This is my favorite pet theory. It takes several theories about Lash and puts them together coming to some very interesting conclusions. (
old 2010 version link) (dead now)
All of the WoJ's and text excerpts (xrts) are at the bottom and numbered.
My foundational Theory:Lash used Soulfire when she rebelled against Lasciel. I don't consider this proven, just that the reasoning and evidence behind it is strong (the same caveat goes for the rest of this post I guess). In WK, Bob points out that the bit of soul he is missing "is energy" and says that Lash used it as the power source that allowed her to rebel against Lasciel.
xrt#1 In SmF, while describing the process of how soulfire is used, Bob says that the soul is converted into energy.
xrt#4 So I'm theorizing that Lash took the bit of soul Harry gave her and converted it into the energy (Soulfire) she needed to reinforce the free will Harry gave her. This allowed her to "become a lot more of what she already was" like in Excerpt #5 and enabled her to rebel against Lasciel.
An attempt to determine who can use SoulfireIt hasn't been defined to us who can use Soulfire. Jim has said that "angelic types have access to hellfire and soulfire.”
woj#1 Also, in WK Bob says that Harry had access to hellfire because he had a tiny bit of Lasciel’s energy giving him access to it.
xrt#1 This implies that an angelic being can give another being access to hell/soul fire by investing part of their energy into that separate being. Thus we have a second set of beings who can use Soulfire. These 2 sets of beings aren’t necessarily all inclusive, but we know of no others.
First Derivative Theory:
Lash is/was a discrete being falling into the set of beings Jim describes as "Angelic type."woj#1 In other words, Lash is an entity of angelic nature.So now I’m going to go into supposition (that is to say this is based on varying degrees of less firm reasoning and evidence). If Lasciel is a Fallen “angel” (aka a member of a subset of the “Angelic type” as referred to in WoJ #1), then a shadow of Lasciel existing within Harry’s subconscious (and powered by a bit of energy from this fallen angel giving him access to hellfire) would be what I would call “angelic in nature.” Harry has given this shadow the name Lash and thus gave it the free will that allowed it to rebel against its originator’s energy
xrt#1 making it a separate, individual, entity with it's own identity.
woj#4 Edit: As a derivative theory, the foundational theory also reinforces this one if it is true.
Second Derivative Theory:
Uriel didn't give Harry SoulfireIt is my theory that if my above "Foundation Theory, and First Derivative Theory are true, then when Uriel “jostled Harry’s elbow”
xrt#3 he did not invest part of his own energy into Harry to give him access, but rather nudged Harry into pulling the trigger on the Soulfire gun that was already in his hand, and made available to him through his latent connection with Lash who had already used Soulfire. This would make Uriel’s “favor” a truly small one, and reinforces the Foundational Theory. (props to LML for the trigger/gun analogy)
Edit, Sept 2011: Further theorizing since the events of GS has suggested that Uriel's action here was actually to invest power into Lash, jumpstarting her back into activity with the dual purposes of giving Harry a conduit to soulfire through her, and possibly enabling her to serve the purpose of the "Parasite" mentioned at the end of GS. See the response linked before the references below for more.
The Conclusion Derivative TheoryLash is an Angelic entity that identifies with the heavenly hosts, but hasn’t necessarily been accepted by said “team”I.E. The angelic entity, Lash, upon using soulfire, not only rebelled against her originator, but chose to change her identity such as to identify with the kind of angel that uses soulfire. I’m not saying she earned her wings, but I am saying that she switched teams.
This is concluded from:
- The foundational theory that Lash used Soulfire,
- The First Derivative Theory that Lash is an entity of “angelic nature,”
- WoJ #4 that Harry did change Lash
- WoJ #1 about usage of soulfire or hellfire partially determining what kind of angel an entity is
- WoJ #3 that Lasciel's spirit didn't go to heaven.
Bonus Thoughts:
Even before the psychic assault that possibly damaged the parts of Harry’s brain that harbored Lash, she was already showing progressive signs of falling apart at the seams. I think that this was probably due to Harry’s naming her and imbibing her with free will deteriorating the effectiveness of the “bit of energy” from Lasciel. Because of this, I feel as though even without this possible psychic bullet she took, she would have had to spend some time recuperating from the psychic trauma she might have gone through just from this fundamental identity crisis.
