Questions about the fae.

[Wedge_Antilles]

What happens to one of the fae after they die? Do they get judged and sent to heaven/hell accordingly or is it just oblivion for them? I'm assuming oblivion.

In Summer Knight, Harry mentions that he's not afraid of getting into a soulgaze with Mab because "you need to have a soul for that". So the fae have no souls? Mab mentions in Cold Days "I was human once, you know". Does one lose their soul after becoming one of the fae?

All of these questions essentially are leading to me wondering "does Molly still have a soul? She acts the same as always even after becoming the winter lady, so if the fae have no souls, at what point does Molly lose her soul? And if she does, does that mean her death, even if it's thousands of years from now, will result in oblivion for her rather than an afterlife"?

I don't recall these topics being brought up in any of the books but maybe they were and I forgot. If not, maybe someone can help me understand how it all works.

[groinkick]

I'm not positive but I thought Jim said something like it was a form of reincarnation?  I don't really remember but I thought it was something like that. 


Jim hinted that Mab might even have something of a soul left.  So I'd guess that Molly still has one.

[Arjan]

What Harry says is what Harry believes, it is not necessarily true and if Mab had a soul to be gazed she would certainly not let Harry gaze it. Cold days has already some evidence that it is not a sudden black and white immediate thing, it takes time.

“I do,” she said. “Winter is cold, Sir Knight, but never so cold that it freezes the heart altogether.”
“You’ve got to have a heart before it can freeze, ma’am.”
“You do.”
I walked for a little while, considering that. “You’re saying that I have a chance to stay me.”
“I’m saying many things,” Mother Summer said. “Do you have a chance to remain yourself despite the tendency of the mantle to mold your thoughts and desires? All Knights, Winter and Summer, have that chance. Most fail.”
“But it’s possible,” I said.
She looked up at me and her eyes were deeper than time. “Anything is possible.”
“Ah,” I said, understanding. “We’re not really talking about me.”
“We are,” she said serenely, turning her eyes away. “And we are not.”
“Uh,” I said. “I’m getting a little confused here. What are we talking about, exactly?”
Mother Summer smiled at me.

Mother Summer is also talking about the ladies and the queens. Staying yourself means keeping your soul.

[wardenferry419]

Was Mother Summer talking about Molly or Mab?

[raidem]

She was talking about all of them, including the knights.  I think her comments could even apply to those humans, changelings who get the faerie mantles.  They are all in a competition with their mantles to keep themselves.  Some have that ability, most don't.

I personally think, with my theory, that their was a hidden comment about Mab having a chance to remain herself distinct from her mantle. It's an open question if she has kept it but the fact that she can't bring herself to go axe her daughter I think bodes well for her.  The fact that she grew so angry and hurt that Nemesis got to Maeve showed that she had heart, that she loved Maeve in her own way.  That is to some degree remaining oneself.  Hopefully by the time this is done, she dies Harry will learn who SHE is.

[wardenferry419]

I was thinking that MS had foreknowledge of Molly's soon-to-happen en-mantle-ment,

[raidem]

I think so too.  It probably helped calm him or realize what would be going down when he finally gets it about Molly.  And then knowing that she has the ability to keep herself.  Of course, he is trying to keep an eye on her, while she is keeping secrets from him. 

I wonder if Molly knows who Mab is?  For that matter, did Maeve know who aside from "Mab" her mother was?

[Ananda]

Was that quote a copy/paste from the book or did you type it? Just curious given the improper use of the word, “mold.” Generally, I listen to audio books for stuff like the DF as my husband SNORES and the earplugs and a fun story help me sleep. Lately, though, I just can’t listen to american narrators; the accent is often grating. Hopefully, I’ll still find Spike easy to listen to when the new book comes out! It’s been a couple of years since the last listen.

[Wedge_Antilles]

I just looked it up and it does indeed say "mold". To be fair, Butcher is American and they don't use the U in a lot of words. As a Canadian, I would, but I see it often enough that it doesn't really bother me anymore. Guess that's what happens when you're neighbour to these wacky kids to the south.

[Ananda]

I just looked it up and it does indeed say "mold". To be fair, Butcher is American and they don't use the U in a lot of words. As a Canadian, I would, but I see it often enough that it doesn't really bother me anymore. Guess that's what happens when you're neighbour to these wacky kids to the south.

It's not just an alternate spelling, though. They are two different words. Like "mantle" and "mantel".

[Wedge_Antilles]

I'm no pro when it comes to spelling and grammar, so I'm relying on google to get me an answer on this and oddly enough I'm getting different answers from different sites. Some agree with you, others say that "mold" is the spelling for both terms in American english.

I'm just gonna stare blankly at a wall until I forget about it and move on.

[Quantus]

It's not just an alternate spelling, though. They are two different words. Like "mantle" and "mantel".

Not in the US.  Or rather, they are two separate words that have identical meanings, each of which share their various  distinct usages/definitions. 

[Kindler]

Can confirm, it's a US/UK spelling difference. American English often removes the "u" from traditionally "ou" words. Most spellchecker software refers to American English as "English: Simplified" to denote our colonial heathen status over things like that.

[Quantus]

Can confirm, it's a US/UK spelling difference. American English often removes the "u" from traditionally "ou" words. Most spellchecker software refers to American English as "English: Simplified" to denote our colonial heathen status over things like that.

Ya, we apparently changes loads of words just to be contrary.  Ironically, the modern spoken form of English accent in America is actually closer to the original than the modern British accent, which evolved later due to some class warfare.   Other colonies like Australia sound the way they do because they were founded after the pronunciation changed on the eastern side of the pond.  So we speak it better, but still dont know how to spell...

[Kindler]

For a fun time, look into Noah Webster's push for English Spelling Reform circa 1805-ish. He's the real reason American spelling is different; the UK went through their own ESR centered (centred) around the formation and publication of the Oxford English Dictionary. Both based their spellings and definitions on independent, accepted, previously published contexts.