Flock of baby birds
Once Lyra and Kaisa free the severed dæmons from their cages at Bolvangar, the dæmons all become different kinds of birds. After Lyra says goodbye, she watches as Kaisa, who has the form of a giant goose, leads the baby bird dæmons in a "ragged line.” They begin by walking, then proceed to run, and finally they take off flying with great difficulty. As the birds fly toward the horizon, Kaisa frequently circles back to help struggling dæmons. The image of a ragged line of baby birds represents both the hardship at Bolvangar as well as the hope of freedom. The image also contrasts the harm the adults inflict on the dæmons with the guidance and nurturing that Kaisa offers them.
Fens
The gyptians’ marshy homeland is unlike anything Lyra has ever seen. It is full of mysteries. As Lyra approaches the Fens in the Costas' narrowboat, the narrator observes that “eels slithered and waterbirds flocked…eerie marsh fires flickered and waylurkers tempted careless travelers to their doom.” The narrator also describes the gyptian bodies that occasionally float down the water after a bar fight or conflict. When the body reaches a shore, a non-gyptian catches it in their fishing net and simply shrugs it off saying, “it’s just a gyptian.” The eerie imagery describing exotic animals and dangerous people strengthens the characterization of the gyptians as a hardy people who have been given a raw deal by society. In particular, the rough imagery of the Fens contrasts starkly with the refined imagery of Oxford or London, where other characters live.
Northern lights
The northern lights provide some of the most vivid imagery in all of The Golden Compass. The first time that Lyra sees a photograph of the lights, she compares them to “curtains, looped and festooned on invisible hooks hundreds of miles high or blowing out sideways in the stream of some unimaginable wind.” This larger-than-life imagery creates a sense of wonder and mystery around the North. It also highlights Lyra’s intense desire to see the lights for herself. At the end of the novel, the lights shine more brightly than Lyra has ever seen them. The narrator describes the lights twitching, shivering, and dancing across the sky. This dramatic, performative imagery of the aurora highlights the climactic moment at the end of the novel.
Witches
The Golden Compass mentions witches long before Lyra sees one with her own eyes. When Pullman finally provides vivid imagery of the witches, neither Lyra nor the reader are disappointed. The witches wear “strips of black silk” and sometimes they wear crowns made of a “simple chain of little red flowers.” Their eyes are a brilliant green. When Lyra sees them flying in the distance she describes “ragged figures of such elegance.” This imagery of simple elegance is important because it emphasizes the admiration that Lyra feels toward the witches. This admiration is significant because Lyra has grown up with a generally negative view of adult women—whether the boring female scholars at Oxford or the evil and flashy Mrs. Coulter.
