Races and creatures in His Dark Materials
Wikimedia list article
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of Northern Lights (1995; published as The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife (1997), and The Amber Spyglass (2000). This is a list of the fictional races and creatures in the novels.
Armoured bears (panserbjørne)
The panserbjørne are large polar bear-like creatures that have opposable thumbs on their front paws. Despite their large digits, they have dexterity, this, together with immense strength makes them gifted metalsmiths. They are capable of creating and repairing metal items beyond the capabilities of human smiths. While they mainly speak English, they are shown to be able to speak other languages.
Bears are very difficult to deceive. One exception is Iofur Raknison; the bear-king emulates humans by drinking spirits, wearing expensive clothes, and wanting a dæmon. His gullibility is attributed to his failing to act like a bear. Polar bears' livers are poisonous — a trait shared in real life with other polar mammals — due to a very high concentration of retinol (Vitamin A) to enable them to cope with the hostile Arctic environment.
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