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Template:Infobox HDM character Lyra Belacqua (also known as Lyra Silvertongue) (born in 1984) is the heroine of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Lyra is a young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own. Brought up in the cloistered world of Jordan College, Oxford, she finds herself embroiled in a cosmic war between angels and a deity called The Authority.

Character Storylines

Lyra Belacqua was the result of an affair between her mother Mrs. Marisa Coulter and Lord Asriel Belacqua, her uncle. She was brought up not knowing this, but later learned the truth from John Faa, the Gyptian King.

Meeting Mrs. Coulter

References

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 '''Lyra Belacqua''' (also known as '''Lyra Silvertongue''') (born in [[1984]]) is the heroine of [[Philip Pullman]]'s ''[[His Dark Materials]]'' trilogy. Lyra is a young girl who inhabits a universe parallel to our own. Brought up in the cloistered world of [[Jordan College, Oxford]], she finds herself embroiled in a cosmic war between [[angels]] and a deity called [[Characters of His Dark Materials#The Authority|The Authority]].
+==Character Storylines==
-==Background and life==
-Lyra, age 12 at the beginning of the trilogy, is the daughter of [[Lord Asriel]] and [[Marisa Coulter]]. She was brought up at Jordan College, with the Scholars, the Professors, and the Servants all acting as a sort of collective family. She was raised believing that her father was a count and her mother a countess, that both her parents had died in an airship crash, and that [[Lord Asriel]] was her uncle. She later learned the truth from [[John Faa]], leader of the [[Gyptians]]. Lyra lived in Oxford, running amok with her friend [[Roger Parslow]], climbing on roofs, and leading clay fights with the college children, the "townies" of Oxford, and the Gyptians. Her life changed after the arrival of the General Oblation Board "Gobblers" and their kidnapping of Roger and other children in Oxford.
+Lyra Belacqua was the result of an affair between her mother [[Mrs. Marisa Coulter and Lord Asriel Belacqua, her uncle]]. She was brought up not knowing this, but later learned the truth from [[John Faa]], the Gyptian King.
+===Meeting Mrs. Coulter===
-Lyra is portrayed as darkish-blonde-haired, pale-blue-eyed, and naughty. She is thin and short for her age (12). She is an unruly and somewhat [[Tomboy]]ish child and often exasperates those who try to care for her, such as the Jordan housekeeper and her tutors. Though she receives little formal education, she is quick-witted and canny.
-Lyra earns the name ''Lyra Silvertongue'' when she fools [[Iofur Raknison]], the King of the Bears, by telling him that she is the [[dæmon (His Dark Materials)|dæmon]] of [[Iorek Byrnison]] and that she is willing to change sides for the "strongest bear". Iofur, who is obsessed with the idea of having his own dæmon, follows Lyra's orders. Lyra meets Iorek and confesses to what she has done, thinking Iorek will reprimand her or punish her. To her surprise, Iorek, impressed and grateful, calls her "Lyra Silvertongue" and kills Iofur.
-She adopts ''Silvertongue'' as her new [[surname]]. Lyra's original surname, Belacqua, is the name of a character in [[Dante Alighieri|Dante's]] [[Divine Comedy]].<ref>http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/purgatory/01antepurgatory.html</ref> The character Belacqua is a soul in the ante-purgatory, representing those who wait until the last opportunity before turning to God. The mood in the ante-purgatory is said to be one of helplessness, nostalgia and yearning - Belacqua and the other souls in ante-purgatory caught between two worlds and have not yet found themselves.<ref>http://www.jstor.org/pss/1768359</ref>
-==Pantalaimon==
-Lyra's [[Dæmon (His Dark Materials)|dæmon]], '''Pantalaimon''', is her dearest companion and the embodiment of her soul. In common with all dæmons of children, he can take any animal form he pleases; he first appears in the story in the shape of a dark brown moth. His name is that of a saint in the orthodox churches, [[Saint Pantaleon|St. Panteleimon]], and in [[Greek language|Greek]] means "all-compassionate". He changes into many forms throughout the series, ranging from a [[dragon]] to an [[eagle]], but his favourite forms are a snow-white [[ermine]], a [[moth]], a [[wildcat]], and a [[mouse]]. Lyra must be separated from Pantalaimon when she enters the World of the Dead, causing extreme pain to both of them; Pantalaimon avoids Lyra for a while afterwards. However, their surviving this separation allows the two to separate great distances from one another, an ability only witches and [[shaman]]s possess. Pantalaimon soon enters his final form when Will Parry touches him, a beautiful [[Pine marten]], red-gold in colour. Lyra regularly calls him 'Pan' as a nickname.
-==Lyra's destiny==
