His Dark Materials fans convinced Mrs Coulter is a witch as Lyra learns eerie truth about Serafina Pekkela’s daemon
HIS Dark Materials introduced two new fantastical elements in its latest episode – armoured bears and witches.
The BBC and HBO drama saw Lyra bolster the ranks of the Gyptians with new allies on Sunday night, uniting against the sinister General Oblation Board.
After helping fearsome polar bear Iorek Byrnison find his armour, Lyra convinced him to join her on her quest to travel north and rescue the legions of children who had been kidnapped for sick experiments about the function of dust.
Next she spoke to Kaiser, the bird daemon of famous witch Serafina Pekkala, who paid Lyra a visit to let her know that that she could rely on the support of Serafina and the witches loyal to her.
Lyra was stunned to discover that Kaisa and Serafina could separate over long distances, something impossible for humans.
Farder Coram confirmed that this was a normal part of witch physiology, with many witches sending their daemons off to act as scouts or messengers.
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Lyra previously noted that stepping too far away from Pan resulted in agony.
What’s more, she was stunned during her stay with when she discovered that the pair could traverse significant distances apart from one another.
It didn’t take long for viewers to connect the two encounters, speculating that Mrs Coulter could well be a witch herself, given her uncanny abilities.
“Call it a stretch, but if witches can separate from their dæmons, does that make Mrs Coulter a witch?” one asked on Twitter.
“Wait... if witches can send their daemons from them does that mean... IS MRS COULTER A WITCH?” a second exclaimed.
Others chipped in with theories that Mrs Coulter could be half witch and half human.
We know this is possible, as Farder Coram confessed to Lyra that he had a son with Serafina, although he sadly passed away young.
Could Mrs Coulter’s uneasy relationship with The Magisterium be in part due to her magical origins?
Given how closely she keeps her cards to her chest, we doubt viewers will find out anytime soon.
His Dark Materials airs Sunday on BBC One at 8pm and is available to stream on iPlayer.