Discovery of the Subtle Knife
A blade that slices reality, forging paths where none existed before.
The discovery of the Subtle Knife takes place in The Subtle Knife, the second novel of His Dark Materials, in the city of Cittàgazze. The knife, called Æsahættr, was forged three hundred years before by Cittàgazze's scientists from the same alloy used to make the guillotine in Bolvangar. One edge can divide subatomic particles and create portals between worlds; the other easily cuts through any form of matter.
Quick Facts
- Primary wielder
- Will Parry
- Key ability
- Cutting stable passages between worlds
Lore & Background
Lord Boreal, known in Will's world as Sir Charles Latrom, steals Lyra's alethiometer and promises to return it in exchange for the knife, which is kept in the Torre degli Angeli, a stone tower in Cittàgazze. Will defeats a youth who has taken the knife from its holder, Giacomo Paradisi, but loses two fingers in the fight. Paradisi explains that this is a sign that Will is the knife's new bearer, and explains its power.
Reader's Guide
Will uses the knife to cut a window into Sir Charles's home, and he and Lyra escape back to Cittàgazze with the alethiometer. The constant use of the knife is the reason for the multitude of Spectres in the world of Cittàgazze: each window it opens creates a new Spectre. In The Amber Spyglass the knife breaks when Will loses concentration, and Iorek Byrnison repairs it. At the end of the trilogy all the windows but one must be closed, and Will deliberately destroys the knife.
More in Narrative Arcs & Timeline
Elsewhere in His Dark Materials
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced