The Mulefa

Wheel-riding beings of a parallel Earth who can see Dust directly.

The Mulefa are a sapient species who inhabit a parallel Earth, distinguished by their method of locomotion: large, disc-shaped seed pods from their world's seed-pod trees fit onto a spur on their front and rear legs and serve as wheels. They appear in The Amber Spyglass and are able to see Dust directly, without the aid of an instrument such as the amber spyglass. Their society relies heavily on oral history and memory, which began only after Dust induced changes in their species approximately 33,000 years prior to the events of the trilogy.

Quick Facts

Species name: Mulefa
First appearance in series: The Amber Spyglass

Facts from the source article.

Background

Approximately 33,000 years before the main narrative, Dust induced specific changes in the Mulefa, conferring greater consciousness and initiating their oral history and memory as a species. When asked directly by Mary Malone, Dust revealed that these modifications were enacted by rebel angels seeking vengeance over the war in heaven. Signing with the trunk is an integral part of the Mulefa language; to describe Dust they use the word "sraf" accompanied by a leftward flick of the trunk."

Their civilization is deeply intertwined with their environment; notably, their trees depend on Dust for fertilization. After scientists in Cittagazze created the Subtle Knife 300 years before the story's start, explorers were not meticulous about closing the cuts in the fabric between worlds, and Dust was lost into the void through the cracks of these windows. At that time the Mulefa noticed that their trees, which depend on Dust for fertilisation, had started producing fewer seeds.