Will Parry
The boy from a world without daemons who carries the weight of two worlds on his shoulders.
Will Parry is one of the two central protagonists in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials, appearing alongside Lyra Belacqua. He first enters the story at the start of The Subtle Knife as a twelve-year-old boy living in Winchester with his mother, Elaine, and their cat, Moxie. Introduced as a self-assured and serious child who has cared for his mentally ill mother since he was young, Will is thrust into an interdimensional adventure after accidentally killing a government agent while searching for clues about his father's disappearance. He meets Lyra in the empty city of Cittàgazze, where they team up to uncover mysteries regarding Dust and his missing father. Will eventually takes possession of the Subtle Knife, using its power to aid Lord Asriel in his war against the Authority.
- Role
- Bearer of the Subtle Knife
- First Appears
- The Subtle Knife
- Origin World
- Winchester, Our Earth
- Status
- Alive
Lore & Background
Will is described as having straight black eyebrows, dark hair, and a strong, jutting jaw, with a stocky, muscular build for his age. His eyes are so dark and fierce that most characters avoid looking directly into them. His father, John Parry, a former Royal Marine, vanished on an expedition to the Arctic when Will was just one year old. Will discovers that his father had actually found a window to Cittàgazze but became trapped in another world, unable to return. Physically, Will bears the 'mark' of the Subtle Knife: the loss of the little and ring fingers of his left hand. He is exceptionally independent, courteous, and possesses a strong moral compass, evidenced by his insistence on paying for food and clothes taken from Cittàgazze.
In Their Own Story
Will's journey begins when government agents break into his Winchester home searching for letters about his father; during the escape, Will kills one of them. Fleeing to Oxford, he finds an interdimensional window leading to Cittàgazze, where he meets Lyra. After Lyra's alethiometer is stolen by Sir Charles Latrom, Will and Lyra retrieve it from the Torre degli Angeli in exchange for the Subtle Knife. During this mission, Will is badly wounded, losing two fingers on his left hand, which marks him as the knife's new bearer. Later, while following a mountain path with Lyra and witches, Will meets a mysterious man who reveals himself to be John Parry before being killed by a witch. Will captures the witch but she commits suicide. In The Amber Spyglass, after Lyra is captured by Mrs Coulter in a Himalayan cave, Will infiltrates her location. His concentration slips due to memories of his mother, causing the Subtle Knife to shatter. He repairs it with Iorek Byrnison's help and cuts into the World of the Dead. There, he separates from his daemon, Kirjava (a large, mottled cat named by Serafina Pekkala), in terrible pain. Together they free billions of souls before reuniting with their daemons in a world where Lord Asriel is waging war.
Reader's Guide
He is quieter and more serious than Lyra, often standing up for himself and refusing to be spoken down to. His relationship with Lyra deepens significantly in The Amber Spyglass; after their daemons are rescued by the Mulefa and they realize their love for each other while sharing fruit given by Mary Malone, Dust stops escaping and begins to fall upon the world again. Will's dæmon, Kirjava, possesses an unusual ability to travel far from her human, which she uses to punish Will and Lyra for abandoning them in the Land of the Dead before eventually reconciling with them.
Did You Know?
- Will's daemon, Kirjava, was previously invisible and lived inside him until he separated from it in the Land of the Dead.
- The name 'Kirjava' means 'mottled' in Finnish, a name given by the witch Serafina Pekkala.
- Unlike daemons in other worlds, Will's daemon can travel much farther away from him than is normally possible.
- Will lost his left hand's little and ring fingers when he first wielded the Subtle Knife, which served as the 'mark' of the weapon.
- Will's father disappeared on an expedition to the Arctic but was actually trapped in another world after finding a window to Cittàgazze.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Will Parry?
Will Parry is an ordinary teenager from our mundane Oxford who gets pulled into the multiverse after his mother's tragic death. Unlike everyone else in the fantasy worlds, he arrives without a daemon, marking him as unique and destined for extraordinary events.
What are Will Parry's powers or role?
His primary ability is wielding the Subtle Knife, a weapon capable of cutting holes between different universes. He serves as the essential bridge connecting these worlds, though using this power leaves him permanently unable to have his own daemon.
How does Will Parry's story end?
After helping close the windows between worlds to stop the dead from escaping, he chooses to return to our Earth alone. He lives a quiet life with Lyra Belacqua in their respective worlds, communicating only through rare, magical reunions.
Why is Will Parry important to the series?
Will acts as the crucial counterpart to Lyra Belacqua, providing the practical skill needed to navigate and repair the multiverse. His actions ultimately seal the rifts that threatened all existence, making him a savior figure despite his initial reluctance.
Does Will Parry have a daemon?
No, because he is from our world where daemons do not exist, and the act of cutting windows with the Subtle Knife prevents him from ever gaining one. This lack of a visible soul companion is a central source of his loneliness and growth throughout the story.
More in Characters & Daemons
Related in His Dark Materials
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Elsewhere in the His Dark Materials universe
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