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{{Species infobox
[[File:Iorek_Face.jpg|thumb|Iorek Byrnison, king of the panserbjørne.]]{{Quote|When bears act like people, perhaps they can be tricked. When bears act like bears, perhaps they can't. No bear would normally drink spirits. Iorek Byrnison drank to forget the shame of exile, and it was only that which let the Trollesund people trick him.|[[Serafina Pekkala]]|Northern Lights}}
 
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|title=
The '''panserbjørn''' (pl. panserbjørne), also known as the '''armoured bear''', was a species of sapient polar bear. Panserbjørne were sentient and capable of speaking human languages. They were exceptionally difficult to deceive.
 
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|image=Iorek Face.jpg
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|caption=Iorek Byrnison, king of the panserbjørne
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|alias=*Armoured bear
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|world=[[Lyra's world]]
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|location=[[Svalbard]]
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|affiliation=
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|enemies=
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}}
 
{{Quote|When bears act like people, perhaps they can be tricked. When bears act like bears, perhaps they can't. No bear would normally drink spirits. [[Iorek Byrnison]] drank to forget the shame of exile, and it was only that which let the [[Trollesund]] people trick him.|[[Serafina Pekkala]]|Northern Lights}}
 
The '''panserbjørn''' (pl. panserbjørne), also known as the '''armoured bear''', was a species of sapient polar bear. Panserbjørne were sentient and capable of speaking [[human]] languages. They were exceptionally difficult to deceive.
   
 
==Physical traits==
 
==Physical traits==
The panserbjørn was similar to the polar bear in appearance. However, the panserbjørn had opposable thumbs and was very dexterous, capable of skilled metalworking. Their paws were covered in horny skin an inch or more thick, each claw was as long as a child's hand, and as sharp as a knife.<ref name="NL13">{{ref|book|1|13}}</ref>
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The panserbjørn was similar to the polar bear in appearance. However, the panserbjørn had opposable thumbs and was very dexterous, capable of skilled metalworking. Their paws were covered in horny skin an inch or more thick, each claw was as long as a child's hand, and as sharp as a knife.<ref name="NL13">{{ref|book|1|13}}</ref> They had notably small, black eyes.<ref name="OTN">{{Ref|book|5}}</ref>
   
 
==Armour==
 
==Armour==
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[[File:Armour.jpg|thumb|An example of Panserbjørn armour|right|150px]]
Panserbjørne fashioned their own armour from [[Sky-iron]]. As they matured, they forged the pieces one by one. By the time they were adults, they had a complete suit.<ref name="OTN">{{ref|book|5}}</ref> Panserbjørne considered their armour to be their [[soul]].<ref name="NL11">{{ref|book|1|11}}</ref>
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Panserbjørne fashioned [[Panserbjørn armour|their own armour]] from [[sky-iron]]. As they matured, they forged the pieces one by one. By the time they were adults, they had a complete suit.<ref name="OTN">{{ref|book|5}}</ref> Panserbjørne considered their armour to be their [[soul]].<ref name="NL11">{{ref|book|1|11}}</ref>
   
 
==Society==
 
==Society==
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When the inter-dimensional rift created by [[Lord Asriel]] changed the climate of Svalbard, Iorek Byrnison led the panserbjørne to the Himalayas. They soon realised, however, that the ecosystem of the mountains was unable to support them.
 
When the inter-dimensional rift created by [[Lord Asriel]] changed the climate of Svalbard, Iorek Byrnison led the panserbjørne to the Himalayas. They soon realised, however, that the ecosystem of the mountains was unable to support them.
   
==Notable Panserbjørne==
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==Notable panserbjørne==
Some important known Panserbjørne were:
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Some important known panserbjørne were:
 
*Iorek Byrnison
 
*Iorek Byrnison
 
*[[Søren Eisarson]]
 
*[[Søren Eisarson]]
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*''[[The Amber Spyglass]]''
 
*''[[The Amber Spyglass]]''
 
*''[[Once Upon a Time in the North]]''
 
*''[[Once Upon a Time in the North]]''
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*''[[Peril of the Pole]]''
   
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==References==
==Notes and references==
 
 
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Reflist}}
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{{Panserbjørne navbox}}
{{Races and Species}}
 
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{{Species navbox}}
 
[[pt-br:Panserbjornes]]
 
[[pt-br:Panserbjornes]]
 
[[it:Panserbjørne]]
 
[[it:Panserbjørne]]
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[[de:Die Panzerbären]]
 
[[de:Die Panzerbären]]
 
[[ru:Панцербьёрн]]
 
[[ru:Панцербьёрн]]
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[[es:Panserbjørn]]
 
[[Category:Species]]
 
[[Category:Species]]
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[[Category:Panserbjørne| ]]

Revision as of 00:24, 22 August 2019

"When bears act like people, perhaps they can be tricked. When bears act like bears, perhaps they can't. No bear would normally drink spirits. Iorek Byrnison drank to forget the shame of exile, and it was only that which let the Trollesund people trick him."
Serafina Pekkala[src]

The panserbjørn (pl. panserbjørne), also known as the armoured bear, was a species of sapient polar bear. Panserbjørne were sentient and capable of speaking human languages. They were exceptionally difficult to deceive.

Physical traits

The panserbjørn was similar to the polar bear in appearance. However, the panserbjørn had opposable thumbs and was very dexterous, capable of skilled metalworking. Their paws were covered in horny skin an inch or more thick, each claw was as long as a child's hand, and as sharp as a knife.[1] They had notably small, black eyes.[2]

Armour

Armour

An example of Panserbjørn armour

Panserbjørne fashioned their own armour from sky-iron. As they matured, they forged the pieces one by one. By the time they were adults, they had a complete suit.[2] Panserbjørne considered their armour to be their soul.[3]

Society

Panserbjørne were generally solitary creatures, but they had a loose society on the island of Svalbard. They were governed by a king who was usually determined by bloodline, but could be elected by combat.

Under the reign of Iofur Raknison, panserbjørn society became more human-like. He built a palace and had plans for a university on the island of Svalbard. Acting like a human made Iofur less able to perceive deception and so he was defeated by Iorek Byrnison who restored panserbjørn culture to its previous, more primitive state.

When the inter-dimensional rift created by Lord Asriel changed the climate of Svalbard, Iorek Byrnison led the panserbjørne to the Himalayas. They soon realised, however, that the ecosystem of the mountains was unable to support them.

Notable panserbjørne

Some important known panserbjørne were:

Etymology

Panserbjørn is Norwegian and Danish for armoured bear. "Bjørn" is cognate with Old English "beorn", which also means bear.

Behind the scenes

  • Early UK editions of the novels had Panserbørne instead of Panserbjørne. This was clearly a mistake as "panserbjørn" translated easily into Norwegian and Danish as "armoured bear" while "panzerbørne" is a grammatically incorrect way of saying "armoured children" in Danish.

Appearances

References

  1. Northern Lights, Chapter 13
  2. 2.0 2.1 Once Upon a Time in the North Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "OTN" defined multiple times with different content
  3. Northern Lights, Chapter 11
Panserbjørne
Panserbjørne Hjalmur HjalmursonIofur RaknisonIofur Raknison's fatherIorek ByrnisonRagnar LokissonSøren Eisarson
Important Panserbjørn armourSky-ironSvalbard
Species
Humanoid AngelsDæmonsDeathsGallivespiansGhostsHumansMermaidsWitchesZombi
Other Cliff-ghastsHarpiesMulefaNight-ghastsPanserbjørneSpectresWill-o’-the-wykes