In Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, what instrument helps Lyra read truth?

In Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, the instrument that helps Lyra read truth is the alethiometer.

The alethiometer is a fictional device resembling a golden compass, but its four hands point to symbols rather than indicating geographic direction. By interpreting those symbols, a knowledgeable user can receive truthful answers to questions.

Lyra Belacqua discovers the alethiometer in Northern Lights, the first novel of Pullman’s trilogy, which was published in 1995. The device becomes especially important because Lyra learns to use it intuitively, without the long training normally required. In the story, its readings are connected to meaning, knowledge and consciousness rather than simple mechanical navigation.

A common mix-up is calling it a compass because the novel’s North American title is The Golden Compass and because the object has a compass-like appearance. The Golden Compass is the US title of Northern Lights, while alethiometer is the name of the instrument itself. The trilogy’s later books are The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.