The Witches

Lore & Background

Witches worship their own gods and goddesses of nature and the earth. They dress in ragged black silk, are always barefoot, and are renowned for their marksmanship, carrying bows wherever they go. John Parry catalogued nine witch clans on his journeys through Lyra's world; the most northerly are the witches of Lake Enara, led by Serafina Pekkala, and the most southerly the witches of Lake Lubana, led by Ruta Skadi. The clans often warred amongst themselves, and some witches even helped the Magisterium at Bolvangar, though most switched sides when they learned the truth. Serafina Pekkala's clan shares a friendship with the Gyptians, born of her relationship with Farder Coram.

Reader's Guide

Some witches have the power of prophecy: they foresee and identify Lyra as the second Eve. Through intense concentration a witch can make herself so unnoticeable that she is almost invisible. Witches have spells and potions for healing and a legendary sense of direction. In Northern Lights, Serafina Pekkala's flying witch clan helps rescue Lyra and the children from Bolvangar. In large numbers, witches and their cloud-pines can tow an airship.

Did You Know?

• All witch dæmons are birds, and they can fly far from their witches to carry messages, spy, or do other tasks.
• Witches are shown to possess a limited form of telepathy: Serafina Pekkala gives Lee Scoresby one of her crown's flowers with which to invoke her when he is in danger.
• Witches can feel cold but are not affected by it, and can endure the lowest temperatures on earth comfortably.
• All of a witch's sons will be human and all of her daughters will be witches.