from each other

Lyra and Pan's separation is a painful one. In the book, *The Amber Spyglass*, Lyra and Will enter the Land of the Dead, causing Lyra and Pan to separate. This is a devastating experience for both of them, and they never fully recover from it.

Lyra and Pan's separation is also what allows them to run away from Will, punishing him and Lyra for abandoning them when they entered the Land of the Dead.

In the TV show, *His Dark Materials*, Lyra and Pan's separation is visually depicted as extremely painful. When they are apart, Lyra writhes on the ground in agony, screaming, "You're hurting us!"

The ability to separate is not common, and it is a power that witches and shamans have in Lyra's world. However, Lyra and Pan's separation is unique in that it is not just physical but also emotional. They quarrel and no longer like each other very much.

Despite the challenges they face, Lyra and Pan's separation ultimately allows them to move great distances from each other and gives them a level of freedom and independence that is rare in their world.

Frequently asked questions