Explainers

Who is Iorek Byrnison on His Dark Materials: What you need to know about the Armored Bear voiced by Joe Tandberg

Who is Iorek Byrnison on His Dark Materials
Lyra and Iorek Byrnison on His Dark Materials: Pic credit: Alex Bailey/HBO

The Gyptians and Lyra escaped Brytain and set out for the North to find the kidnapped children this week on His Dark Materials on HBO. While there, they met two new allies in their upcoming war with the Gobblers.

The group realized they could bring in a very valuable ally in an Armored Bear named Iorek Byrnison and his friend, the aeronaut Lee Scoresby. By the end, both the bear and the aeronaut join Lyra in the search for the missing children.

Here is everything you need to know about Iorek Byrnison on His Dark Materials.

Who is Iorek Byrnison on His Dark Materials?

Iorek Byrnison is an Armored Bear from the world of His Dark Materials. In this world, the Armored Bears (also known as the panserbjørne) are polar-like bears with human levels of intelligence and opposable thumbs.

Unlike humans in this world, the Armored Bears have no dæmons. Instead, they consider their souls to be inside their armors, which they craft themselves from meteoric iron.

When Lyra meets Iorek Byrnison, he does not have his armor. He also admits that he has done things that shame him.

While not yet mentioned on His Dark Materials on HBO, in the books, Iorek Byrnison was the king of the Armored Bears in Svalbard but was exiled after he killed another bear in a fight.

By the time Lyra and the Gyptians meet him, Iorek Byrnison is not only shamed but stripped of his armor. He was tricked by the villagers into getting drunk and when he destroyed things while intoxicated, he received a blood pact he had to pay off by working for the village.

When he learned he was tricked, Iorek Byrnison escaped and regained his armor before departing with Lyra.

Joe Tandberg voices Iorek Byrnison on His Dark Materials on HBO. Tandberg mostly worked in video games, voicing characters in Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series and Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers.

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

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