Yo what up guys so I planned on doing a Witcher video today, but this one was
almost done so I bumped it up in the line. We're gonna do Wheel of Time tomorrow and
The Witcher on Sunday maybe Monday also. And I want to add in this little intro
because oh my god I just watched the finale a second time. I love!
Obvioulsy, I love the books going into the show, the show, oh my god, they killed it!
They absolutely killed it across the board! So you know how yesterday said I was really
excited!? I've never been as excited to make Witcher videos ... It's true. I'm probably
going to do about half my videos going forward are going to be Witcher for the next few months, but
Let's say not two not one every two weeks. But let's say three a
month. Three His Dark Materials videos every month. I won't get many views, but
man! I just love these characters too much not to explore them in depth, which
reminds me. It'd be really easy to make an Ending Explained channel. You
know, where I'm just in the rat race to basically do a summary of
whatever new show drops and then some of them ... it's just not very ...
intellectually ... It's just not stimulating. I mean I figure you guys have brains. I kind of
feel condescending doing Ending Explained. I will be doing that for
Altered Carbon though in a couple weeks. But with that said, this is a very light
video leading into two pretty cool ones that I scripted - I think during
episode 1 or 2. I'm gonna actually squeeze in one more in there, but ...
enjoy the video. We'll talk. His Dark Materials! This video isn't going to be
mind-blowing, but it's been a while since we've discussed His Dark Materials so
before we get to the two videos that I teased for you a long time ago , et's
start with this one today. We're gonna add some color to an early scene from
the show, and we're also gonna touch on a few topics such as dæmon settling and
growing up because they're related. And we'll lightly touch on the topic of
separation, which we're really gonna get into in the next two videos.
I don't want Pantalaimon to settle. I want him to be able to change forever. All right when you come of age
your dæmon settles, right? Why does that happen?
When you come of age and your dæmon settles into its final form, it will
reveal what kind of person you really are . Who you are at your core - your soul. And your
demon is your soul. Lord Boreal has a serpent dæmon because he's constricting,
symbolized by the way he's always walking around people constricting them.
On the other hand, Dr. Lanselius also has a serpent dæmon. Bu his serpent is
probably more of a nod to him being cautious or calculated as opposed to
constricting. Servants often have dogs whereas Lord Asriel has this badass Snow
Leopard. Lyra's dæmon eventually settles in the
story, but don't worry ... I'm not gonna spoil that for you in this video. Today, I
want to share with you something that only happens in the books. Some really
cool color so as to speak generally about the process of dæmon settling. If
we go back to the scene here Lyra is shipping up to boston ... well, no ... but she's
going north with the gyptians. They're headed to Tollersund, and their goal is to
meet up with the witch console, Dr. Lanselius so as to try to recruit some
witches to their side - to help in the fight and the wars to come. In the books,
Lyra is loving the waters and the boat life as a whole. Quote: "After two days at
sea, Lyra decided that this was a life for her.
And similarly pan was also loving the waters. Quote: "From time to time, he even
tried being a fish and once joined a school dolphins to their surprise and
pleasure. Lyra stood shivering in the fo'c'sle and laughed with delight as
her beloved Pantalaimon, sleek and powerful, leaped from the water with half
a dozen other swift gray shapes. He had to stay close to the ship of course, for
he could never go far from her. But she sensed his desire to speed as far and as
fast as he could for pure exhilaration. She shared his pleasure, but for her it
wasn't simply pleasure, for there was pain and fear in it too. Suppose he
loved being a dolphin more than he loved being with her on land? What would she do
then? So she's standing there worried and one of the sailormen notices her. So he
walks up to her and he opens up about himself - how he felt the same way in the
past cause his dæmon loved being a porpoise. And he was afraid that she'd
settle like that. She didn't. She ended up settling as a seagull. Then he goes on to
tell Lyra about another Sailor man this is the point of this video. Quote: "There
was one old sailorman on my first vessel who could never go ashore at all
because his demon had settled as a dolphin, and he can never leave the water.
He was a wonderful sailor. Best navigator you ever knew. Could have made a fortune
off fishing, but he wasn't happy at all. Hhe was never quite happy till he died and
he could be buried at sea. That's an interesting little passage,
right? Let me know in the comment section how you take it, but personally I think
that he's an unreliable narrator. I think that he never truly understood the old
Sailorman. For me, the old Sailorman wasn't unhappy in life because he could never
leave the water, but rather, he was unhappy for the exact opposite reason ...
almost. The Old Sailorman loved the water from the bottom of his heart.
That's why his soul settled as a dolphin. And a dude like that - you've got to
figure, he loved more than just the water and swimming. He probably loved the water
community as a whole, including all the fishees of the sea. And
it's not very clear, but I interpret it as him being a fisherman. So think about
that. His life's work involved mass killing of creatures whom he probably
admired and loved. I think that's the reason that he was, quote, "never quite
happy till he died and he could be buried at sea." Let me know what you
think in the comment section, but let's keep going. As a child is growing, his or
her demon takes on many forms: birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, insects, and so on.
That is ... if the child has an imagination and if that child finds happiness in a
diverse set of activities and experiences, like running, swimming, or
flying. Or even in terms of a child's desire to be secretive or brazen. Some
children may like to serve at one point and be a leader in another. And different
animals can represent those different paths. But here's the kicker.
The flexibility of changing your dæmon - that can be comforting to a child. On the flipside
the idea of one's dæmon settling as a single animal can be pretty
frightening. Quote, "Why do dæmons have to settle?" Lyra said.
I want Pantalato be able to change forever. So does he.
Ah, they have always settled and they always will. That's part of growing up. There will
come a time when you'll be tired of his changing about and you'll want a
settled kind of form for him. I never will. Oh, you will. You'll want to grow up
like all the girls. Anyway, there's compensations for a settled form. What
are they? Knowing what kind of person you are.
Take old Belisaria. She's a seagull, and that means I'm a kind of seagull, too. I'm not
grand and splendid, nor beautiful. But I'm a tough old thing and I can survive
anywhere and always find a bit of food and company. That's worth knowing that is.
And when your demon settles, you'll know the sort of person you are.
Supposed you don't like the shape you dæmon settles as.
Well, then you're discontented, en't you? Many people would like to have a lion as a
dæmon and they end up with a poodle. Until they learn to be satisfied with what they are
they're gonna be fretful about it. Waste a feeling, that is. But it didn't seem to
Lyra that she would ever grow up. That's an intro into this topic. Dæmons
are your soul and they changed forms until they settle when you come of age.
We've seen a lot of action in book 1 and season 1, but remember ... at it's core, this
is a coming-of-age story for Lyra and for others as well, like will Perry. Not
so much for Roger. But yeah, keep an eye on Pantalaimon. Keep
an eye on the form he takes when he's scared
versus the form he takes when he's feeling emboldened. And the forms he has
when he is sad versus happy. The forms he takes when he needs a certain skill like
flying verse the form he takes when he's most relaxed. Because when Pantalaimon's
feeling safe and happy, or rather, when Lyra is feeling that way, she's able to
be her most true self. And the form Pantalaimon takes in those moments
reflects her true soul, at least at that point-in-time. But remember, children are
going through changes. And Lyra is definitely no exception. So what will
Pantalaimon settle as? That's not the topic of the next video, but be careful if
you watch the next one because we will mention that in the next His Dark
Materials video next week. Until then, catch ya on the flipside.