His Dark Materials - by Philip Pullman

The Northern Lights or The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass

A. Christianity

          1. Adam and Eve

§         HDM: Will and Lyra play the “roles” of Adam and Eve. By falling in love and leaving childhood behind, they are symbolically eating the forbidden fruit.

§         Originally: The first humans in existence, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden until eating an apple from the forbidden tree which gave them knowledge, wisdom, self awareness, etc.

2. Armageddon

§         HDM: There is a prophecy of Eve returning to earth and causing the downfall of “The Authority” and a great battle occurs, a fight between “Heaven” and earth.

§         Originally: A prophecy of a great battle between the kings of the earth and the forces of good and evil on the day of divine judgment.

3. God/The Authority

§         HDM: God is named “The Authority” in this story and the church of the Authority has governmental powers.

§         Originally: God!

4. Mary

§         HDM: Mary Malone plays the serpent “tempter”. (See Serpent).

§         Originally: The name Mary, though a common name at the time of Christ, is a name of importance. The most famous Mary of Christianity is of course the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ. The second is Mary Magdalene, the controversial figure who witnessed the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection though is cast as a prostitute by the Catholic Church, despite there being no mention of it in the Bible.

5. Serpent

§         HDM: Mary Malone plays the role of the serpent/devil by telling Lyra and Will about the first time she fell in love, tempting them to realize the feelings they already have for each other.

§         Originally: The devil takes the form of a serpent and tempts Eve to eat an apple from the forbidden tree which ultimately gives her knowledge and self awareness but comes with the price of being cast out from paradise.

B. General Folklore

          1. Fairies/Gallivespians

§         HDM: Gallivespians are a species as tall as a humans hand and they wear poisoned spurs on their heals. They do not live very long but are very proud and make the best of their time. They ride/fly on dragonflies. Not a stereotypical fairy but certainly bares strong likenesses.

§         Originally: Very small usually magical creatures who can fly and can only been seen by humans during the full moon on midsummer eve, by looking through a self made hole in a rock, or if the fairies uses their magic to allow it. Originally, they bestowed gifts on newborns but later their activities expanded into meddling in other types of human affairs.

2. Specters

§         HDM: Specters are ghost-like creatures which prey on adult human souls, leaving them in a zombie-like state after having stolen the soul. Children are unaffected and cannot see them.

§         Originally: Specter was another name for a Ghost, among others, and is a term usually applied to the human soul after death.

3. Witches

§         HDM: A race of wise woman who live a very long time. There are different tribes who take different political stances but from their old age and wisdom comes powers which normal humans do not posses and do not live long enough to learn. They fly on cloud pine, a branch from a certain type of tree.

§         Originally: Historically, witches belong to a religion which worships the earth and the forces of nature. Although they and others accused of witchcraft suffered at the hands of Christianity for centuries out of fear of their supposed use of magic, the stereotypical figure of a witch flying on a broomstick wearing a black pointy hat didn’t show up until about 19^th century.

C. Greek/Roman Mythology

          1. Charon on the River Styx/Acheron

§         HDM: Although never named, there is an old man who carries souls in a small boat across a lake to the land of the dead.

§         Originally: Charon is an old man who ferries dead souls across a river to Hades. Some sources say it is the river Styx, the river of hate, and some say it is the river Acheron, river of woe. Charon only carried those souls who could pay him one obol (a coin) which was placed under their tongue at burial.

          2. Daemons

§         HDM: The physical manifestation of ones soul in an animal form which best reflects his/her characteristics and personality.

§         Originally: Also spelled demon, it comes from the Greek word Daimon which means “divine power, “fate”, or “God”. Good demons were called eudemons and considered something of a guardian angle. Bad demons were called cacodemons and led people astray. They were intermediary spirits between gods (and goddesses) and humans. Only during medieval Christianity did “demon” become a term only for evil spirits.

          3. Empusa/Specters

§         HDM: Specters are ghost-like creatures which prey on adult human souls, leaving them in a zombie-like state after having stolen the soul. Children are unaffected and cannot see them.

§         Originally: Empusa was a specter (a ghost-like spirit) who devoured and frightened travelers found near its sight and showed no mercy for them.

4. Harpies

§         HDM: Horrible creatures with the body of a vulture but head and breast of a woman. They torture souls in the Land of the Dead by constantly repeating all the horrible acts in that person’s life so they may never rest.

§         Originally: Name comes from the Greek word for "snatcher". Originally they were beautiful winged maidens but later became winged monsters with sharp talons and the face of an ugly old woman. There were three of them who carried people off to the underworld and inflicted punishment and torture: Aello, Celaeno, and Ocypete.

D. Judaism

          1. Angels

§         HDM: Spiritual winged humanoid looking beings varying in power, wisdom, and allegiance. They are difficult to see, especially during the day, since they are described as shining as though sunlight was on them even when it wasn’t.

§         Originally: Spiritual beings in the service of God. Descriptions greatly vary from source to source.

2. Metatron

§         HDM: Metatron is The Authority’s number one angel. As The Authority becomes too old and disillusioned to rule Heaven and earth, Metatron takes his place.

§         Originally: The myths of Metatron and origin of his name are complicated and vary greatly. He is often referred to as “the Prince or Angel of Countenance” because he is one of the few angels allowed to see God’s countenance. He is seen as the most important angel and is sometimes even mentioned as the “lesser Yahweh”. In the Babylonian Tulmad, the references to Metatron all relate to the problem of his immense power which causes some to later confuse him with God.