Additionally, I am unsure (because she is definitely atypical) if the free will Harry imued her with would free her of restrictions that other, more typical angelic types as described by WoJ’s #2 and #3, seem to be subject to. This would heavily factor into her identity
I posted a response adding new thoughts based off of the material from GS and WoJ's since the GS release hereAforementioned WoJ's and Book Excerpts
WoJ #1,
Source (emphasis added)
“Does the same apply to hellfire/soulfire. What would happen if Harry were to take up Lasciel’s coin and then try to use soulfire and hellfire together? Would that result in Harry dying horribly?”
Those are different. They’re really two sides of the same coin–but they can’t really exist together like that. They aren’t explosively reactive, but they aren’t additive, either. Which one came into the person to be used would depend on the person who was using it, and what they were using it for.
Angelic types have access to both. Which one they use is partially what determines what /kind/ of angels they are.
WoJ #2,
Source“Could Uriel have chosen to help Harry if he had wanted to, or is there actually some universal limit that prevents him from directly influencing the world in such overt fashion?”
A little of both. Technically, it was /possible/ for Uriel to act directly, but the consequences would have been extreme, both for him and for the mortal world–to the point where you’d have to be moderately insane to do it. Or else, really, really committed to some kind of personal moral compass that was 90 degrees off true.
The last angel to do that is a little notorious.
WoJ #3,
Source @ ~6:11
Q: Does Lasciel's shadow get to heaven because she redeemed herself?
A: The answer to that is so complicated than is easy to give, especially without giving out extra story and ruining the fun. No. Lasciel's spirit didn't go to heaven. And now, (sing song) I'm not gonna tell you.
WoJ #4,
Source (bolding added)
Will we see Lash or Lasciel again?
Lasciel’s story is not over. And keep in mind what’s said about ‘a woman scorned.’ Also keep in mind that Lasciel is NOT Lash; Lasciel did not reabsorb the entity that Harry actually changed. (Yes, he use those words “that Harry actually changed.”)
Excerpt #1 While discussing the aftermath of the psychic attack Harry endured at the end of White Knight, Bob points out that part of Harry's soul is missing. After some banter to say that this isn't too big a deal, the book says: (bolding added)
"If it's no big deal," I said, "then why is it so interesting?"
"Oh, well," Bob said. "It is energy, you know. And I wonder if maybe...maybe...well, look, Harry. There was a tiny bit of Lasciel's energy in you, supporting the entity, giving you access to hellfire. That's gone now, but the entity had to have had some kind of power source to turn against the essence of its own originator."
"So it was running off my soul? Like I'm some kind of battery?"
“Hey,” Bob said, “don’t get all righteous. You gave it to her. Encouraging her to make her own choices, to rebel, to exercise free will.” Bob shook his head. Free will is horrible, Harry, believe me. I’m glad I don’t have it. Ugh, no, thank you. But you gave her some. You gave her a name. The will came with it.”
Excerpt #2 (during the psychic attack in the deeps, Harry tells Lash to help without him calling the coin. bolding added)
"I can't," she replied, her voice anguished. "She would never forgive that. Never accept me back into her...just take the coin. Harry, just take the coin. P-please."
[and later when she agrees to actually help]
"I..." She shook her head and said, very softly, wonderingly, "She...doesn't deserve you."
Deserved or not, the fallen angel wasn't getting me. Not ever.
Lasciel squared her sholders and straightened. "You're right," she said. "It is my choice...
Excerpt #3 (The sensation Harry felt when he ended up using his Soulfire Fist of Wrath!)
Ever been carrying something and had someone intentionally, unexpectedly jostle your elbow? It felt something like that- a tiny but critically timed nudge just as I threw my will into a last futile effort of defiance.
Excerpt #4 (Bob is explaining Harry's Soulfire Fist of Wrath! bolding added)
"So what you're saying is that this hand construct was made out of my soul," I said.
"Your soul and your magic fused together, yeah," Bob said. "Your soul converted into energy. Soulfire."
Excerpt #5 (more of Bob and Harry discussing soulfire bolding added)
I grunted. "So what you're saying is that soulfire doesn't let me do anything new. It just makes me more of what I already am."
"A lot more," Bob said, nodding cheerfully from his shelf. "It's how angels do all of their stuff."
