Harry the Destroyer

[g33k]

I think most of us have read the Journal microfiction by now.

If not, do so, it's good!  And it casts a HUGE new alternate perspective about past things (Morgan POV, written just before the beginning of Turn Coat), but not at all spoiler-y, because "past."  Admittedly, evocative of future revelations... but not spoiler-y, just evocative.

Anyhow...

In that piece, Morgan writes that he's worried Harry may be a "Destroyer," but we don't have much/any detail of what THAT is...

Some have speculated that it's a sort of the darkside outcome of a Starborn, a "Sith" to the "Jedi" of a Starborn.

But I'm thinking more-mythical... I think maybe Harry is ALREADY a Destroyer.  Just not powerful enough, yet.  He's operating on a heroic scale, and needs a few more novels' power-up to hit the superheroic, the mythic scale.

Everyone who knows Harry talks about his propensity to  F**K  S**T Up.

Butters calls him a "human wrecking ball."  Marcone talks about how much more Harry makes him pay for his insurance.  Thomas mentions the "patented Dresden anarchygasm."  Murphy began observing he caused fires, and later noticed all manner of destruction in Harry's wake.

I assert that Harry *IS* a Destroyer.

The thing is -- MOST of the F'ing up happens to the Bad Guys, and generally when Harry's done F'ing S**T Up... the state of things are better.

But, of course, there's inevitably some collateral damage.  Often quite a lot of it!  Enough general mayhem that maybe Donald Morgan and other rigid-minded sorts see mostly the risks, and don't find the rewards reliable enough to be worth it; so Harry the Destroyer looks like a bad option to them.


But that whole "F**K S**T Up to Make Things Better" schtick?

That is pretty much Shiva-the-Destroyer territory.  Say it with me kids:  Shiva the Destroyer.

And then there's this WOJ -- https://wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-on-future-df-works/

... more Hindu stuff.  Hindu Mythos is full and rich and confusing ...

Harry as a Shiva-esque Destroyer?  Oh, yeah...

[Avernite]

Much as Shiva is an obvious option, Abaddon (the Destroyer) is also part of the Book of Revelation.

And...

A king, the angel of the bottomless pit; whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek Apollyon; in Latin Exterminans

Apart from the angelic-ness, Harry does rule over a pit with somewhat unsavoury inhabitants.

[Yuillegan]

g33k - That's a really interesting take. Indeed in nature destruction is just as important as creation. The early people of the world really understood that. They needed someone to fight the Demons. But they also needed someone to unmake the world so new growth, healthier growth could emerge. The basic concept of surgery, cut out the bad bits to save the rest.

So if Dresden were a Destroyer in a more mythic sense, does that mean he has a sort-of underlying reality-warping power (similar to what Foo Dogs have  - Zoo Day gives a good description of this). That would make him a pretty terrifying weapon on its own. But if it got powered up to a greater level, the Mythic level as you put it, would that mean that would be how the end of the world starts and the planet pulls through based on whether Harry chooses to save the world or not? Very Anti-Christ stuff to me, actually. Could also be the "Beast" of revelation too.

Avernite - Abaddon is an interesting choice. Sometimes considered another name for the Devil, sometimes simply the name of the bottomless pit (see Abyss). In Hebrew, the Angel of Death. Also called King of the Locusts. Also occasionally thought to work for God, and in some cases even considered another name for Jesus!