Explainers

What are Gobblers on His Dark Materials?

What are Gobblers on His Dark Materials?
Children are kidnapped by Gobblers on His Dark Materials. Pic credit: HBO

The premiere episode of His Dark Materials set up the world of the series well but kept almost everything about the plot hidden and mysterious. One item mentioned but never shown was the Gobblers.

On the premiere, children disappeared from around the community, many from the Gyptian community, but also one from the Oxford school of learning where Lyra resides.

The rumors and whispers indicate that the Gobblers have taken the children. While most kids consider this a folk tale, the adults know that the Gobblers are all too real.

What are Gobblers on His Dark Materials?

The only thing that the HBO series reveals that most people believe that it is the Gobblers have kidnapped the children and taken them away.

Spoilers follow from the epic His Dark Materials novel series by Philip Pullman. Points about the plot will not be revealed to allow you to enjoy the HBO series.

While a Gobbler sounds like some kind of monster, the beings in His Dark Materials are a very human sort of monster.

A Gobbler is a nickname to describe the General Oblation Board, which is a religious group that steals children.

This group kidnaps children from everywhere in Brytain, including Cowley, Limehouse, Manchester, Northampton, Norwich, Sheffield, and Stratford.

Without giving too much away, the goal of the General Oblation Board is to figure out if there is a way to stop children from gaining Dust when they become adults.

The premiere hinted at Dust, which was very important to Lord Asriel and as he told the professors, it does not affect children and only comes off adults.

His Dark Materials airs on Mondays on HBO at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

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