Serafina Pekkala

Serafina Pekkala, from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

Serafina Pekkala is the queen of a clan of flying witches, the witches of Lake Enara. In the narrative of His Dark Materials, she emerges as a critical ally to Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry during their journey across parallel universes. While the trilogy features other fantastical beings like armoured polar bears, Serafina's specific contribution involves leading her clan to rescue children from the Gobbler research station at Bolvangar.

Quick Facts

Role: Leader of a flying witch clan

Lore & Background

Serafina Pekkala commands a clan of witches who are defined by their capacity for flight and their deep connection to the natural world. Her clan's part in the rescue at Bolvangar comes after Lyra discovers the Gobblers are experimenting on children by severing their bond with their dæmons through a procedure called intercision.

Reader's Guide

She is introduced in Northern Lights as the leader of the flying witch clan that rescues Lyra from Bolvangar, establishing her as an active participant in the fight against the Church's child abductors. Her alliance with the human protagonists continues in The Subtle Knife, where witches led by her rescue Lyra and Will in the world of Cittàgazze, and at the end of The Amber Spyglass she names Will's dæmon.

Did You Know?

Serafina Pekkala's flying witch clan rescues Lyra and the other children from the Gobbler research station at Bolvangar in Northern Lights.
The witches join forces with Lee Scoresby, Iorek Byrnison, and the Gyptians to break the Church's hold on the abducted children.