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| − | [[Image:Armoured Bear.jpg|right|300px]]A '''panserbjørn''', also known as an '''armoured bear''', usually lives on the far northern island of [[Svalbard]] in [[Lyra Silvertongue|Lyra]]'s world. Although bears, Panserbjørne have a human-level capacity to reason and speak. They are skilled metalsmiths and are able to work metals using their sharp claws and an opposable thumb. They fashion their strong armour from [[sky-iron]], a type of meteoric iron. |
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| + | |title= |
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| + | |image=Iorek Face.jpg |
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| + | |caption=Iorek Byrnison, king of the panserbjørne |
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| + | |alias=*Armoured bear |
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| + | |world=[[Lyra's world]] |
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| + | |location=[[Svalbard]] |
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| + | |affiliation= |
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| + | |enemies= |
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| + | }} |
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| + | {{Quote|When bears act like people, perhaps they can be tricked. When bears act like bears, perhaps they can't. No bear would normally drink spirits. [[Iorek Byrnison]] drank to forget the shame of exile, and it was only that which let the [[Trollesund]] people trick him.|[[Serafina Pekkala]]|Northern Lights}} |
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| + | The '''panserbjørn''' (pl. panserbjørne), also known as the '''armoured bear''', was a species of sapient polar bear. Panserbjørne were sentient and capable of speaking [[human]] languages. They were exceptionally difficult to deceive. |
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| + | ==Physical traits== |
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| − | They are governed by a king who is usually determined by bloodline, but can be elected by unarmed combat. They are the protectors of Svalbard, the centre of their civilization. However, in The Amber Spyglass, they voyage down to the Himalayas when Lord Asriel's inter-dimensional rift causes the climate to become inhospitable. They soon realise that they cannot live in the Himalayas as its ecosystem is unable to support them. Iorek Byrnison is the main Panserbjørn in the trilogy. |
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| + | The panserbjørn was similar to the polar bear in appearance. However, the panserbjørn had opposable thumbs and was very dexterous, capable of skilled metalworking. Their paws were covered in horny skin an inch or more thick, each claw was as long as a child's hand, and as sharp as a knife.<ref name="NL13">{{ref|book|1|13}}</ref> They had notably small, black eyes.<ref name="OTN">{{Ref|book|5}}</ref> |
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| + | ==Armour== |
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| − | A panserbjørn fashions his own armour using 'sky-iron', rare iron collected from meteorites which the bears discover on or buried in the ice. Panserbjørne have a strong spiritual connection with their armour (much as humans do with their dæmons). 'Sky Iron' itself as described in Pullman's works is fictional, but the native peoples of the Arctic do value meteorites (particularly the Cape York meteorite) as an invaluable source of iron for toolmaking (although iron from meteorites is actually weaker than terrestrial iron, not having impurities like carbon which contribute to its strength). |
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| + | [[File:Armour.jpg|thumb|An example of Panserbjørn armour|right|150px]] |
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| + | Panserbjørne fashioned [[Panserbjørn armour|their own armour]] from [[sky-iron]]. As they matured, they forged the pieces one by one. By the time they were adults, they had a complete suit.<ref name="OTN">{{ref|book|5}}</ref> Panserbjørne considered their armour to be their [[soul]].<ref name="NL11">{{ref|book|1|11}}</ref> |
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| + | ==Society== |
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| − | {{cleanup|paragraph|00:18, September 21, 2013 (UTC)|The next sentence is ungrammatical and meaningless}} |
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| + | Panserbjørne were generally solitary creatures, but they had a loose society on the island of [[Svalbard]]. They were governed by a king who was usually determined by bloodline, but could be elected by combat. |
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| − | The armoured bears are often in a struggle between keeping their animal customs separate from human interaction.{{unclear}} When Iofur Raknison, the king of Svalbard before Iorek, tried to change their society by attempting to make palaces and acquire [[dæmon]]s, he removed the foundations of panserbjørn tradition. In doing so, a wave of doubt and uncertainy overtook the panserbjørne and they thus became even more vulnerable as a society. Iofur unknowingly made himself victim to Lyra's lies when he craved human possessions. Because of this critical error, Iorek eventually defeated Iofur to bring the bears back to a more primitive state; however, later in the series he began to feel human feelings such as doubt, and was asked if creating armour was a human action itself. Iorek, however, decided that there is a line between bear custom and human behaviour. |
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| + | Under the reign of [[Iofur Raknison]], panserbjørn society became more human-like. He built a palace and had plans for a university on the island of Svalbard. Acting like a human made Iofur less able to perceive deception and so he was defeated by [[Iorek Byrnison]] who restored panserbjørn culture to its previous, more primitive state. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | When the inter-dimensional rift created by [[Lord Asriel]] changed the climate of Svalbard, Iorek Byrnison led the panserbjørne to the Himalayas. They soon realised, however, that the ecosystem of the mountains was unable to support them. |
