The Angels
Beings condensed from Dust, ranked by power and by how brightly they shine.
In His Dark Materials, angels were originally the result of condensing Dust, although it seems that other conscious beings can also become angels. They appear as nude winged humans lit by a light with no apparent source and, like the witches, seem to be both young and old at the same time. Angels are arranged in a hierarchy according to their power, which also determines how luminous they are: low-ranking angels cannot be seen by the naked eye during the day and are seen best at half light.
Lore & Background
The first, oldest and most powerful angel was the Authority, worshipped as God. He told the angels who condensed after him that he was the creator of the multiverse, which was a lie. The angel Xaphania found out the truth, was banished from the Kingdom, and later started a rebellion against him with some other angels. In his old age the Authority appointed the archangel Metatron, who had once been the human Enoch, as regent of the Kingdom of Heaven. Lord Asriel allies with the rebel angels under Xaphania in the war against the Authority. Angels long for the feel of a body, which Mrs Coulter uses to her advantage in The Amber Spyglass.
Reader's Guide
Two rebel angels of low rank, Balthamos and Baruch, find Will Parry at the end of The Subtle Knife and hope to take him, as the bearer of the subtle knife, to Lord Asriel. Angels can transform: Balthamos masquerades as Will's dæmon when travelling in Lyra's world. The only way for humans to see angels clearly is when they are enveloped in smoke. Angels can also neutralise Spectres. After the defeat of the Authority's forces it is Xaphania who instructs Will how to seal the windows between the worlds.
More in Factions & Organizations
Elsewhere in His Dark Materials
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