A Curious Speculation From Cold Days

[aon_fian]

So, I've been doing my read throughs again and i have come up with the idea that "THE BLACK STAFF" is in all actuality Mother Winter's walking stick.

[Dina]

Excellent! Now, what is Cold Front?

[g33k]

So, I've been doing my read throughs again and i have come up with the idea that "THE BLACK STAFF" is in all actuality Mother Winter's walking stick.

This is not the first time the suggestion has arisen.
It's a very popular theory among some.

I am semi-expecting Mother Winter to order the Winter Knight, "fetch me my walking-stick, boy!"

[Con]

So, I've been doing my read throughs again and i have come up with the idea that "THE BLACK STAFF" is in all actuality Mother Winter's walking stick.

Yeah that's the general theory consensus. Most of the fandom agrees that it probably is.

[Fcrate]

I thought it was confirmed in peace talks.

This is not the first time the suggestion has arisen.
It's a very popular theory among some.

I am semi-expecting Mother Winter to order the Winter Knight, "fetch me my walking-stick, boy!"

Haha. That'd be something to see. But I don't think it was stolen anyway.

[g33k]

...
I am semi-expecting Mother Winter to order the Winter Knight, "fetch me my walking-stick, boy!"

I thought it was confirmed in peace talks.

Was it?  I recall some hints that way, IIRC, but no positive confirmation.  I think there was an older WoJ where he was asked directly, and answers with something to the effect of, "I love it when the fans figure things out from the clues."

... Haha. That'd be something to see. But I don't think it was stolen anyway.

Yah.

That's part of the twisted, torment-Harry bit.

He's trying to figure out how to steal the Blackstaff from the Blackstaff, and it all goes to hell & devolves into a fight (because of course it does).

Eb finally figures out what it is Harry's after.
Eb: "Stars and Stones, boy!  Why the hell is the Winter Knight trying to steal Mother Winter's Walking Stick??!?"
Harry:  "She told me to.  That kind of means I have to."
Eb:  "She did not tell you to steal this!"
Harry:  "Did too!  She... uh... how do you mean?"
Eb:  "It's hers, it's just on loan.  All she ever had to do is ask for it back!"
Harry:  !!!
Harry:  "!%$@&* faeries!!!"

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Excellent! Now, what is Cold Front?

Are you thinking COLD FEET, a suggested title for NEXT BOOK? About Harry’s attitude towards his impending nuptials, and Mab’s solution to it? Hint she does like encasing people in blocks of ice, ask Lea.

The walking stick was pretty much confirmed in Battle Ground when Eb showed the shadow of a crone. It’s quite clear he had been offing “human” servitors left and right, so he would have needed the Black Staff to ward off the psychic damage caused by this. That is dangerous because he is sharing the field with the Winter Queen and Winter Lady both of whom would immediately know this. Mother Winter is an intellectus she knows where everything is at all times. If she has misplaced it is on purpose,  like Harry “stealing” the superweapons from Hades, it was an intended transfer of the artefact.

This means that it’s return could be requested at any time. I suspect that will occur when the Merlin tries to appoint a new Black Staff claiming Eb is no longer physically fit to wield it, and won’t against Harry. He needs only a Council majority.

If Carlos is appointed the new Black Staff, he may have difficulties using an artefact of Winter AGAINST the Winter Knight. I suspect doing that may end up worse than when Carlos attempted to have relations with the Winter Lady, and revoke the White Council’s custodianship of it. I think Harry will just pick up the Blackstaff from Carlos cold frozen hand.

Mab could legitimately claim the White Council deliberately abrogated the agreement as to its use, putting the White Council on the back foot. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all part of Mab’s manipulation of Carlos and the White Council, to break them. I don’t think the Molly incident was wholly an accident, Mab set it up, putting all the players in the same place at the same time, with inevitable results.

[Dina]

Wow, you really live up to your name, right?

The fact that a theory is wildly accepted and/or even confirmed by the author does not reduces the merit of arriving to that theory by your own thinking. That is why I was so happy the OP posted that, and I thought it was excellent. But I was not sure what he meant by cold front, as in Storm Front there is no mention to the Mothers. Perhaps the OP meant Cold Days but I was not sure, as I do not remember much details of that book.

g33k, I absolutely loved your idea 

[Snark Knight]

This means that it’s return could be requested at any time. I suspect that will occur when the Merlin tries to appoint a new Black Staff claiming Eb is no longer physically fit to wield it, and won’t against Harry. He needs only a Council majority.

Is it actually awarded by Council vote? The senior council would have to vote on it secretly, since the Blackstaff's very existence isn't even acknowledged to all the membership.

I seem to remember something about the blackstaff choosing the successor - although it was ambiguous whether that meant the office-holder or the artifact itself. If the staff itself is semi-sentient and choosing the wizard, it might not give a damn for political niceties like "is the wizard actually a member of the White Council".

[g33k]

... I seem to remember something about the blackstaff choosing the successor - although it was ambiguous whether that meant the office-holder or the artifact itself. If the staff itself is semi-sentient and choosing the wizard, it might not give a damn for political niceties like "is the wizard actually a member of the White Council".

