Dæmonic Size Proportions - In Relation

[Paxyn]

I am wondering what exactly is the maximum size a dæmon can take on, and if that proportion is in relation to the emotion in question for unsettled dæmons, or for those who've settled, the human's personality, or the human's size.

It has been mentioned in some instances that Pantalaimon takes on a number of large sized animals, as such one a dragon which was at the time only waist-high to Lyra, he could take the form of various large cats which are considerably bigger, and once he took the form of a bear.

So my proposition is this; Theoretically, someone's dæmon could settle as an elephant with this logic. Is there any known limit? I know that insects and other small creatures are most certainly attainable, but what of mythical beasts? I am wondering if anyone's dæmon has settled as a great dragon. Doubtless, then, someone's dæmon could settle in a shape much larger than themselves, with the ability to ride upon.
Such as Pindar. :3

Perhaps there is a certain maximum calculable by a mathematical formula, such as human's height and weight multiplied by 'x.'

In meta-universe thinking, it would make sense to have a certain limit as to the size a dæmon can take; Else it would be too easy for children going through a temper tantrum to cause serious damage by, I don't know, little Mikava changing into a silverback gorilla and smashing the house apart because Bobby didn't get his diaper changed in time.
Or alternately, is an unsettled dæmon's maximum size dictated by age?

All of this said, is there a minimum size that can be settled into? A bacteria dæmon would not last long.

Discuss.

[latency]

This issue has popped up a couple of times, and the general consensus has been that yes, dæmons can take on large forms, but due to practicality it's unlikely that they would settle that way.

Unsettled dæmons have been seen in large forms, but all settled dæmons have been no larger than what is realistically possible to live with.

Some forms certainly just wouldn't happen, such as bacteria, since bacteria and similar organisms are off the bottom of our visible world. You couldn't have a talking ameba. It's got one cell. That's not enough to any stretch of the imagination.
Personally I think insects are pushing it, but they're at least on the macroscopic plane.

The metaphysics of real life dæmons is always tricky, but I think it would be as you'd imagine.
Like the child's tantrum, a dæmon's size is probably still limited by what the child can envisage, but just as children with various disorders are capable of violent trends, doubtless that a parent's dæmon might have to exercise control.
Personally I'd think that a dæmon's strength and size is still, to an extent, limited by the child themselves, just as a parent can over-power an unruly child through physical or social dominance, as would the parent's dæmon.

[lyra_goldenmouth]

Dæmon can be quite large and also quite tiny i think

[chaza4991]

Do deamons grow? Can they be like really small when you are a baby but as you grow up bigger? Do they grow like you?

[latency]

Probably in the same way the animal itself would grow perhaps.

[chaza4991]

yes what i thought

[subtle_sword]

i think it would depend on the persons mental strength.....or something like that

[chaza4991]

maybe

[Etak Tarnagona]

I expect there is a restriction in what the child can envision. I've always liked the idea that a baby's Dæmon is just a blob at first, but as they grow, the Dæmon starts taking on animal forms. So little three-year-old Bobby's Dæmon wouldn't change into a silverback gorilla because little Bobby wouldn't be able to imagine such an animal well enough for his Dæmon to take the form.

I don't think settled forms would have any restrictions because a settled form is based on the human's personality. If you have an elephant personality, you'd have an elephant Dæmon, same as how some sailors ended up with sea creature Dæmon, and thus had to always live near water.

Mythical creatures are another question entirely. And that is, can someone settle as something that is not a naturally occuring animal? Quite aside from any size restriction, it's a question whether someone could settle as a dragon, say, because dragons, unlike dogs and cats and things, aren't real. (Unless, unbeknownst to us, Lyra's world has dragons)

[KenBrasai]

I think there is a size limit. As I'm pretty "scientific based", I think Dæmon are physical and they must have a "body" mass. Small Dæmon are therefore more dense than big Dæmon, and they may be as small as a beetle or as large as a horse (I actually never saw any Dæmon bigger than a horse in HDM; in the first book Pantalaimon became a dragon as big as a deer hound, but dragons are much bigger than that).

[Cheater]

From the books it sounds like its age based.
The dæmons are the size the the animal at their human's age (scaled of course, e.g. dog years).

There are no examples of dæmons changing size within the same shape, only changing shapes.
And kids dæmons have never been a full size animal, while adults dæmons are fully grown.

[my_twisted_fairytale]

So little three-year-old Bobby's Dæmon wouldn't change into a silverback gorilla because little Bobby wouldn't be able to imagine such an animal well enough for his Dæmon to take the form.

I recently read Once Upon a Time in the North, and there was a little bit in that that makes me think that the human not having any knowledge or imagination of a certain animal doesn't mean the dæmon can't take that form. I won't say what bit it was in the book because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet (it's not even a big part, but I don't want to reveal anything )