Into this wild abyss,
The womb of nature and perhaps her grave,
Of neither sea, not shore, nor air, nor fire,
But all these in their pregnant causes mixed
Confusedly, and which thus must ever fight,
Unless the almighty maker them ordain,
His dark materials to create more worlds,
Into this wild abyss the wary fiend
Stood on the brink of hell and looked a while,
Pondering his voyage...
-- John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II

Lyra and her daemon moved through the darkening hall, taking care to keep to one side, out of sight of the kitchen.

We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not...or die of despair.

So Lyra and her daemon turned away from the world they were born in and looked toward the sun, and walked into the sky.

'The Golden Compass' was originally published in Britain, Australia and elsewhere as 'Northern Lights'