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lordeasriel · 3 years

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I was wondering if you had any thoughts on crow/raven dæmons. We have two very good examples of corvids: the Master and John Faa. Plus a number of other minor characters (not to mention Pullman says his dæmon would be a raven). If its something you have thought about, I was wondering what your thoughts are?

Hallo anon! I think for my corvid daemons are unusually scarce in Lyra's world or found in characters that are very minor compared to other types of daemons, but I do have some thoughts. They're not very in-depth thoughts, though.

Crows and ravens, especially, are associated with tragedy, intellect, austerity and while the tragedy is a lot stronger with the Master than it is with John Faa, I'd say they both have something of a tragic "hero" quality to them. Men that work towards greater, perhaps not always relevant, goals and that are perceived as wise, intelligent people with the wisdom necessary to solve all sorts of problems. This fits both of them quite easily, although in a few different ways at times.

Then the differences begin to show, for example, between John Faa and Dr. Carne, who don't really have the same type of corvid and are also very different people. John Faa has a strong will, a strong presence; he 'commands' the gyptians and he is respected, very much so, and the gyptian leadership is something that seems to come rather naturally to him. Lyra also perceives his great kindness and that scares her off, because a strong, powerful leader like John Faa could do things unquestioned because kind leaders aren't refuted.

For Dr Carne we have this entirely different persona (which is reasonable, he has a raven, not a crow - crows imply cunning, guile, a hint of savoir-faire in general) and while the Master seems like a good leader, he doesn't feel like a natural ones. I'd say ravens, on the corvid spectrum, would be much more aligned with intellect and introvertion. The Master is, well, a master of a college so the intellect goes without saying, but he is a man stuck in contemplation. Not minding the fact Pullman writes most of his men like this, or around this trope, I think the Master is a man stuck in a world of thoughts. He deals with things like the Alethiometer and High Politics, because he has the patience for it and the skill to handle it, whereas John Faa is a much more straighforward man in his actions. The Master is quieter, and inclined towards stealth, but he prefers to act through authority and respect; he has guile, but he use it to boost his figure of authority, which I think would be a trait strongly connected to Raven daemons.

#asks #hdm meta: daemon #daemons: corvids #hdm meta: john faa #hdm meta: dr carne #thanks for the ask! hope this is a good answer! i never gave corvids that much thought other than bird is cool

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lordeasriel · 4 years

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One of my favorite relationships in HDM that we see just briefly is between Asriel and the Master (Dr. Carne). Asriel seems to greatly respect the Master, even when he tries to kill him (in fact he shrugs it off as an understandable act). I am curious if you have any meta thoughts on their relationship? As a side note, one of my favorite headcannons is that Carne was Asriel's thesis advisor.

Yes, the advisor headcanon is one of my favourite too!!! I think the Master had a considerably close relationship with Asriel simply because I think he understands Asriel quite well for someone who barely knows him. So the advisor works well because I can see the Master trying to be like "you need to be more tame about your approach" and Asriel simply will not lmao

They are vastly different people, Asriel being almost an opposite to the Master, who is calm, resolute and has a clear head. He makes no unnecessary moves, he ponders but he also acts swiftly and he has a very clear vision of his priorities. The College comes first, then Lyra. I also think they were close but they had a rivalry which often ended their meetings with Asriel leaving and slamming the door on his way out.

With that in mind, I think the Master cared a lot about Asriel, especially about what Asriel's studies meant for the world; unlike Dr Carne, Asriel was unbending and he believe that a truce shouldn't exist with the Church, while the Master - in his political position as head of such an influential college - had to manage all sides and try not to upset them all at once. When the Master poisons him, there is a sense of dread about it, but he feels no regrets because he sees it as necessary. And Asriel doesn't care much about it because he knows that he is trying to do something dangerous and incredibly careless. He has no room within himself to feel mad about the Master.

