The Golden Compass
A needle that points not to the north, but to the truth.
The Golden Compass is the title under which Northern Lights, the first novel of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, was published in North America. The American publishers took it as a reference to the alethiometer, a compass-like, truth-telling device that features prominently in the books. Pullman had earlier proposed to call the whole series The Golden Compasses, a reference to the pair of compasses with which God sets the bounds of creation in John Milton's Paradise Lost.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Philip Pullman
- Cover artist
- David Scutt and Pullman
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Series
- His Dark Materials
- Release number
- 1
- Genre
- Children's fantasy novel
- Publisher
- Scholastic Point (UK)
- Published
- 9 July 1995
Lore & Background
The alethiometer itself is a truth-telling symbol reader which can answer any question. To phrase a question, three adjustable levers are pointed at symbols on its rim, and a fourth lever, made of an alloy sensitive to Dust, swings round and stops on different symbols to give the answer. In Northern Lights the Master of Jordan College entrusts an alethiometer to Lyra Belacqua, who quickly learns to use it intuitively. Six alethiometers were constructed in Lyra's world.
Reader's Guide
The Golden Compass is also the title of New Line Cinema's 2007 film adaptation of Northern Lights. Although Pullman did not intend the title as a reference to the device, the resemblance of the alethiometer to a navigational compass led the publisher Knopf to read it that way. At the end of The Amber Spyglass, Lyra loses her ability to read the alethiometer intuitively and decides to take up the academic study of alethiometry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the actual name of the device called The Golden Compass?
Within the series, this instrument is canonically known as an alethiometer rather than a compass.
Who is the main character associated with this instrument?
Lyra Belacqua serves as its primary user, possessing a natural talent for reading the symbols without formal training.
More in Theology & Metaphysics
Related in His Dark Materials
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Elsewhere in His Dark Materials
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