Bob's parents.

[Yuillegan]

Jim said we know who's Bob's parents where when asked about whether he was similar to Bonnie etc.

He also said he thought it was obvious.

So assuming Bob is like Bonnie, you need at least one big supernatural parent. But not necessarily a mortal as the other (although I'd bet it is).

Bonnie is a curious mix of Dresden and a shadow of a Fallen Angel. She displays mostly traits that are similar to Maggie, but also the knowledge of her parents is clear (particularly from Lash).

If Bob is somewhere between 600 and a 1000 years old, and we have met his parents, they aren't likely to be mortal...at least anymore. Only one mortal we know of is that old (that is human) - Rashid.

He has a skewed ethical compass, an obsession with sex, an alter ego that is cruel and terrifying, and above all no matter which personality is in charge he ALWAYS resents authority. He is also fairly nerdy.

A fair amount of that can be attributed to Dresden's influence, and perhaps to some degree Butters (and of course Evil Bob can be attributed at least in part to Kemmler). But what was "Bob" like before he met Kemmler? And how much does the current owner change him from his original foundation?

Considering he is a spirit of air, his strange association with Winter and his fear of Mab in particular, not to mention his other traits I would guess that Mab (or at least the being inside the Mab mantle) was his Mother (she is the Queen of Air and Darkness after all), and his father....Vadderung? The OG Merlin is also a possibility, but that would mean we have already met him...

What are your guesses?

[Smaug with OCD]

Jokingly: Well, I guess this confirms the "Harry travels back in time to become Merlin" theory.

Seriously though, I would guess Lea instead of Mab. She's a muse known for driving men insane with boink desires. Would certainly explain where Bob got his... drives. *shivers in fear* No idea on the father... unless Lea's blush and straightening of her dress at the end of Changes was a clue about a past fling she had with Vaderung(and not just her "negotiating quite vigorously" I think were her words?)?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The British Prisoner is probably old enough to be Bob’s dad and we know he isn’t Merlin. The fixation on sex I hadn’t previously considered but fits, especially if his father was the previous Winter Knight, Tam Lin, who escaped the Mantle enraging his Queen. Protective custody.

Knowing the whole Mexican soap opera that is Harry’s life, it is Tam Lin, he is an ancestor of Harry’s (Eb’s Grandfather or great grandfather for symmetry with Harry and Bonea) meaning that Bob is his uncle (by several removes). Frankly this interpretation would require Jim to have set up a 20 book series over several decades just to make this pun. If so my hat is off to him, well done sir. It would also mean Bob and Bonea are related, she is his niece many times removed.

I mean it’s not as if Little Orphan Harry discovers previously unknown relatives willy nilly, well  not except for Thomas, Eb, Maggie and Bonny...... I mean next thing you know he will find his long lost evil identical twin brother. Oh right.

[Yuillegan]

Conspiracy Theorist -

OMG.

You are so right. Butcher COULD NOT resist a good pun like that. Bob's your uncle....heaven's to Betsy I am sure you are right. How did I miss that?

But then I would change my guess to Ebeneezer and Lara. Sex and Wizardry. Would literally make him Harry's uncle. The timing is wrong in terms of Bob's age...but we don't know Harry's full family tree or any time travel stuff. So anything's possible. But you're guess is as good as any.

HA! That's the next book

Smaug  - Lol I hope so. I mean it's almost certain Dresden goes back in time. What I wonder more about is whether he will go forward in time...

Yeah, Leah's a good runner up. But I think there is a WOJ (making my previous assumption wrong) that you need a mortal and a supernatural entity. So it would be Lea AND (insert mortal). Maybe all those Eb and Leah theories are true! I mean, Eb has basically done everything that Harry has done only better and scarier.


OR crazy crack theory...Kemmler is Malcolm's father and ALSO the sire of Bob...with Mab. But that's absurd.

[Avernite]

Gatekeeper seems like a good dad for a spirit of intellect, and he has plenty of interaction with the Fae side for any Lea/Mab guesses. Plus he's technically old enough.

Of the two, I consider Mab more likely to have tragically loved, while Lea seems more all-vicious-Fae-all-the-time. But then her daughter hasn't died on-screen.

And of course, if Bob is Mab's child, would he need to be so afraid? She went out of her way for Maeve... I suppose technically Titania could be thrown in, as Bob is occasionally passionate where Mab emphatically is not.

Ancient Mai is just about the only human female who might somehow be involved, but we barely know her... of course one of the Gards could be the mother pre-ascenscion to Valkyrie-hood, but again, we basically know nothing.

So my guesses to sum up:
Father (human):
The Gatekeeper
The British prisoner (see previous posts) in his real identity, whichever that is.

