daemons questionnaire

[moyeongsu]

I think daemons don't go to the land of the dead because that's where the mind goes to rest after life. The Creator turned it into a horrible place, but it might have been something better given a different turn of events. daemons don't have minds because they are souls and that's different in some way. They break away into Dust and join the rest of the universe automatically whereas the ghosts have to make a choice to leave the land of the dead.

[AK and Kouroh]

1) What is a dæmon in your opinion?
In my opinion, dæmons are in a way our souls, but in a more abstract way, they represent our sentience and self-awareness. They are what separates us from animals.

2) Why do you think children's daemons change and adults don't?
Children still have malleable personalities. They tend to be a bit fickle(such as when they want to be a doctor one week and a fireman the next), and they're still trying different ways of reacting to things. They do have a set of reactions and traits, but that narrows over time and 'settles' into a more solid and predictable personality. In my opinion, that is when a dæmon settles-- when the personality solidifies into the general set of reactions, traits, etc. that the person will have for their life as an adult.

3) Why do you think the bears do not have daemons?
I think the bears are just less self-aware than are humans. They have different concerns and simpler lives. But I wouldn't say that they have no souls whateover, either. Their minds just work differently, I think.

4) Do you think that people have a choice on the shape the daemons take when they’re adults?
Not really. I mean, as stated in the books, some people want grandiose dæmons like lions. They like to style themselves as a well-known, intimidating, flashy person. However, their actual self as they are and as they're percieved by others might be something very different. They might actually be seen as cute, pampered and fluffy, not the sort of person they'd want to be at all. Therefore, they might be very unhappy with their settled form. I don't, however, think that an arachnophobe would settle as a spider unless they had some sort of mental condition; it would be pretty bad to feel terrified of your own dæmon and by proxy of yourself.

5) Does it matter what shape your dæmon takes?
Yes. A dæmon's form represents your personality in totality, from what you're like inside to how people see you. And in a world where they're corporeal, like Lyra's world, dæmon forms are the first impression that you make upon people. So... yeah, form can be pretty important, though I'd say a person's relationship with their dæmon is more important.

6) How much control do people have over their dæmon's behaviour?
There's some based merely on the fact that a person and their dæmon are one being. However, I don't think a dæmon would always agree with their human, or always do what their human wants. Sometimes I think they might even be unable to resist showing the human's emotions, depending on the pair and their overall emotional control, but that would be a personality trait that would be more deeply rooted-- kind of like how some people can't help but blush when embarrassed. And even in HDM, dæmons don't always go along with their human's wishes. Pan pulling Lyra to talk to Iorek in TGC comes to mind, for example. I do think, however, that the fact that they are indeed one being means that there probably won't be too high a degree of disagreement, and therefore, not too high a degree of dæmons doing things completely against what their human wants.

7) How much influence does your dæmon have over you?
See above. If dæmons had complete control over people, Lyra wouldn't have snuck into the Retiring Room and I'd get a heck of a lot more homework done on time. However, as said, a high level of disagreement isn't that likely.

8 ) What does having a golden monkey for a dæmon say about Mrs. Coulter?
She is sleek, beautiful at first glance, malicious behind the shining exterior, and somewhat sinister. Monkeys tend to be seen as tricksters in folklore, for example, so... there's that element as well. Also, the term "to monkey around" with something means to fiddle with it and probe into it, so the form could represent her intense, probing curiosity into Dust, dæmons, and the children.

I'm 18, by the way.

[bharned1]

Here's what I think
1.daemons are technically peoples souls, but they are also represent people personalities.
2.Children's daemons change because they (the children) change themselves. Children aren't settled, they're always looking into new things and trying out new ways of life.
3.Bears don't have daemons, not because they aren't less aware, but because daemons don't really pertain to them. Iorek said to Lyra, before they found Tony Markarios, that bears have different values and think differently than humans do.
4.People don't have a choice directly, but they do have a choice in what kind of person they are, which in turn affects the kind of daemon.
5.It matters because a daemon is who you are.
6.This one is hard. I think that usually a a human has influence over their daemon, but the daemon can step in. Pantalaimon does this, pulling Lyra back to Iorek when she first meets him.
7.daemons are part of you, but perhaps also a consience. Pantalaimon affects Lyra several times, having a vast affect on how her story plays out.
8.The golden monkey is deceptive, like Ms. Coulter. He decieves people through his appearence, but like Ms. Coulter, he has the capacity for unspeakable malice. Real monkeys are like this. The cute chimpanzees seen on Animal Planet attack and wipe out other kinds of animals. The golden monkey is just that.

[shady]

1.Dæmon is a part of us
2.They change because children become aware of the world that is surrounding them
3.Bears do have dæmons,it is their armor
4.No,coz whatever they want them to become,it depends on what they are
5.It matters,people could then see what person i am
6.depending on the character
7.Golden Monkey is an extension of her,the way she is beautifull and innocent,the other way he is evil and greedy.

[monster8532]

1) I believe that dæmons are a part of our soul like almost everyone else does, except that I believe its the part that we rarely show, the part that we keep hidden deep inside of ourselves. John Parry says it himself: "Can you imagine my astonishment, in turn, at learning that part of my own nature was female, and bird formed, and beautiful."
But I also believe that its what we call our consciousness instead of hearing that little voice inside your head that tells you something is wrong or right, they have their dæmons to guide them

2) I think that childrens dæmons change because children change. They could like something one day and then hate it the next. But as we grow we form our own personalities that rarely change and that is when the dæmon's "set"

3) Bears don't have dæmons because they don't have as much self-awareness as humans Iorek actually says: "But before that first armored bear, there were no others. We know of nothing before that. That was when custom began. We know our customs, and they are firm and solid and we follow them without change. Bear nature is weak without custom, as bear flesh is weak with out armor."
So bears dont have dæmons because they dont have any inner voice or even much personality they just follow what the bears before them did.

4) I don't think that adults have much choice in what form their dæmons set in, but since dæmons reflect their humans personality. I doubt anyone would have a problem with their dæmons shape.

5) I dont think it really matters at all what shape a dæmon is. I remember at one point in TGC it says that most servants have dog dæmons, but I believe that's just because a servant would most likely have an obedient and docile nature.

6) This one I honestly cant cant answer. But since dæmons and their humans are one of mind wouldn't most decisions be mutual and therefore there would be no need to control your dæmon

7) This question was a lot like 6 but I'll try to answer it differently. A persons dæmon is their closest companion their lives are linked to their human. Even marriage doesn't exceed that bond, your wife/husband cant feel exactly what you feel or share in your pain or joy. So wouldn't you allow such a close companion to influence you a little bit.



Hopefully you find my answer somewhat helpful

[Garfed]

Just think of what ... Question 3) Why do not you think the bear daemon, I was thinking ... Iorek tells Lyra of the bears can not be deceived, as long as they act like a man. Perhaps it is nothing with this ....