I think I remember that, too... but maybe a fantheory?   I'm pretty sure when we saw it in Changes, Harry got the impression it was sentient... or at least, sentient enough to have "wants" of its own.

I also think I remember a WoJ to the effect of, "anyone crazy enough to pick it up -- and strong enough to survive doing it -- becomes the next Blackstaff."

[Conspiracy Theorist]

The Merlin if he has the votes can do pretty much anything. He has a personal beef with Eb, diminishing him whilst he is injured is a very Merlin thing to do, taking away his personal power up.

[g33k]

The Merlin if he has the votes can do pretty much anything ...

As suggested upthread, I don't think the object itself "belongs" to the White Council, or is subject to its laws or rulings.  If the Merlin had enough proxy-votes, then sure... he could vote to take it from Eb; technically, he could "vote" to dethrone Mab and have himself declared "King of Winter," or any other stupid thing he wanted.

I do not think either project would end well.

I don't think the Merlin thinks they would end well, either.  There's probably no other wizard as well-suited to be Blackstaff as Ebenezer McCoy:  he's on the top-10 shortlist of most-powerful wizards in the world, and the most combat-capable one.  Anyone else would become a "weakest link," probably killed by the staff itself (but maybe broken by it, to become a psychopathic killer).

###

I suspect the WC "retconned" the role of "the Blackstaff," inventing it after a WC wizard showed up wielding the damned thing; I'm unclear if that was Eb himself; was there a prior Blackstaff wizard...?  AFAIK the canon stories & WoJ are silent on this point.
 
The Blackstaff itself is an item beyond WC magic or abilities.  It allows the lawbreaking without the moral/psychological damage; and so the wielder isn't within the purview of the Law (which is about preventing said damaged wizards).  Furthermore, the staff itself is semi-alive / semi-sentient.  It *wants* to kill; likely enough, it urges its owner to do so.

The Outer Gates -- and the Gatekeeper -- are similarly outside the scope of the White Council.  The duties of the Gatekeeper are entirely separate from White Council business; to Rashid, virtually all WC stuff is ancillary distraction, at the most... except/unless it touches upon Seventh Law / Outsider material.

[Conspiracy Theorist]

When I say the Merlin has the votes he can do anything, he might get a vote to strip Eb of the Position of the Blackstaff, for refusing to take on Harry, and seek to award it to some favourite to take on Harry as a power up. Internal politics.

Now how much the Merlin knows about the Blackstaff and it origin is moot, as the Blackstaff seem to have generally passed on the Blackstaff to their chosen successor. Everyone out of the line of succession may know very little other than what it does. He may not know that it is an object of Winter, and that it may be ineffective against the Winter Knight (Eb didn’t draw upon it in his battle with Harry) and indeed any attempt to use it against an official of Winter may result in the Blackstaff returning to Winter i.e. Harry. Worse it might result in an insult against Winter by the White Council and specifically the Merlin. Eb probably knows this, Harry has (along with the reader) deduced much of this. Does the Merlin know?

A sick and crippled Eb, being pressurised to give up the Blackstaff might just do so, if it puts the Merlin in Mab’s crosshairs. The Merlin could not only lose the Blackstaff from the White Council, he could be facing a personal magical duel from Mab’s champion, who I believe is currently is Harry, now armed with the Blackstaff. Harry would be seeking to rescue his grandfather, humiliating the Merlin would just be a side effect. I do not think would kill the Merlin even in a duel, I do think he would force the Merlin to swear on his power so many times that should he break his multiple oaths he would rapidly become almost powerless, publicly and irrevocably breaking the Merlin’s power. The Saruman option. But beware Saruman had one last act of spite.

The Gatekeeper has stated that Harry would take on the White Council after challenging them in Turn Coat, saying that it wasn’t time yet. I believe we might be approaching that time, these events or something similar will force the issue. Mab does not care about an insult against Harry such as the boom in Little Things ( a Merlin plot I think) but an insult against Winter is a different matter.

[Ed0517]

Is it actually awarded by Council vote? The senior council would have to vote on it secretly, since the Blackstaff's very existence isn't even acknowledged to all the membership.

Not all - but Eb was apparently Blackstaff even before he became Senior Council - he becomes SC during the books, but Kincaid knows him as Blackstaff for a long time.  So some outside have to know. And I think the Staff does select

[Ed0517]

When I say the Merlin has the votes he can do anything, he might get a vote to strip Eb of the Position of the Blackstaff, for refusing to take on Harry, and seek to award it to some favourite to take on Harry as a power up. Internal politics.

Now how much the Merlin knows about the Blackstaff and it origin is moot, as the Blackstaff seem to have generally passed on the Blackstaff to their chosen successor. Everyone out of the line of succession may know very little other than what it does. He may not know that it is an object of Winter, and that it may be ineffective against the Winter Knight (Eb didn’t draw upon it in his battle with Harry) 

I think more likely Eb was trying to keep it nonlethal, and might have been afraid the Staff would take it upon itself to kill Harry if an opening presented. Power-wise, the Knight is a step down from the Lady, who is  step down from the Queen, who is a LONG way from the Mother. The staff is from Mother Winter. She is not carrying a .22 short....