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| − | Some of the important Panserbjørne featuring in the trilogy are: |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| + | Some important known panserbjørne were: |
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| ⚫ | |||
*[[Søren Eisarson]] |
*[[Søren Eisarson]] |
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*[[Hjalmur Hjalmurson]] |
*[[Hjalmur Hjalmurson]] |
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| − | * |
+ | *Iofur Raknison |
| + | *[[Ragnar Lokisson]] |
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| + | |||
| + | ==Etymology== |
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| + | Panserbjørn is Norwegian and Danish for armoured bear. "Bjørn" is cognate with Old English "beorn", which also means bear. |
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| + | |||
| + | ==Behind the scenes== |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | ==Appearances== |
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| + | *''[[Northern Lights]]'' |
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| + | *''[[The Golden Compass (film)]]'' |
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| + | *''[[The Golden Compass (video game)]]'' |
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| + | *''[[The Subtle Knife]]'' |
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| + | *''[[The Amber Spyglass]]'' |
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| + | *''[[Once Upon a Time in the North]]'' |
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| + | *''[[Peril of the Pole]]'' |
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| + | ==References== |
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| − | {{Races and Species}} |
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| + | {{Reflist}} |
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| + | {{Panserbjørne navbox}} |
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| + | {{Species navbox}} |
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[[pt-br:Panserbjornes]] |
[[pt-br:Panserbjornes]] |
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[[it:Panserbjørne]] |
[[it:Panserbjørne]] |
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| + | [[fr:Panserbjørn]] |
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| + | [[de:Die Panzerbären]] |
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| + | [[ru:Панцербьёрн]] |
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| + | [[es:Panserbjørn]] |
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[[Category:Species]] |
[[Category:Species]] |
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| − | [[Category: |
+ | [[Category:Panserbjørne| ]] |
| − | [[Category:Animals]] |
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Revision as of 00:24, 22 August 2019
- "When bears act like people, perhaps they can be tricked. When bears act like bears, perhaps they can't. No bear would normally drink spirits. Iorek Byrnison drank to forget the shame of exile, and it was only that which let the Trollesund people trick him."
- —Serafina Pekkala[src]
The panserbjørn (pl. panserbjørne), also known as the armoured bear, was a species of sapient polar bear. Panserbjørne were sentient and capable of speaking human languages. They were exceptionally difficult to deceive.
Physical traits
The panserbjørn was similar to the polar bear in appearance. However, the panserbjørn had opposable thumbs and was very dexterous, capable of skilled metalworking. Their paws were covered in horny skin an inch or more thick, each claw was as long as a child's hand, and as sharp as a knife.[1] They had notably small, black eyes.[2]
Armour
An example of Panserbjørn armour
Panserbjørne fashioned their own armour from sky-iron. As they matured, they forged the pieces one by one. By the time they were adults, they had a complete suit.[2] Panserbjørne considered their armour to be their soul.[3]
Society
Panserbjørne were generally solitary creatures, but they had a loose society on the island of Svalbard. They were governed by a king who was usually determined by bloodline, but could be elected by combat.
Under the reign of Iofur Raknison, panserbjørn society became more human-like. He built a palace and had plans for a university on the island of Svalbard. Acting like a human made Iofur less able to perceive deception and so he was defeated by Iorek Byrnison who restored panserbjørn culture to its previous, more primitive state.
When the inter-dimensional rift created by Lord Asriel changed the climate of Svalbard, Iorek Byrnison led the panserbjørne to the Himalayas. They soon realised, however, that the ecosystem of the mountains was unable to support them.
Notable panserbjørne
Some important known panserbjørne were:
- Iorek Byrnison
- Søren Eisarson
- Hjalmur Hjalmurson
- Iofur Raknison
- Ragnar Lokisson
Etymology
Panserbjørn is Norwegian and Danish for armoured bear. "Bjørn" is cognate with Old English "beorn", which also means bear.
Behind the scenes
- Early UK editions of the novels had Panserbørne instead of Panserbjørne. This was clearly a mistake as "panserbjørn" translated easily into Norwegian and Danish as "armoured bear" while "panzerbørne" is a grammatically incorrect way of saying "armoured children" in Danish.
Appearances
- Northern Lights
- The Golden Compass (film)
- The Golden Compass (video game)
- The Subtle Knife
- The Amber Spyglass
- Once Upon a Time in the North
- Peril of the Pole
References
- ↑ Northern Lights, Chapter 13
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Once Upon a Time in the North Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "OTN" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Northern Lights, Chapter 11
| Panserbjørne | |
|---|---|
| Panserbjørne | Hjalmur Hjalmurson • Iofur Raknison • Iofur Raknison's father • Iorek Byrnison • Ragnar Lokisson • Søren Eisarson |
| Important | Panserbjørn armour • Sky-iron • Svalbard |
| Species | |
|---|---|
| Humanoid | Angels • Dæmons • Deaths • Gallivespians • Ghosts • Humans • Mermaids • Witches • Zombi |
| Other | Cliff-ghasts • Harpies • Mulefa • Night-ghasts • Panserbjørne • Spectres • Will-o’-the-wykes |