Pantalaimon is the dæmon of Lyra Belacqua in His Dark Materials. He can shapeshift into any animal and takes on various forms throughout the novels. His name comes from the Greek for all-merciful. Pantalaimon is fiercely devoted to Lyra and eventually gains the ability to travel away from her.
Pantalaimon is a demon in the fantasy novels His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. He is the dæmon of Lyra Belacqua, the main protagonist of the novels. Pantalaimon is disturbed at the beginning of the novels, and so is able to shapeshift him into that of any animal.
The meaning of Pantalaimon’s name is uncertain. There is a saint in the Orthodox tradition who shares his name, Saint Panteleimon. The saint was known for a wide variety of miracles that helped convert people to Christianity. Foremost among these were those surrounding the execution of him. Several methods were attempted to kill him, from burning and drowning to execution, but in each case an apparition of Christ is said to have appeared and interrupted the execution, ultimately converting the executioners. The name itself comes from the Greek roots for all-merciful, panta- and eleison, meaning the all-merciful. Lyra called Pantalaimon by the shortened name “Pan”.
Pantalaimon is a male demon, following the nearly universal situation of having the demon’s gender opposite to that of their human. He seems to be much more observant and reserved than Lyra, who is headstrong and impetuous. He often tries to talk her out of doing the sort of thing he constantly does in the novels that puts both of them in danger. Once she is committed, however, Pantalaimon is fierce in her devotion to her and will stop at nothing to protect her.
Pantalaimon takes on a number of different forms throughout the novels, before his form settles down. The preferred form of him appears to be an ermine, a member of the weasel family. To remain hidden or to spy, Pantalaimon often takes the form of smaller animals, such as a moth and a mouse. He also takes the form of a wildcat and a leopard, particularly when interacting with Lord Asriel’s dæmon, which is a snow leopard. At one point, Pantalaimon even takes the form of a dragon, to show contempt for the forms taken by a group of gyptian child demons. Eventually, Pantalaimon takes the form of a marten, a form very similar to the ermine that he favors throughout the book.
While in most books Pantalaimon is limited in the distance he can travel from Lyra, like most demons, this is eventually overcome. After going to the realm of death, Lyra learns that she must leave Pantalaimon behind if she is to continue and keep her promise to her friend Roger. This is seen as the ultimate act of betrayal of her, fulfilling part of the prophecy the witches have about her. The pain is excruciating for both Lyra and Pantalaimon as Lyra pulls away from him, until finally they are torn apart. They are eventually reunited, however, and once they do Pantalaimon is able to travel away from Lyra in a way usually only exhibited by witches or shamans.
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