I do like the Master a lot and I find the way he handles Asriel very interesting. He never had to take care of Lyra, mind you, he could've denied her sanctuary because as far as I understand, her status was never official; it was respected because of the law and because people fought for her safety. Yet the Master accepts the baby without much fuss, which I think it's very telling. Asriel gave her to him specifically, which meant he trusted the Master unconditionally. Lyra was his last and most valuable thing - even if he didn't see her like that himself - and he entrusted her to a man he trusted despite their differences. I also find it curious that the Master never told Lyra the truth about the money she is receiving, and while this is me stretching, I think he never told her about it because he didn't want her to think poorly to Asriel. I think he wanted to preserve Asriel's dignity in Lyra's eyes, because they both cared for her and she was the only common ground they ever had.

#asks #hdm meta: dr carne #hdm meta: lord asriel #thank u for the ask! they're relationship is indeed very curious and fascinating however short

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lordeasriel · 4 years

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What do you think the Master's form says about him? I always thought a raven fit him aesthetically, but I feel like they have kind of morbid associations that do not immediately make me think of the master.

I think the raven for the Master is fitting, it speaks of knowledge, the uncanny, and sometimes it can relate to bad omens. All these three elements are a very within the Master’s character: he is a Scholar, after all, which speaks to knowledge; he deals with the Alethiometer, which I do classify as something uncanny; and he pretty much has the role of bad omen announcer, when he is talking about Lyra’s future in NL. So, from an outside perspective, it suits him, even in its morbidity (?).

Now, from an inside perspective, I think the raven might also mean traditionalism, old-school vibes, as well as a certain austere behaviour. The master is very keen on protecting Jordan and he respects its traditions and customs; I also believe he is not willing to bend his points of view, he is very adamant on his opinions. For example, when Charles questions about the Alethiometer being the source of the Master’s knowledge of the prophecy, he is very insistent that the alethiometer is always right. (while the Alethiometer always tells the truth, it is understood that it can be read wrong).

I can’t go too in-depth in this because I’m slightly biased; someone said that maybe my daemon would be a raven, and while I’m not so sure about it, I don’t have an unbiased take on it lmao But I think the raven as a symbol of knowledge, tradition and the uncanny meddling is a good symbology for the Master’s daemon.

#asks #hdm meta: dr carne #hdm meta: the master of jordan #i dont remember his tag lmao #thank u for the ask!#Anonymous

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lordeasriel · 3 years

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So bizarrely specific question: In the HDM show the Master wears a signet ring, which makes sense given the fashion of the time. Do you imagine the ring is a family crest or the crest of Jordan College? Personally I think the latter.

Well, you know, I gave this some thought and I went deep into 'Lyra's World Imaginary History Book' mode in my head, and I think I like the idea his signet ring might be with Jordan College's crest. Like, the way I see the Master is the equivalent of a Victorian Man™, meaning that he was born in a very different period in Lyra's world, so his identity and career were entirely dedicated to his position as a scholar and Master of Jordan College. Even if he had been a man from a noble house or something like that (he probably was rich, like, the text implies that most students at Oxford are very very posh), I think that upon becoming Master, his life would have been 100% dedicated to that and that alone, hence the Jordan signet ring. It's why I think that, with the New Master in TSC, there is a nostalgia for that level of dedication; the new age has people be a lot less willing to sell their lives to their professions, in a way.

#asks #dr carne #hdm meta #thanks for ask! love some specific stuff!!!!

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lordeasriel · 3 years

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Effie’s Meta for His Dark Materials: a Masterpost

Per an anon request (sorry for the delay, I actually write A LOT lmao) here’s a masterpost to all the meta and analyses and other stuff I’ve written for HDM and TBOD in the past two years. Usually I add spoilers when I write analyses (and I point out which books are being spoiled), but be warned that there may still be some hints about The Book of Dust in these posts.

This will be updated in case I write new things, so you can bookmark it if you want to.

Analysis and other meta posts about His Dark Materials & novellas.

Why Asriel requires no redemption arc?

Thoughts on ‘Uncle’ Asriel.

Oakley Street during His Dark Materials.

The Three Satans: Mary, Asriel & Xaphania.

Why Marisa lied to Lyra about their relation?

Thoughts on Lyra and Asriel’s similarities.

Lyra’s relationship with Asriel.

Thoughts on Ruta Skadi.

Thoughts on the Witches.