The Spectre
The Spectre, from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.
Spectres of Indifference, commonly shortened to Spectres, are beings of spirit that have escaped from the void between universes in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. They appear in The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. A Spectre feeds upon the Dust that makes up a person's soul, and its attack leaves the victim in an immobile, zombie-like state, indifferent to all stimuli.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- The Void between Worlds
Lore & Background
Most commonly, a Spectre is created from each new window between worlds opened by the Subtle Knife; before such openings there were fewer or no Spectres. They are invisible to pre-adolescents and do not harm them, as Dust has not yet settled upon them. The city of Cittàgazze is infested with them, bereft of adults and populated by gangs of children.
Reader's Guide
Spectres cannot be killed by any physical means, but their attacks can be countered. Angels can neutralise Spectres, ghosts are able to hold them in combat, and humans can repel them with the Subtle Knife. People whose dæmons have been removed by intercision can pass them without being attacked. When the effects of a Spectre attack are explained to Will, he hypothesises that they, or similar creatures, may also exist in his world and may cause mental illness.
More in Theology & Metaphysics
Elsewhere in His Dark Materials
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