Iofur Raknison

Iofur Raknison, from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

Iofur Raknison was the usurping King of Svalbard, an armored bear whose reign was defined by a desperate delusion to transcend his nature. After usurping Iorek Byrnison as king of the armoured bears, he commanded his subjects to build a palace of stone and wear ornamentation of gold and silver, which had traditionally been despised. Iorek Byrnison, the previous king, had been exiled after killing another bear in a fight; his opponent had been drugged by Iofur, then second in line for the throne, so that he would not surrender. He wants a dæmon of his own, and when Lyra is brought to his palace she tricks him by suggesting that she can become his dæmon if he defeats Iorek in combat. Iorek kills Iofur in the duel and takes his place as the rightful king.

Lore & Background

Iofur Raknison is the usurper king of Svalbard for most of Northern Lights. Iorek was exiled after a duel in which Iofur had drugged his opponent, and Iofur took the throne. He had dealings with the Magisterium and Mrs Coulter, allowing them access to his kingdom in exchange for the ability to be baptised as a Christian. He wishes to be equal to a human: he emulates humans by drinking spirits, wearing expensive clothes and wanting a dæmon.

He tries to force the bears to become more human-like, to build palaces and universities, decorate their armour, and even acquire dæmons. Lyra convinces him that she is herself a dæmon and could become his. Bears are very difficult to deceive, but in behaving like a human Iofur loses this ability. Normally an outcast like Iorek would not have been allowed to take part in a duel, but Iofur is tricked into making an exception.

Iorek exploits Iofur's gullibility by feigning injury, and kills him. Once proclaimed king, Iorek's first command is that the bears discard their pseudo-human trinkets and tear down Iofur's palace.

Reader's Guide

In the 2007 film The Golden Compass the character is renamed Ragnar Sturlusson, to prevent confusion with Iorek Byrnison. Iofur took the throne after Iorek Byrnison, the king, was exiled. What truly sets Iofur apart is his pathological obsession with humanity. Unlike other bears who accept their nature as beings without daemons, Iofur covets a soul-partner, viewing its absence as a curse rather than a natural state. He has his subjects build a palace of stone and wear ornaments of gold and silver. Lyra uses this wish to trick him into fighting Iorek, which leads to his downfall.