Who are the characters in The Golden Compass?

Lyra Belacqua is the novel's main protagonist.  She is an 11 year old girl.  She is incredibly brave and curious.  

Pantalaimon is Lyra's daemon.  He is a shape shifter, but he will eventually choose a final form.  In the story, a daemon more or less is a physical representation of a character's soul.  

Lord Asriel:  He's one of the bad guys.  Oh, he is Lyra's father too, but she doesn't know that at first.  That makes him Lord Vader and Lyra young Skywalker.  

Mrs. Coulter: Lyra's mom.  She's also evil and has a golden monkey for a daemon. 

Iorek Byrnison: He's a big armored bear.  He and Lyra work closely together as the novel progresses.  

Lee Scoresby: His profession is "aeronaut," meaning he flies hot air balloons.  He's also a friend of Iorek's.  Pullman paints him as a caricature of an old west cowboy. 

"I'm a simple aeronaut, and I'd like to end my days in comfort. Buy a little farm, a few head of cattle, some horses... Nothing grand, you notice. No palace or slaves or heaps of gold. Just the evening wind over the sage, and a ceegar, and a glass of bourbon whisky." 

Serafina Pekkal: Queen of the witch clan. She's really old, but looks young. She was in love with Farder Coram.

Farder Coram: He's a "gyptian" elder.  He's very smart, and other characters revere his wisdom.  

John Faa: Leader of the gyptians. 

Other characters are Roger, Ma Costa, and Iofur Raknison.