The Authority (His Dark Materials)
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In Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, The Authority is the equivalent of God.
The Authority was the first angel to come into existence, who (according to the angel Xaphania) seized power and claimed to be the creator of the multiverse. He was formed from the substance known as Dust, just like the other angels, but he used his cunning to convince them that he had created them and the worlds.
He rules his various churches and organisations from the Clouded Mountain, a city believed by many in that universe to be Heaven. As he grows older and weaker, the Mountain becomes more and more obscured by cloud.
In his old age, The Authority appoints the tyrannical angel Metatron to act as regent of the Kingdom of Heaven. Metatron grows more powerful than his master. The two are opposed by Lord Asriel, who allies with "fallen" angels such as Xaphania in an attempt to overthrow the divine monarchy and replace it with a Republic of Heaven. However, the Authority has grown weak and senile with age, and has given all of his power to Metatron. During the final battle, the Authority is carried away from the Clouded Mountain on the orders of Metatron. He is imprisoned in a crystal box, which keeps him alive but trapped. Lyra and Will free him with the subtle knife, not knowing he is too weak to survive outside his box, upon which he drifts apart and dies in a moment of happiness and peace. However, the 'death' of the Authority can be seen in two ways. The first is that he is dead, and thus doesn't exist anymore, but the other way is that he becomes part of everything and (like dæmons and the ghosts in The Amber Spyglass) lives forever in all things that exist.
[edit] Film Adaptations
The producers have stated that they will tone down this character for the films, in order to avoid offending religious groups.
| Part of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series |
|---|
| Books |
| Northern Lights/The Golden Compass - The Subtle Knife - The Amber Spyglass Lyra's Oxford - The Book of Dust |
| Films |
| His Dark Materials: Northern Lights |
| Characters |
| Lyra Belacqua - Will Parry - Lord Asriel - Marisa Coulter - Iorek Byrnison - John Faa - Farder Coram - Serafina Pekkala - Lee Scoresby - Iofur Raknison - The Authority - Balthamos - Baruch - Mary Malone - Xaphania - Roger Parslow |
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