-In the first novel of [[His Dark Materials]], ''[[Northern Lights (novel)|Northern Lights]]''  (known in the [[United States of America]] as ''[[The Golden Compass]]''), [[Serafina Pekkala]] tells of the [[prophecy]] of a girl who is "destined to bring about the end of [[destiny]]" at the expense of a great betrayal. The witches' prophecy states that this girl will be able pick the "correct" cloud-pine branch out of several, as indeed Lyra does. It transpires that Lyra's destiny is to be the second [[Adam and Eve|Eve]] and fall into the temptation of the [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent]], represented by [[Mary Malone]]. [[Will Parry]] and the [[Dust (His Dark Materials)|Dust]] in the abyss are corrected, and the [[universe]]s start to work in [[harmony]].  However, in order to ensure the stability of the universes and protect people from the creation of [[Spectres]], Will and Lyra must close all of the inter-dimensional windows with the help of angels and keep them closed forever - and since their dæmons cannot live outside of their own birth worlds, they must part forever. Despite this, however, they decide to sit on the same bench, next to each other, in the Botanic Gardens at [[Oxford]] each year for an hour at noon on Midsummer's Day, so that they might find themselves in each other's presence.
-She fulfills her destiny to "bring an end to death" by leading the ghosts out of the world of the dead. Lyra's inevitable betrayal can be interpreted as two separate occasions and either occurs when Lyra leads her friend Roger to Lord Asriel on Svalbard at the end of the first book, in the chapter titled "Betrayal", or when Lyra leaves her daemon on the shore of the lake in the Land of the Dead.
-In the most recent edition of ''The Amber Spyglass'' released in the UK, the post-script 'Lantern Slides' section shows Lyra studying the alethiometer with Pantalaimon.  She is excited to start picking up on a pattern in the readings, and Pullman tells us that this discovery of a pattern is the "second thing she said to Will next day in the Botanic Garden", implying that the next day was Midsummer's Day, when she and Will would be sitting on the same bench in their separate worlds, and that there was something else, presumably that she loved him, that Lyra said to Will (and perhaps would say every year) before telling him of her reading.
-Letters written by Lyra included in the companion book ''[[Once Upon a Time in the North]]'' reveal that Lyra is researching her dissertation for a M. Phil in Economic History, indicating her to be continuing to study during her twenties. The title of her dissertation is 'Developments of patterns of trade in the European Arctic region with particular reference to independent balloon carriage (1950-1970)'. In the first letter, Lyra also mentions that she is continuing to study the alethiometer. Once she finishes her studies, she will be able to read the alethiometer not with grace, as she used to, but with certainty and knowledge.
-==Lyra in other media==
-[[File:LyraBelaqua.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Dakota Blue Richards]] as Lyra Belacqua in the film, ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]''.]]
-In the 1999 unabridged audio production, Lyra was performed by the voiceover actress [[Joanna Wyatt]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?p=audiobooks|title=The Golden Compass Audiobooks|publisher=www.bridgetothestars.net|accessdate=2009-02-03}}</ref>.
-In a 2003 radio adaptation, Lyra was voiced by [[child]] actress [[Lulu Popplewell]].
-The National Theatre in London put on a two-part, six-hour-long adaptation of the novels. The play ran twice, in 2003 and 2004. Lyra was played by [[Anna Maxwell Martin]] in the first run and by [[Elaine Symons]] in the second. In July-August 2007, Scottish Youth Theatre performed the Scottish premier of the production with [[Kirstie Steele]] and [[Sarah Helena Ord]] playing Lyra in parts one and two, respectively.
-In ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'', the [[film]] adaptation of the first [[book]], Lyra is portrayed by twelve-year-old [[Dakota Blue Richards]], who won the role after beating out 10,000 other hopeful candidates. [[United Kingdom|British]] singer/songwriter [[Kate Bush]] wrote and recorded a song "Lyra" with choristers from [[Magdalen College School]] in [[Oxford]].
 ==References==

v t e Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust
His Dark Materials	Northern Lights The Subtle Knife The Amber Spyglass
The Book of Dust	La Belle Sauvage The Secret Commonwealth
Companion books	Lyra's Oxford Once Upon a Time in the North Serpentine
Characters	Lyra Belacqua Will Parry Lord Asriel Mrs. Coulter
Adaptations	His Dark Materials (stage play) The Golden Compass (film) The Golden Compass (video game) His Dark Materials (television series) La Belle Sauvage (stage play)
Other	Locations Races Dust Dæmons
Category