Balthamos
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Balthamos is a fictional character in the The Amber Spyglass, volume three of Philip Pullman's fantasy novel series, His Dark Materials.
Balthamos and his lover, Baruch, are both angels in rebellion from the Kingdom of Heaven. They seek to become part of Lord Asriel's army of angels and overthrow Metatron, the acting Regent of The Authority.
Both angels find Will Parry early in The Amber Spyglass (they actually do at the very end of "The Subtle Knife"). Because Will is the bearer of the subtle knife, they hope to bring him to Lord Asriel. However, Will's companion Lyra Belacqua has been kidnapped and Will refuses to go to Asriel until Lyra is found. The angels agree to accompany Will without question until she is found.
This decision proves to be dangerous; both Baruch and Balthamos are aware the Regent is after them, especially now that they are being accompanied by Will. An unfortunate encounter leads to Baruch being fatally wounded. Balthamos and Will are separated from Baruch, who has gone to Lord Asriel in his wounded state. Baruch provides Asriel with all the information he and Balthamos have discovered about Will, Lyra, and the Regent before dying.
Baruch's death is immediately felt by Balthamos as a result of the strong bond of love they shared. Striken with grief, Balthamos promises to aid Will in every way possible to honour Baruch's sacrifice. When Balthamos is unable to do so, he runs away, grieving over Baruch's death and feeling guilty about abandoning Will. The angel does not appear again until the end of the book, when Balthamos confronts an assassin hoping to kill Lyra by tracking Dr Mary Malone.
Of the two angels, Balthamos is the more passive of the pair. He admits that Baruch is the courageous one and whenever Balthamos fails at something important, Baruch is the one to help him fix things.
As angels of low rank, Balthamos and Baruch's abilities are limited. They appear as luminous humanlike forms, which are barely visible to human eyes even at night. The angels also possess the power to transform. They are capable of flight though their wings do not have a corporeal form.
| 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: The Golden Compass |
| Games |
| The Golden Compass |
| Characters |
| Lyra Belacqua and Pantalaimon - 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 - Metatron |
| Other |
| Alethiometer - Dust - Æsahættr - Locations - Dæmons - Panserbjørne |