Mother (supernatural):
Mab
Lea
Titania?

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I believe that some degree of mental interaction by an immortal magic user is required, that would fit Lash, but not Lara. It is interesting that Lash acted exactly as a muse for Harry in playing guitar, allowing him to perfectly pull off a piece of music of his composition.

A muse stimulates creative output in a mortal, and whilst sex is associated with it, Lara in feeding does the opposite, she doesn’t add, she subtracts.

It’s a stretch as regards Tam Lin but his story has been dropped like a breadcrumb in the same book I think as the Prisoner.

[ClintACK]

One thing to keep in mind in thinking about Bob's parents: There's no reason at all to think that gender applies.

The three things needed seem to be:
1) Mortal (soul donor and skull womb)
2) Information pattern/Magical Artificial Intelligence
3) An act of selfless love between 1 and 2.

[Arjan]

One of the parents must have been a spiritual entity without a body with the ability to possess or infect someone. That rules out the gatekeeper and Man because those two would just get a normal changeling child.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

One of the parents must have been a spiritual entity without a body with the ability to possess or infect someone. That rules out the gatekeeper and Man because those two would just get a normal changeling child.

Where do you get this from? On this basis Nemesis could be Bob’s parent.

[Arjan]

Where do you get this from? On this basis Nemesis could be Bob’s parent.

On how Bonnie originated. Bob has a similar origin.

[BrainFireBob]

Bob could derive from a shadow- either Lash or Lasciel vould be considered Bonea's mother.

I'm playing with Lea and MacAnally. Lea being able to insert a "shadow" as part of her particular MO fits. Mac being so loquacious with Harry- for Mac- fits being a godfather. Lea also would then have forged a connection to Harry's via Bob, and Bob very well could spy for his mama on the side- on Kemmler, on Justin, on Harry.

[morriswalters]

Bonea. 

Bonea could have split off some part of herself, assuming that she can do what Bob did. And it is the only time we have seen a spirit of air reproduce. And ultimately that makes his parents or maybe grandparents, Lash and Harry.  Of course that would involve time travel. And that would never happen.

[Arjan]

Where do you get this from? On this basis Nemesis could be Bob’s parent.

You can view the denarian shadow as an infection. You literally get a spiritual infection when you touch that coin.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

If you view an infection as an act of love, please get yourself checked for STD’s.

Bonea exists only because Harry changed Lash, and in changing she grew to love Harry, and yes, Harry grew to love her back. That is why I think a purely spiritual entity is not capable of being a parent, remember Kash whilst a shadow was writ from Harry’s flesh. I doubt anyone, especially not Lash thought this was even possible, living proof a Fallen can be corrupted by love.

That is why someone like the Leanansidhe is a very likely candidate,  both physical and spiritual, she gets into her partners minds and they love her, in return they have an increase in their creativity and the child is born of that act of love and creation. Bob likely has multiple half siblings. Lea has a real history of this.

Bonea is likely going to be more powerful than Bob, she has the knowledge of a Fallen Angel, Bob merely has the knowledge of a powerful Fae, although he has supplemented this with subsequently gained knowledge including that on the internet (although 90% is porn) levelling him up. For Bob and Bonea knowledge is power. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bob has absorbed Wikipedia, online thesis and research papers etc due to Butters. He may have an understanding of science equal to that of magic by now, and understand how they interrelate.

[Arjan]

If you view an infection as an act of love, please get yourself checked for STD’s.

That is how it ended, not how it started. The entity that invaded Harry when he touched the coin, entered his spiritual self and brought temptations of power was not benign. It tried to damn Harry.

It was a form of demonic influence. Now we see illness often as some form of infection. In the past illness was often seen as demonic possession that must be driven out.

Bonea exists only because Harry changed Lash, and in changing she grew to love Harry, and yes, Harry grew to love her back. That is why I think a purely spiritual entity is not capable of being a parent,

But lash was a spiritual entity. It entered as a spiritual entity, a small part of Lasciel which is a spiritual entity as well. That coin is not really her body.

remember Kash whilst a shadow was writ from Harry’s flesh. I doubt anyone, especially not Lash thought this was even possible, living proof a Fallen can be corrupted by love.

Only her shadow. Which basically is a small spirit. It had some expression on Harry's body.

That is why someone like the Leanansidhe is a very likely candidate, 

You mean leaving shadows in other people. Why would she do so? she does not need a host and can get real children the traditional way.

both physical and spiritual, she gets into her partners minds and they love her, in return they have an increase in their creativity and the child is born of that act of love and creation. Bob likely has multiple half siblings. Lea has a real history of this.

But Lea does not love them. Lasciel lost a significant part of her power and Lea would not willingly do so and certainly not many times.