A Guide to the Alethiometer

The alethiometer first appears in the novel The Golden Compass (entitled Northern Lights in the UK) when it is given to the main character, a young girl named Lyra Belacqua by the Master of Jordan College.

The device most resembles a clock or a compass. It has a brass casing and a crystal face. There are three short hands which can be directed to a combination of 36 symbols painted on the face and a fourth longer hand made from a dullish metal which moves of it's own accord.

The art of alethiometry is extremely difficult to master and it takes years of study to combine the skill of both asking the right question and reading the correct answer from the results given by the instrument.

First of all, the user must direct the three smaller arrows to several symbols that represent the question that they wish to ask. Then they must find the meaning of each symbol on a mental 'ladder' visualized in their own mind and link these together whilst observing the movement of the longer hand.

It's the behaviour of the longer hand which answers the question. The user must assess the frequency and order in which the needle rests on a series of symbols, whilst holding the initial question in their mind. The correct reading of this activity allows the user to know the truth and divine the answer.

The device only reveals the answer to a particular query once so the inquirer needs to be particularly quick-witted, well-trained or gifted in order to use the device successfully.

The first alethiometer was constructed by Pavel Khunrath in Prague during the reign of Rudolf II. He was experimenting with astrological and alchemical theories when he discovered that he could create a 'truth' compass by forming an alloy of two rare metals.

When the needle was held over a the symbols on a celestial map, Khunrath found that he could influence the way it moved by posing questions in his mind. Over time, he added more symbols and created a framework of readings. Soon, he realised that these readings existed independently of his investigations and were in fact part of a bigger pattern.

The experiments came to a tragic end when Khunrath, accused of dabbing in the occult by the new Emperor Frederick in 1612, was burned at the stake. However, the instrument and the book of meanings survived. Other scholars began to develop the art over time and a further five more alethiometers were constructed. One of which came to be in Lyra's possession.