#The secret commonwealth

[derangedrhythms]

[…] but she was deep in a mood of wintry isolation […]

Philip Pullman, from ‘The Secret Commonwealth’

[three-atoms]

Art for The Book of Dust Volume 2: The Secret Commonwealth

By Ivan Sergeev

[kirjavas]

lyra and her death: on overcoming mental illness

tw: mental illness, depression, suicide mention

after rewatching all of his dark materials, i wanted to touch on something i noticed in the final season that i hadn't picked up on before, and that is how lyra's journey to the land of the dead reflects her mental health.

in the secret commonwealth, lyra is likely dealing with depression as well as recovering from her trauma of separating from pan, which has clearly taken a toll on their relationship. and i think there was a deliberate choice to bring this character arc forward into season three of the show, when it wasn't really there in the books. the amber spyglass highlights the theme of loss of innocence and and moving away from childhood, which was made even more explicit by lyra being an older teenager in the show. this was also depicted by a more obvious change in lyra and pan's relationship that we didn't see in the books until the secret commonwealth. the two of them argue much more than usual in the first few episodes, and they don't seem to be on the same page, particularly when it comes to the land of the dead.

since lyra and pan are one being, this shows us that lyra's mind is divided and she is not at ease with herself as much as she used to be—a feeling that is very natural as she awkwardly transitions from child to teenager. but i also think it goes deeper and may reflect a level of self hatred we haven't seen from lyra before. she's always been sure of herself and this is reflected by how much she loves and cares for pan. but in season three she becomes more dismissive of him and guided by a different part of her that is leading towards roger. there are obvious parallels to be drawn between her and mrs coulter, who in contrast has gone from abusing her dæmon to becoming more allied with him. mrs coulter's treatment of the golden monkey represents her discomfort with herself/her soul, but when both their intentions match that is when their relationship is healthier.

in the land of the dead, pan and will both seem to be afraid/cautious of the idea of death, whereas lyra shows no fear in summoning her own death and making a journey she may never return from (cue an incredible shot of lyra's death standing between her and will... till death do us part anyone?? but i digress).

it's really interesting how this slightly different dynamic kind of sets up their inevitable separation, as the episode foreshadows that there will be a heavy price to pay for bargaining with death. rather than it coming as a complete shock like in the books, it feels like a punch to the gut with the realisation that lyra and pan are no longer on the same path (and haven't been for a while). lyra chooses roger, a symbol of childhood, but ironically she also chooses to grow up in leaving part of herself behind.

i might be reading too much into these scenes but i think there's a strong suggestion that a part of lyra wants to die—perhaps to join roger, perhaps because her guilt makes her feel like she deserves it. later on, lyra's hallucination of pan and the scene with the harpies only emphasises this. the harpies target the thoughts at the back of her mind, telling her that she has ruined the lives of those she loves and she is in the land of the dead only to soothe her own guilt.

i also strongly suspect that upon freeing the ghosts, some part of lyra was healed knowing that she helped roger. she seems to bring a bit more of herself back after she reunites with him, in taming the harpies and telling stories. ultimately i think this accomplishment gives lyra enough strength to make another devastating sacrifice when she is separated from will forever. i honestly don't think she could have done it if she hadn't had the closure and relief of completing her mission to make amends with roger.

like... GOD. lyra is such a tragic character and i both love and loathe the show for introducing some of these elements. bring on the book of dust adaptation.

[beasanfi1997]

His Dark Materials the best franchise

[his-dark-materials-trilogy]

[stefito0o]

I love it when the weather is nice enough to sit in the garden ☺️

[yellow-black-stripes]

never has a book understood me more than the secret commonwealth, and never have i felt more seen by a character than by Lyra.

[transmasc-totoro]

I love Phillip Pullman but by far the WORST part of the post dark materials trilogy is Malcom falling in love with Lyra. Not to say I know him better than the author but my boy would NOT carnally desire the child 12 years his junior he rescued as an infant and taught as a professor. He simply would Not he would see her as a little sister

[illustration-alcove]

Peter Bailey’s illustrations for Philip Pullman’s The Secret Commonwealth.

[biwonderland98]

My sister in christ you are 20 years old

[derangedrhythms]

She was in a forest resounding with animal cries and human screams and the whisper of terrified ghosts.

Philip Pullman, from ‘The Secret Commonwealth’

[mirriorball]

some illustrations from The Golden Compass illustrated edition, with art by Christopher Wormell.

[kirjavas]

rereading the secret commonwealth and i'm theorising that this specific annual bench meeting shown at the end of hdm takes place after the events of the book of dust

lyra and will could pass as being in their twenties, and something about their faces/body language in this scene feels different, like something has happened between them since the previous midsummer's day. pan and kirjava are almost touching, as though they can sense each other's presence, and while i'm not entirely convinced will and lyra will ever see each other again i do think their dæmons could potentially find each other. pan and lyra are currently separated and we know will and kirjava can do the same: perhaps the reason pan left lyra was to find kirjava in the blue hotel, as if he is searching for the part of herself she left behind by growing up (gone to look for your imagination...)

it would be very poetic if they were both abandoned by their dæmons the same way they did to get to the land of the dead

[three-atoms]

Part 2 of HDM Book Covers

(The covers are from Indonesia and Brazil.)

Source for the book covers

[ssmhhh]

PAN AND KIRJAVA SHARE WITH THE CLASS CHALLENGE BC WTF IS HAPPENING HERE??

ALSO HI HELLO RUSSELL DODGSON WHAT DO YOU KNOW???

[nerdyfangirl23]

“lyra’s the most important thing to me right now”

yes i was one of those book readers who was screaming and crying every time there was a word for word book quote in the series’ dialogue. you didn’t want to see just how much of a mess i was when we got the atom speech.