Golden Monkey, The

From Srafopedia

Golden Monkey
Species: Dæmon Human: Mrs. Coulter Gender: Male

The Golden Monkey is Mrs. Coulter's dæmon. He is most notable for his vicious nature, likely reflecting that aspect of MrsCoulter's own personality.

In His Dark Materials the golden monkey is unnamed, however, in a later radio adaptation, he is given the name Ozymandias.

Trivia

• In response to a fan question in the 2001 Readerville interview, Pullman answered in defense of the unnamed golden monkey: "The golden monkey doesn't have a name because every time I tried to think of one, he snarled and frightened me. What's more he hardly speaks either"

[ TGC/NL, Chapter 3/4]

Ozymandias

He is only called by this name in the 2003 BBC Radio 4 dramatisation, there is no evidence that Philip Pullman considers this the dæmon's offical name.

Trivia

• The name "Ozymandias" was taken from a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelly:

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!”