Question involving the book, the Golden Compass?

Yes, that's right. Especially if the demon in question is of the feminine gender, though there are, of course, always exceptions, just like in the real world.

Pardon Greywolf: "The Golden Compass" is supposed to represent an alternative world to what was created in "The Bible." In "our" Bible, God created us and created our immortal souls. In "Compass," God created "us," but our "souls" die with us. You may or may not be happy with that idea. It is okay if you are not.

The daemon is a part of the person, so it would be born with the person and die with person.

That may seem a tall order for a tween girl, but Lyra is never alone on her journey. In other worlds the human soul resides inside the body, unseen and unheard. In Lyra's world all human souls take the form of animal companions called daemons (pronounced DEE-mons). A small, often-changing animal named Pantalaimon accompanies Lyra wherever she goes -- a lifelong companion.




Lyra sets out on her mission when one of her friends is kidnapped by "the Gobblers," boogeymen believed to be responsible for the taking of numerous children who are never seen again. In reality, the kidnappers are members of the General Oblation Board. Headed up by the irresistibly charming-yet-sinister Mrs. Coulter (Nicole Kidman), the group performs horrible experiments on children, their goal being the enforcement of conformity to the teachings of the oppressive Magisterium. Essentially, they want to do away with free will. Lyra's mission ultimately becomes an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well. That may seem a tall order for a tween girl, but Lyra is never alone on her journey. In other worlds the human soul resides inside the body, unseen and unheard. In Lyra's world all human souls take the form of animal companions called daemons (pronounced DEE-mons). A small, often-changing animal named Pantalaimon accompanies Lyra wherever she goes -- a lifelong companion.



"Every person in Lyra's world has a daemon," director Chris Weitz explains. "It would be very strange for people to see someone without one. It'd be just as strange as seeing someone without a head. Someone without a daemon would be considered horribly mutated -- missing something essential.

"One important thing to establish about daemons is that they aren't just airy spirits," Weitz continues. "They occupy space, they have weight. They have mass and volume."

Pantalaimon changes forms frequently in The Golden Compass -- he appears as an ermine, a moth, and a mouse. These changes are common in daemons of children who have not yet begun to mature. "Until puberty, your daemon can change forms into whatever animal reflects your mood, or your inner feelings, or your intent at the time," Weitz says. "Once you become an adult your daemon settles. It's a physiological process by which the daemon becomes what you are inside. Someone really grand, and bold, and adventurous like Lord Asriel [played by Daniel Craig] has a snow leopard for a daemon. Someone more shy and retiring might have a mouse for a daemon, and someone who is used to obeying could have a cocker spaniel for a daemon."