- "Thorold was an elderly man, but he was healthy and vigorous, and he felt flattered by the attention of this young witch and her beauty, as any man would. He was shrewd, though, too, and he knew the attention was not really on him, but on what he knew; and he was honest, so he did not draw out his telling for much longer than he needed."
- —A description of Thorold's personality[src]
Thorold was the servant of Lord Asriel.[1] His dæmon's name was Anfang and she had the form of a pinscher.[2] During his time as Lord Asriel's servant, he cleaned and cooked and tidied. He was not privy to the importance of his lordship's work, but he occasionally picked up on things by accident. He worked for Lord Asriel for nearly forty years.[3]
Biography[]
Thorold
Thorold was copilot to Lord Asriel when he flew Alice Parslow, Malcolm Polstead and his infant Lyra Belacqua to Jordan College in a gyropter.[4]
Many years later, Lord Asriel was imprisoned by the panserbjørn at Svalbard and Thorold came with him. Asriel was able to acquire a well-furnished house which Thorold took care of. He knew that Lord Asriel needed a child to finish his experiment, so when Lyra showed up on the doorstep, Thorold knew why Lord Asriel was so furious about her arrival. Later that evening, Thorold woke Lyra after witnessing Lord Asriel take her friend Roger Parslow, several instruments and batteries in a sledge and leave. After helping her dress, Thorold stayed behind while Lyra pursued her father.
After the creation of the bridge between this world and another, Thorold was still at the house in Svalbard. He was being attacked by cliff-ghasts when the witch Serafina Pekkala arrived and helped him. She had come seeking answers about Lyra, so Thorold told her what he knew about Lord Asriel's intentions. From his knowledge of his master, Thorold deduced that Lord Asriel was searching for the Authority Himself in order to kill Him.
Thorold told Serafina that he would stay guarding the house until Lord Asriel returned and told him otherwise, or until he died.[3]
Physical description[]
Thorold was an elderly man, long-jawed, grizzly and steady-eyed.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
- In the film, Thorold was played by John Bett.[5]
- In the TV series, Thorold is played by Gary Lewis.[6] This adaptation of the character has a prominent Scottish accent.
Appearances[]
- Northern Lights
- Northern Lights - The Graphic Novel
- The Golden Compass (film)
- The Subtle Knife
- La Belle Sauvage
References[]
- ↑ Northern Lights, Chapter 1
- ↑ Northern Lights, Chapter 21
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Subtle Knife, Chapter 2
- ↑ La Belle Sauvage, Chapter 25
- ↑ IMDb
- ↑ CAM