Introduction: Defining "Dæmon"
In Philip Pullman's novels The Golden Compass (originally published in Britain as The Northern Lights), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, the word "dæmon" is used to describe a physical manifestation of the soul. Since it is pronounced in the same way as "demon", it is a word that many associate with satanic creatures. Others associate it with the computer terminology for a computer's background processes. Actually, the computer terminology is surprisingly apt, as you will see.
The term "dæmon", which Pullman borrowed for his excellent books, is from the ancient Greek δαιμων, which was a broad term applied to a number of spirits or demigods. These ranged from good, helpful spirits to malevolent spirits - such as the Christian "demon". Further information about the term "dæmon" can be found here.
The dæmons of His Dark Materials, now popularized by New Line Cinema's film The Golden Compass, are personal spirits which take a symbolic animal form. These dæmons are a physical manifestation of the soul, represented by an animal form and extremely private to the individual. The dæmons of children can change into any animal form according to the child's mood, need, or imagination. As a person ages, however, and their personality becomes more fixed, the dæmon loses the ability to change shape and remains fixed in a single animal form which represents the individual's soul. In the second and third book of the series, it is shown that the people of our world (being on a different quantum plane) also have dæmons, but that our dæmons are locked away inside us, and we cannot see or speak to them. It is suggested in The Amber Spyglass that by careful meditation we can get in touch with that part of ourselves.
Pullman was, of course, writing fiction. The characters and their
dæmons exist only in our imaginations (and, now, on the big screen). The
concept of dæmons, however, remains one of the defining features of the
series. It has been known to grab the imaginations of adults and
children alike. Everybody wants a dæmon. Too bad it's all make believe.
However, the concept of learning to speak with hidden parts of one's psyche is not a new idea. Carl Jung, an eminent psychologist of the early 1900s, believed that we had a suppressed Self, which manifested in our unconscious. He theorized that only by learning to listen for the voice of our unconscious could we experience true psychic growth. He spoke of the "shadow" in every one of us, which contained aspects of our suppressed selves. There were negative parts to our shadow, but also good, positive parts. He also spoke of the animus - the hidden masculine side of every woman, and the anima - the hidden feminine side of every man. By looking through our shadows, and getting in touch with our suppressed animus or anima, and learning to listen to its voice, we become more balanced individuals. Essentially, we find our hidden potential within ourselves.(1)
One of the more interesting aspects of Philip Pullman's dæmons is the fact that the dæmon's gender is usually the opposite of that of the individual. In other words, men have female dæmons and women have male dæmons. When asked in an interview why this was, he said it was "because we each have a bit of the opposite in our make-up"(2). This corresponds very closely with Jung's animus and anima.
So perhaps it is possible to get in touch with one's dæmon after all. There is a growing community of people who use Active Imagination
to get in touch with that hidden part of themselves. While they call
that part of themselves a "dæmon" in tribute to Pullman's insightful
description, Carl Jung would have called it something else. A shaman,
going on a spirit journey, would have called it something else again.
Other, more skeptical people, would call it an imaginary friend.
Whatever it is, he or she exists within your own mind, and if you can learn to project that part of yourself, your dæmon can not only help you learn to be comfortable with your self, but also make you better adjusted in your day-to-day life.
Please browse these pages to learn more about dæmons in our own world, and the people who have found their own. We call ourselves dæmians.
