A cliff-ghast attacks Lyra Silvertongue and Roger Parslow on Lee Scoresby's balloon.
The cliff-ghast was a species of flying creature that inhabited the cliffs of Svalbard in Lyra's world.
Biology
Anatomy
Cliff-ghasts were approximately half the size of a grown human. They were capable of flight, with leathery wings, and had hooked claws. Their heads were flat and they had wide, frog-like mouths and bulging eyes. They gave off a foul smell.[1]
Diet
Cliff-ghasts were scavengers, living off carrion. They also ate Arctic foxes.
Culture
Language
Cliff-ghasts communicated with one another using spoken language, though they were not known to speak to other species.
Society
Cliff-ghasts revered the eldest of their kind, a blind ghast whom they called Grandfather. He was respected as a source of knowledge and legend, whose memory went back to before the existence of humans. This Grandfather predicted the 'greatest battle ever fought': the war against the Authority, and that Lord Asriel would win if he were in possession of the subtle knife, called Æsahættr in their tongue.[2]
Appearances
References
- ↑ Northern Lights, Chapter 18
- ↑ The Subtle Knife, Chapter 13