In Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra Belacqua’s dæmon is called Pantalaimon. Usually known as Pan, he is Lyra’s close companion and takes the form of different animals while she is still a child.
In Pullman’s fictional worlds, a dæmon is the external physical manifestation of a person’s consciousness. Human dæmons generally settle into a permanent animal form during adolescence. Pantalaimon’s changing forms therefore reflect Lyra’s childhood and her developing identity.
Lyra and Pan are emotionally and physically connected, and the relationship is central to the trilogy’s ideas about growing up, freedom, knowledge, and the bond between body and mind. Their separation carries unusual danger and emotional significance.
His Dark Materials consists of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The first book is titled The Golden Compass in the United States. Pullman later expanded the setting through The Book of Dust trilogy, which also includes Lyra.